Behind the counter, Rosa María remains idle. She looks outside the establishment, she appreciates that the customers are very few and the chances of sales are much lower, although it is almost noon and the hot weather encourages to drink something refreshing.

She speaks longingly of the days when having a juice or taking it in a container to consume at home, was a frequent event among the customers of the Frutimorón market.

“Now,” she says disconsolately, “the sale is very little, to say nothing; they do not exceed 20 glasses in a day. Some time ago, when juices were cheaper, we raised up to 2,000 pesos in a day. Customers complain that they are very expensive at 5.00 pesos a glass. If someone decides to buy a one and a half liter bottle, it costs them 35.00 pesos".

LIGHTS AND SHADOWS

Leader in the national market and, with wide possibilities to position itself in the international scope, the D Cballos Agroindustrial Company represents the model of a socialist state company and is among the enterprises with the best conditions to face the Ordering Task.

The image of its commercial establishments, as well as the variety and quality of its offers, make it a competitive entity that deserves customer recognition, where price transformations could have greater acceptance, however, excessive increases create difficulties for accessing products with high demand.

The interviewees expressed particular concern about the prices of jams, which are included among the products most in demand due to the facilities they offer for consumption in the form of desserts, juices and pastries. They also referred to the impossibility of frequenting this entity as they did before, even though they lack food and are available there.

Lisbet González Rodríguez, a clerk, is recognized as a witness of repeated disagreements: "There have been a lot of, a lot of dissatisfaction by the clients - she reiterates with all intentionality - because the products are not affordable to the majority of people, even though salaries have risen".

Although Frutimorón maintains the stability, variety and quality of the offers, and there are not many purchase options in a municipality with more than 70,000 inhabitants, the demands have decreased considerably and are affecting the marketing process.

“Inthe past, the market was always full and there were long queues; now very few customers come, who attend less frequently and buy few products. The offers have remained stable, however, not everyone has access to them because the prices are very high. This leads to decreases in the commercialization process”, Magalis Prieto Pérez, head of the group of the referred market, underlines.

There are no idle products, but sales are very slow, especially those of products that previously had a very high demand, such as guava bars and jams. The prices of the first product(in 400 gram format) rose from 8.80 to 33.00 pesos; meanwhile, the later one also experienced a considerable rise, which already generated a first change in costs, until it was set at 20.00 pesos per kg, qualified as acceptable in the current circumstances.

"There are still reviews of the prices of jams and other products," Prieto Pérez said.

In a context in which communication acquires special relevance, the lack of arguments in the base structures limits frank and precise dialogue with clients who request explanations about the new pricing policies at the D Cballos Agroindustrial Company.

In any case, the increase in the costs of guava, sugar, electricity ... for the mini-industries, should not translate into an excessive increase in prices in the market, although it seems to be the easiest way to solve the problem. It is not something typical of this entity, however, its incidence in this error, foreseen and corrected in different instances, is regrettable, even before starting the Ordering Task.