“If you want something, ask me and I’ll tell you if it’s available or not.”
14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Matanzas, November 18, 2025 – At the entrance to the Versailles Ideal Market in Matanzas, the first impression is of a hastily assembled stage set. A sign welcomes customers with a list of 18 products: salt, sugar, rice, pork loin, oil… An inventory that, more than an offering, seems like an invocation. “They’re waiting here for some boss to visit,” Aurora, an elderly woman, quips ironically as she curiously examines the sign.
Inside, the shop reveals its stark reality: half-empty shelves, a few bottles of oil, a handful of cans of tomato sauce, seasoning packets, and jars of soy yogurt arranged more for decorative than commercial purposes. From behind the counter, the employee—looking weary—utters the phrase that shatters any illusion: “Ma’am, if you’d like something, just ask, and I’ll tell you if we have it or not.” Because in this market, the existence of certain products is real only in the ink on the sign.
Aurora presses on: “Do you have minced meat, mortadella, or chicken?” The response is a slow, decisive nod. “Maybe we’ll get some tomorrow,” the shop assistant murmurs. “It’s not certain. But come by and see what’s up.”
The place depends on the Matanzas Municipal Trading Company, which is experiencing fuel shortages that hinder the transport of goods.
The place depends on the Matanzas Municipal Trade Company, which is experiencing fuel shortages that hinder its ability to transport goods. The word “ideal” in its name has long since become a source of sarcasm for the locals. Marcelo, a father observing the scene from the entrance, sums up his experience: “The other day I bought four pounds of ground meat here, and it was spoiled because they don’t have refrigeration; the refrigerator is broken.”
On the wall, two posters display the store’s “Mission” and “Vision,” hollow phrases in a place where even a simple “good morning” is rarely exchanged. Aurora finally buys a packet of cumin and tries to pay by bank transfer. The shop assistant responds with a smile that’s more of a warning than a friendly one: “It has to be cash.” Near the counter, a QR code promises to be a quick way to pay electronically. Just another sign out of touch with reality at the Versailles Ideal Market.
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