REPORTAGE – Rising prices devour salaries and disrupt the daily lives of residents, who struggle to make ends meet. The slightest leisure has become a luxury, in a city that was once very affordable.
The air is still mild in Istanbul in September. Horns scream in the alleys of the cosmopolitan Cihangir district, perched on the heights of the city. Sitting on the terrace of a café, Ayem, a 42-year-old restaurateur, is brooding. « Before, I could plan my expenses, buy in bulk for the week. Today, it is impossible. Suppliers give me a price one day and the next day they increase it. How are we supposed to get out of this? ? Not to mention the electricity which increased by 40% this month, and a new rent increase which awaits me ! »he says in muffled anger.
Ending the month has become a way of the cross. Inflation, which is running at more than 50% in Turkey, is forcing merchants to juggle increasingly exorbitant costs and customers whose purchasing power is collapsing. « If I pass on the increases to my prices, I lose people. If I don’t do it, my margin disappears. I removed certain dishes that were becoming too expensive…, he said, confessing to having increased his card by between 30% and 40% in recent months. To survive, I have reduced my staff to a minimum and I act as a waiter. »
Unbearable daily life
Daily life has become unbearable for Turks, trapped by inflation…
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