Belarussians shocked by rising prices for mackerel, eggs, and lard. Here's what people are saying
We collected opinions from Belarusians about how fish and other products have become more expensive on the eve of the New Year.
Information about the price increase of mackerel, which rose from 36 to 50 rubles per kilogram, caused a strong reaction on TikTok. The video was viewed more than half a million times in three days, with over a thousand comments underneath.
The most liked comment (over a thousand likes) under the video was: "What about fish? When did eggs start costing 6.50?"
Another viewer painfully recalls that eggs recently cost 2 rubles, and now they are 4-5. Some note that milk is now almost 3 rubles per liter, chicken offal, which used to "cost pennies," is now over 6 rubles, and a kilogram of barrel cucumbers costs 12.
A separate topic is chicken prices:
"Chicken at the price of pork, and mackerel at the price of tuna — wonderful," one viewer ironizes. Others write that chicken prices have doubled in two days and ask if anyone has seen the price tag for chicken fillet.
And lard? The comment "They've gone completely crazy with prices. And not just for fish and lard" became the third most popular, with 732 likes. Another user adds that lard costs 40 rubles, and fish is "sky-high."
As for mackerel itself, people are sharing prices from stores. Even frozen mackerel, someone writes, costs 25 rubles "and looks simply terrible." Over 200 viewers agree with this. Others write that fish has become worth its weight in gold, and it's cheaper to buy a kilogram of meat than one fish.
Viewers note that other fish have also become more expensive. Hake, according to one commentator, recently cost 8 rubles, and now it's 14; pollock is 12 instead of 7. Someone doesn't understand why roach costs 61 rubles per kilogram, while fresh frozen trout is 30. From Gomel, people write about capelin for 28 rubles. With such prices, fish, which even a student could once afford, has become a luxury.
Many are calling to simply not buy mackerel at such prices. In one way or another, over three dozen commentators write about this. The most popular of these comments gathered 396 likes:
"Today I saw mackerel: 19 rubles for one 300-gram fish... Don't buy it. Let it rot at such prices."
Others repeat the same in various ways: "Let it sour on the sellers' display," "If you didn't buy it, they wouldn't raise prices." Someone suggests declaring a "strike": buy a minimum for the holiday, and celebrate New Year with karaoke and conversations.
Many already know what to replace fish with. Most often, pork and lard. Others advise buying carp or "Belarusian crucian carp."
Some people say they won't spend anything on the holiday at all. Thus, the comment "I won't celebrate at all. With such prices, it's easier to sleep" became the second most popular, gathering 984 likes.
“Not just fish. Everything has become terribly expensive. We should keep quiet about New Year. There's nothing to live for here," someone summarizes, and over 510 other viewers support him.
Some viewers focus on their incomes. The phrase "salaries are stagnant, but prices are rising" appears again and again in various forms. Someone assures that fish is "completely unaffordable" for pensioners. And almost 170 others agree with him. Belarusians ironically recall the official average salary of 3700 rubles, implying that this is "aligning prices with salaries." One user writes that she forgot when she last ate mackerel: her salary is 820 rubles.
Not everyone, however, believes in the sincerity of the complaints.
"But there haven't been fewer people in stores. There are queues everywhere," writes one user, supported by 60 other viewers.
"Oh really? Everyone's carts in the queues are overflowing with food!!!" adds another.
Others are confident that on December 31st, stores will again be "impassable," and people will be "grabbing everything in sight."
Now reading
Colonel killed in car explosion in St. Petersburg 15
Colonel killed in car explosion in St. Petersburg
Lawyer Aliaksandr Danilevich: I was taken to a cell at the checkpoint and read a decree for official use about a pardon at the request of the International Olympic Committee 99
Comments