Mérida, Yucatán — To address the stiff competition from modern supermarket chains and convenience chains, struggling mom-and-pop corner grocery stores are receiving funding of up to 50,000 pesos before the end of the year.
The money will help families update their shops and keep serving their neighborhoods.
Both federal and state resources are reaching the tienditas, said José Luis Cerda Leal, of the local Chamber of Commerce.
Cerda Leal told Sipse that on average, business is down 7 percent from five years ago at 8,000-plus independent shops, but because of the help they receive, most have not closed down. Their survival means the continuation of a tradition that is valuable to residents of the colonias.
Expats tend to overlook tienditas, driving past them on their way to more familiar stores like Superama and Mega. Here, in a video from Real Life in Merida, one merchant asks her foreign neighbors to give small corner stores a second look.
