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Shops and markets

Moscow's famous GUM Department Store. This fabulous three-level shopping arcade was built in the 1890s. Some of the grandeur was still evident, but there was hardly anything there that you'd want to buy. I returned in 2001 and it had been completely refurbished, with fashionable shops selling the leading global brands, and the glowering sales people replaced by glamorous young women ever so anxious to serve the clientele.

The Leningrad equivalent was "Gostini Dvor", a huge multi-level megastore selling shabby Soviet products. The Byzantine purchase procedure involved telling one person you wanted an item, who then wrote something on a paper to tell another clerk to fetch the item for you, then presenting the item to a third person, who wrote a ticket that you presented to a cashier to conclude the transaction. Or somethign like that -- it's hard to remember.

People coped with the shortages of most consumer products, but when it came to vodka, they would stand in line for hours. Here, it seems a transaction is taking place just outside the door of a vodka shop.

With the warm weather of May and June, lines also formed at the kiosks selling beer

Waiting in line for gasoline

Small-time capitalism was alive (if not really thriving) in markets like this flower market near a metro stop.

It was a pleasant surprise to discover that traditional markets were a vital feature of urban life. These beautiful (and tasty) pickled garlics were on offer at a Moscow market.

These women were selling spices in Tbilisi.

State-owned shops sold some pretty awful looking meat. This may not look all that appetizing either, but at this butcher's stall in Tbilisi, there was far more -- and far better quality -- available.

Compared to what you could get in Russia, Georgia was practically another planet. Tasty fruits and vegetables, fine wine, and plenty of good affordable restaurants serving excellent Georgian food. By chance, it happened to be strawberry season.

But when it came to consumer goods, the choices were fairly limited. Here, customers are shopping in a second-hand store for TVs, stereos, and home appliances.

One of the most depressing places in all of Leningrad was the "Ploschad Mir" -- the "Peace Square" -- which was the unofficial housing market for desperate Leningrad residents looking for a place to live.

One of the most depressing places in all of Leningrad was the "Ploschad Mir" -- the "Peace Square" -- which was the unofficial housing market for desperate Leningrad residents looking for a place to live.

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