Published on 5/30/2026
The traditional consumption pattern based on storage and periodic purchasing is no longer available to most Yemeni families. The rapid deterioration of the local currency caused a division in financial institutions, with the concept of “food stocks” disappearing and being replaced by a lifestyle dependent on “day labor.”
During an Al Jazeera tour of the popular markets in the capital, Sanaa, and other Yemeni cities, the features of the radical change clearly appear: the absence of large containers, as large bags and bags of basic commodities (such as wheat, sugar, and rice) have disappeared from citizens’ shopping baskets, as families now go to stores to buy small quantities that meet the needs of one day, and sometimes only the need for one meal.
Local economists believe that this transformation reflects the depth of the livelihood deficit and the absence of cash liquidity, which has made purchasing with “grams” or “pills” the only means of managing dilapidated budgets.
This wave not only reshaped consumer behavior, but also reshaped sales mechanisms in the commercial sector to avoid complete stagnation. Grocery and small store owners were forced to dismantle the packaged goods into smaller units that fit the non-existent purchasing power of their customers.
One of the grocery store owners in Sanaa says: “If we stick to selling full packages, no one will buy, and we will be forced to close our stores. We have divided everything; we sell ghee by the spoon, oil in small cups, and flour in very light weights. We are trying to keep in line with the citizens’ pockets so that the buying and selling movement continues.”
With the continued interruption of salaries and the erosion of the value of the currency, observers of Yemeni affairs believe that resorting to the “day economy” or micro-segmentation is not a sustainable solution in any way, but rather it is a warning bell and a dangerous indicator that a large segment of Yemeni society is sliding towards the brink of extreme poverty.
