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Robbie's avatar

Absolutely agree! As ex-pats who are only marginally affected by the chaotic exchange rates, what can we offer in our own communities to support the many single mothers? Years ago, I was one in the USA. I always try to shop in my neighborhood tiendas and avoid the multi-national big box stores. Now it is time to do more re free daycare.

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Miguelitro's avatar

You said so well what I have been seeing for years. If you don't have your own business in Mexico, you are mostly screwed. Wages are appallingly low. What's worse, the little micro businesses that used to be everywhere 40 years ago are getting scarcer and scarcer.

Nothing illustrates this horrible trajectory than OXXO taking out an entire nation of tiny "tiendas de abarrotes" or "abarroterias" on every second corner of every Mexican neighborhood. In the 70s, these little family owned and run stores were the best. The store owners knew everybody and made a pretty good living. You could buy your bolillos and cerveza and cigarros pasta de dientes and stuff.

Enter OXXO. This FEMSA conglomerate destroyed the tiendas de abarrotes. Wherever there are OXXOs' there are no longer any tiendas de abarrotes. Makes me want to cry.

And what is on offer now? OXXO pays its employees maybe 1500-1800 pesos a week. What would that amount buy in an OXXO?? All the profit that stayed in the neighborhood because the family owned the store now siphoned off to FEMSA shareholders.

Boycott OXXO!!!!!!!

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