To “give change”: $ 5 bills are returned in the form of candy

If there is something that cannot be denied to the Argentines, it is their creativity, even more so in critical moments. The Marengo SA candy company, based in the province of Santa Fe, had an event: have $ 5 bills printed in the shape of candy ideal for ‘return’

While the initiative is not new, the move to relocate the $ 5 bills is. It is that the advance of inflation which is about to close its third month above 5% – as forecast by analysts for May – has left the lowest denomination currencies almost unused.

A trace of the devaluation that the local currency undergoes almost daily, is that they now quote more for the value of their metal than from the denomination they printed. Even before, when the exchange was for pennies, and now the smallest yield is closer to $ 5.

While the presentation of the new banknotes is still in the air – made more or less 15 days ago – and the general question, to which the Government has turned a deaf ear, to print cards with larger cuts, the candy company based in San Rafaela, Santa Fé, has brought to market a line of candies that are ideal for merchants.

The company is called Marengo SA and in its product catalog it offers 27 different types of candies, 7 variants of lollipops, chewing gum, candies and even cereal bars.

The 100-unit pack retails for just over $ $ and up on online sites. The 100-unit pack is advertised for $ 300 to a maximum of $ 500, depending on which distributor you buy it from.

The thoughtful packaging of this new product in its front shows the old $ 5 bill, and on the back you can see the Argentine flag with the words “thank you for your purchase”.

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But this isn’t the only case of a candy meant to give back. All the candies themselves are used by merchants to give loose change in times when coins are in short supply. Without going further, exactly one year ago, the Arcor company had caught the message: “ideal for making change”, in a line of mini acids.

It’s all about hard candy “Arcor Mini”, which is offered in the “cherry” and “strong” versions on the company’s e-commerce site.

In June 2021, when the initiative came out, the photo of the candy package went viral and the controversy was immediate. Economist Martín Tetaz, for example, tweeted the product photo at the time with a header that said: “To add to the coin debate.” And several economists like Santiago Bulat and Ramiro Marra have joined the controversy.

YN