A man carries his shopping from Traki department store, which was forced by the government to cut prices by at least 50 percent on all merchandise after an inspection, in Caracas

A man carries his shopping from Traki department store, which was forced by the government to cut prices by at least 50 percent on all merchandise after an inspection, in Caracas

A man carries his shopping from Traki department store, which was forced by the government to cut prices by at least 50 percent on all merchandise after an inspection, in Caracas November 15, 2013. President Nicolas Maduro has promised to step up a pre-election “economic offensive” that has seen hundreds of Venezuelan businesses inspected for price gouging and crowds flocking to shops to take advantage of state-ordered discounts. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins (VENEZUELA – Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS)