Shortage of tampons in Argentina; its a trending topic
Severe import restrictions in Argentina have generated unusual situations: for example, a chronic shortage of tampons. The many failed attempts at an explanation from the government have only aggravated the situation, which is quickly becoming a laughable trending topic on social networks. The Secretary of Commerce Augusto Costa said “It was kind of a run on tampons and unleashed the general hilarity and hashtag #CorridaDeTampones. SEE ALSO: The Nisman files: A whos who in Argentinas deadly whodunit In fact, as can be evidenced by this Twitter post, the restocking of shelves with tampons at local stores has become a newsworthy occurrence worth celebrating: #CorridaDeTampones – ya se vuelven a ver!! pic.twitter.com/txbqe4XaFz — MCARO (@CARODYM) January 23, 2015 What happened to Argentina’s tampons? The sharp decline in monetary reserves of Argentina’s central Bank has led the government to implement a policy of severe import restrictions and to intervene in thefree market. Import approvals are in the hands of political appointees with little or no experience in the field. Thus, the lack of basic supplies, such as tampons, is common. On top of that, the surprising and disturbing novelty of missing tampons is happening in the middle of the summer season – with millions of Argentine women wanting to enjoy their bikinis. It has brought on anger and disbelief. The shortages of imported goods have not only hit hospitals and pharmacies, but also the automotive, electronic and appliance businesses. Plenty of toys and items from other countries appear on TV ads that most don’t have access to–including, computer parts, textiles, frozen food, computer supplies and important products for farming and winemaking. This was shown by a survey conducted by the Chamber of Importers of Argentina (CIRA) in November 2014. “Blue” Tampons in Argentina Lack of feminine hygiene products was already something common, but it became worse in the last weeks of December 2014, and has continued to be a problem intermittently until now. For women, it’s customary not to find all sizes and brands on the shelves of pharmacies and supermarkets. The holiday period aggravated the shortage, and to get a tampon in vacation spots and cities is now an odyssey. Now overseas travelers know perfectly well which present will make their loved ones happy in Argentina: “Bring me tampons, please.” One has to wonder what customs agents think when male passengers going back to Argentina travel with such a large amount of tampons in their luggage. The popular mood has established funny parallels between the speculative market dollar (dollar “blue”) and the tampon blue. Now you can get these on the black market on the Internet above the official price. Tampons: A State Business This tampon shortage eventually caused a severe crisis between the importers of the product and the government of Cristina Fernández. The Ministry of Economy said that the lack of tampons is completely unjustified and it is probably caused by the lack of planning and forecasting by companies importing the product from Brazil. The Chief Minister of the Cabinet, Jorge Capitanich, attributed the shortage of tampons to a commercial strategy hard to believe due to the quality and experience of the companies involved such as Johnson & Johnson (80% market share), Kimberley Clark and Procter & Gamble. SEE ALSO: Hispanic women benefit the most from healthy diet The Manager of the Chamber of Importers of Argentina, Miguel Ponce, replied to the official statements and explained that the real reasons were that, in the last two weeks of December and early January, the Central Bank had not released the currency for imports. A week later, Miguel Ponce resigned and it is said it was because of government pressure.The post Shortage of tampons in Argentina; it’s a ‘trending topic’ appeared first on Voxxi.
Severe import restrictions in Argentina have generated unusual situations: for example, a chronic shortage of tampons.
The many failed attempts at an explanation from the government have only aggravated the situation, which is quickly becoming a laughable trending topic on social networks.
The Secretary of Commerce Augusto Costa said “It was kind of a run on tampons and unleashed the general hilarity and hashtag #CorridaDeTampones.
SEE ALSO: The Nisman files: A whos who in Argentinas deadly whodunit
In fact, as can be evidenced by this Twitter post, the restocking of shelves with tampons at local stores has become a newsworthy occurrence worth celebrating:
#CorridaDeTampones – ya se vuelven a ver!! pic.twitter.com/txbqe4XaFz
— MCARO (@CARODYM) January 23, 2015
What happened to Argentina’s tampons?
The sharp decline in monetary reserves of Argentina’s central Bank has led the government to implement a policy of severe import restrictions and to intervene in thefree market. Import approvals are in the hands of political appointees with little or no experience in the field. Thus, the lack of basic supplies, such as tampons, is common.
On top of that, the surprising and disturbing novelty of missing tampons is happening in the middle of the summer season – with millions of Argentine women wanting to enjoy their bikinis. It has brought on anger and disbelief.
The shortages of imported goods have not only hit hospitals and pharmacies, but also the automotive, electronic and appliance businesses. Plenty of toys and items from other countries appear on TV ads that most don’t have access to–including, computer parts, textiles, frozen food, computer supplies and important products for farming and winemaking. This was shown by a survey conducted by the Chamber of Importers of Argentina (CIRA) in November 2014.
“Blue” Tampons in Argentina
Lack of feminine hygiene products was already something common, but it became worse in the last weeks of December 2014, and has continued to be a problem intermittently until now. For women, it’s customary not to find all sizes and brands on the shelves of pharmacies and supermarkets. The holiday period aggravated the shortage, and to get a tampon in vacation spots and cities is now an odyssey.
Now overseas travelers know perfectly well which present will make their loved ones happy in Argentina: “Bring me tampons, please.”
One has to wonder what customs agents think when male passengers going back to Argentina travel with such a large amount of tampons in their luggage. The popular mood has established funny parallels between the speculative market dollar (dollar “blue”) and the tampon blue. Now you can get these on the black market on the Internet above the official price.
Tampons: A State Business
This tampon shortage eventually caused a severe crisis between the importers of the product and the government of Cristina Fernández. The Ministry of Economy said that the lack of tampons is completely unjustified and it is probably caused by the lack of planning and forecasting by companies importing the product from Brazil. The Chief Minister of the Cabinet, Jorge Capitanich, attributed the shortage of tampons to a commercial strategy hard to believe due to the quality and experience of the companies involved such as Johnson & Johnson (80% market share), Kimberley Clark and Procter & Gamble.
SEE ALSO: Hispanic women benefit the most from healthy diet
The Manager of the Chamber of Importers of Argentina, Miguel Ponce, replied to the official statements and explained that the real reasons were that, in the last two weeks of December and early January, the Central Bank had not released the currency for imports. A week later, Miguel Ponce resigned and it is said it was because of government pressure.
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The post Shortage of tampons in Argentina; it’s a ‘trending topic’ appeared first on Voxxi.
