Cubans go to the mattresses

Posted By Aditi Nangia Monday, July 27, 2009 - 2:22 PM Share

The hottest commodity in Cuba, the Miami Herald reveals, is the mattress.

A severe shortage in mattresses across the country has encouraged a thriving black market of threadbare, stolen and straw alternatives. "Freelance merchants" improvise springs, covers and fillings out of any easily-available materials, and the government's official factory is victim to "constant" theft.

Like the majority of local businesses, the nation's sole mattress-making outfit Dujo Copo Flex, is under exclusive contract with the government. But the 60,000 or so mattresses made annually do not come close to meeting the gapping demand for decent bedding, with most of the factory's productions going straight to hotels, the armed forces and even exported to Italy and Venezuela. The remaining few that can be sold to Cuban consumers are done so at a premium, costing upwards of 5,352 pesos -- much more than the average annual salary. Consequently, mattresses are now passed down within families like precious heirlooms.

But finding refurbished bedding, or anything else you'd like (a fake marriage and ticket to America, anyone?), on the island may be getting easier with the launch of Revolico.com, the Cuban answer to Craigslist and a godsend for illegal entrepreneurs hawking their wares. It's nice to see that the black market can find its way online everywhere.

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TEODORO

9:16 AM ET

July 28, 2009

priorities

"with most of the factory's productions going straight to hotels"

Of course, with tourism being the one thing keeping Cuba afloat, the Government's policies restricting citizens' access to the coast, basic foodstuffs like beef or seafood, etc etc, represent a internal self-embargo.

HOLLAR01

11:49 AM ET

July 28, 2009

Orwell again

In 1984, under Big Brother, the big shortage was in razorblades. In Cuba today, its mattresses.

It just goes to show how (unfortunately) relevant Orwell remains 50 years after he wrote '1984'.

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