Stories of families going without food and clothes and people defecting on a regular basis circulated around the globe. One of the most common rumors was that the grocery store shelves in Russia and other Soviet states were just about bare.

The USSR’s main grocery store was, of course, “Eliseevsky” on Gorky Street (now Tverskaya Street) in the heart of Moscow. Opened in 1901 by merchant Grigory Eliseev, in Soviet times it was called "Gastronome No. 1”. There were similar stores in Leningrad and Kiev.

In Moscow, the best grocery store was Yeliseyevsky (it was called Grocery Store No. 1 at the time) on the main thoroughfare, Tverskaya Street. It always had chocolates, ground coffee and even...

Residents of different parts of Russia recall what was available in Soviet food stores and what required hours of lining up for or even an arduous trip to Moscow to procure.

Apr 17, 2018 · Unlike American supermarkets, Soviet stores stood more or less empty and thus forced Soviets to adopt techniques to locate ingredients, rather than engaging in a single-stop shopping expedition.

Customers quickly grab meat at a state run market during economic difficulties in the Soviet Union. At a time of shortages, friendship with the manager of a store or warehouse, or even with an...

Take a trip down memory lane and discover the fascinating world of grocery shopping in the USSR. From bulk produce to homemade juices, explore the distinctive shopping experience of Soviet stores.

Feb 13, 2024 · The photos of the real everyday life of the Soviet Union's inhabitants, published by Belarusian blogger Maksim Mirovich, are circulating online. Empty shelves, class inequality, long lines.

Apr 23, 2018 · Of course, there were many different types of market systems during the Soviet Union’s 75+ years history but by the post-WWII era, the country had three main networks: government/state stores, co-operative stores, and kolkahz (collective farm) markets.

Aug 11, 2017 · The Soviet Union ran notoriously bad supermarkets. This rare video and the stills show you how bad things could get in a centrally planned economy.