Public sector employees in Turkmenistan are still experiencing salary delays.
Vendors at the markets and privately-owned stores in Turkmenabat refuse to sell groceries on credit by making a relevant entry in a special log book to those customers whose salaries are not paid on time since they have not paid back for the purchases they had previously made.
This results in long queues, which are being formed in front of the state-run stores where the prices for basic groceries, including bread, flour, sugar and eggs, are considerable cheaper.
However, the groceries are supplied to stores irregularly and even if they available, they are sold with restrictions and pursuant to rationed quotas.
In an attempt to reduce the number of customers managers of state-run stores have stopped selling groceries to children following the Ashgabat example and demand that their parents come instead. Correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” report that customers are now required to present family status certificates (Forma-3) from house administrations on a weekly basis.
— House administration charge fees for all certificates, ranging from 2 to 20 manats. We have no cash and now we need to pay for certificates every week, an outraged female inhabitant from the residential district Khimik said.
The owner of a private retail outlet located in the residential district Gagarin in his turn demonstrated a thick logbook, which indicates the name of customers who owe him money and the amount they need to pay back.
— I also need to buy groceries from wholesale merchants but I have no available cash. Do I need to show them my logbook? — the man said.