Community | October 27, 2008 | 15 comments

Zimbabwe shops stop accepting local currency

source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/zimbabwe/3264644/Zimbabwe-sho...

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Chango2000
Shops in Zimbabwe are refusing to accept the local currency after it depreciated at its fastest ever rate at the weekend.

While millions of Zimbabweans are already going hungry, the move by supermarket owners, who have few goods available for customers to buy, has added to the hardship experienced by the urban population.

Most do not have access to foreign currency, such as US dollars or the South African rand, now demanded by shopkeepers for payment.

A sign outside a supermarket in Harare's wealthy northern suburbs informed the public on Sunday that, like many other shops, it would not accept cheques or debit cards, because they take too long to clear while the Zimbabwe dollar plunges hourly.

Weeping with frustration, a well-dressed woman fled the shop in tears as she was left unable to buy anything, despite having amassed Z$14 billion for her weekly shop. But even cash was useless, and the shop manager told her he was only accepting US dollars.

"I felt really terrible telling her this, she is a good customer, a really nice person, but it is too difficult to sell in local currency," he said. "We don't know how to mark up goods as the Zimbabwe dollar is worthless now."
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