Saturday, December 17, 2005
Where the crowds are
While their haven't been any political rallies of any size in Venezuela recently it isn't difficult to find out where all the people have been. In Barquisimeto every shopping center from Barquicentro in the middle of town to the swanky Trinitaria mall in the affluent eastern side of town has been jam packed with Christmas shoppers. The same goes for Caracas where every shopping center I went near was standing room only. If neither Chavez nor the opposition can convoke a crowd for politics maybe its because people are simply to busy shopping I thought.
Now we get some hard numbers to back up my subjective impressions. According to the polling firm Datanalisis sales at Venezuelan shopping centers have gone up by a almost unreal 41% compared to last year. Datanalysis give all sorts of data in the article, such how much the value of each purchase has gone up and how more people are now going to the malls not to simply window shop but to actually make purchases.
All this data is stuff only a shopping mall developer could love. But it does make a larger point. In spite of years of the opposition insisting the sky is falling the reality is the country is booming and the sky seems to be the limit. And that is really the main problem that ailes the Venezuelan opposition - while they sit around and wallow in self pity and how bad things supposedly are your average Venezuelan is out enjoying life at the local mall.
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Now we get some hard numbers to back up my subjective impressions. According to the polling firm Datanalisis sales at Venezuelan shopping centers have gone up by a almost unreal 41% compared to last year. Datanalysis give all sorts of data in the article, such how much the value of each purchase has gone up and how more people are now going to the malls not to simply window shop but to actually make purchases.
All this data is stuff only a shopping mall developer could love. But it does make a larger point. In spite of years of the opposition insisting the sky is falling the reality is the country is booming and the sky seems to be the limit. And that is really the main problem that ailes the Venezuelan opposition - while they sit around and wallow in self pity and how bad things supposedly are your average Venezuelan is out enjoying life at the local mall.
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