In response, it has increased production, although Acuña said it had not really made a dent. “There’s a much higher demand,” the company said in a statement.
Panini Argentina, the local subsidiary of the Italian firm that first sold World Cup stickers in 1970, said there was no shortage. To make his point, Acuña scrolled through a series of WhatsApp groups he had with other kiosk owners, who responded with incensed emojis at offers from distributors selling figuritas for more than 200 pesos ($1.34) a pack. The company sells to a slate of distributors, who in turn sell to smaller distributors who have traditionally supplied the kiosks, Acuña said.īut this year, kiosk owners said, they can barely get any supply or have had to pay higher prices for what is available. Many have blamed the scarcity in kiosks on the fact that the product is now available in big grocery chains, gas stations, delivery apps and other outlets, but Panini Argentina contended that kiosks never had exclusive rights. The group staged a protest at the Buenos Aires-area office of Panini last month, demanding more inventory. “The Argentine responds to passions,” said Acuña, a vice president with the union representing kiosk-store owners.
Then Acuña stands at the window, as figurita fanatics trickle in with money in hand and eyes wide at a prize that is, in many places in Argentina this year, agonizingly and frustratingly out of reach. On some days, the limit is only two packs per person. But before handing over the first pack, he surveys the line that forms down the block and rations out the quantity that each customer can take home. On the days he can get his hands on packs of figuritas, he offers them for sale at 6 p.m. But you have to go stand in line.”Īcuña said that he had his response to the frenzy down to a science. “Yes,” responded the store owner, Ernesto Acuña. “Do you have figuritas?” he asked breathlessly. Sticker Shock: In Argentina, the prospect of Lionel Messi’s last World Cup has helped feed a white-hot market for a beloved collectible, featuring long lines, surging prices and, briefly, government intervention.Brazil: As the team begins its quest for a sixth World Cup, it appears to have the resources needed to succeed - though Neymar still shoulders much of the load.It needs to settle on one before heading to Qatar. United States: The American men’s soccer team has cycled through strikers during the qualifying period.But the tournament is a feeling that money can’t buy, our soccer correspondent writes. Lavish Spending: No expense has been spared in putting on a show in Qatar.
0 kommentar(er)
