Russia; Commerce

GUM

In Russian commercial life there is a top, there is a bottom and there is a middle.  Between the top and bottom there's a wide gulf that separates them, even if geographically they exist only a few miles from each other. This may not be unusual for a capitalist society. One thinks of Hunters Point and Union Square in San Francisco, short distance but a big difference.

For Moscow this is relatively new however. Communism was a great equalizer. Our host, Zhanna tells us about cheese in those days. Cheese was cheese. Today at the stores have dozens of varieties, for those who can afford them.

Kievskaya

At the top of the spectrum is GUM, the iconic shopping mall across from Red Square. It is a three-story arcade filled with designer brands of the highest reputation and cost. But notably not filled with people. In fact, on a Sunday afternoon when Red Square was busy there was hardly a soul in the mall.

The bottom we found just a few steps from where we are staying, in a working-class apartment complex three metro stops from GUM.  There shops are plywood and plaster selling cheap Chinese generic products. The stalls are no more than 10 x 10 limited to one type of product. Shoes, luggage, fruit.  Is this where Moscow shops?

The Stalls

Maybe, but there is also the middle and judging by the 5 PM crowd we encountered at the Kievskaya mall, the middle may be where most Muskovites find themselves. The Kievskaya mall is new, only a couple years old, it seems. If you were dropped into it blindfolded, you would be hard pressed to know where you were. It looks very much like any suburban mall I have encountered. In fact, many of the same stores are there.

Judging from our wanderings, it seems Russians are joining global consumerism. They don't seem to be at the rampant stage at which America exists, but give them time. They seem to be trying to catch up.