14 Weird Russian Gifts

After visiting Russian gift shops one can make some list of the weird items that can be purchased there. Our list would start with a purse. The sign on it reads “Anti-vandal purse, capacity is $10,000″

Let’s see what’s more there.

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Russian Guide for Tag Removals

In Russia they sometimes publish some things in blogs that might be considered unethical to publish in some places. For examples this is a guide for removal a magnetic security tag you can meet in dress stores. Person who published this says it’s just for fun, or for using in actual store or just to use if you got the item and they forgot to remove the tag in the store so you can do it by yourself. It’s kind of his disclaimer.

So if to get back to the guide all one would need is (more…)

Supermarket Humor

This Russian supermarket in Ukraine has strange sense of humor. Like on the photo above they offer to buy “pickles and milk and then get toilet paper for just one cent” obviously saying that you would need it after such a lunch. Some more inside.

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No Smoking Please [updated]

Well, probably one of the most creative ways to break persons will for smoking is being implemented in Russia. Sometimes when one’s buying his next pack of Winston he is under the risk of not being satisfied. At least in some Russian cities such cigarettes that are not suitable for smoking are on sale and any smoker can fail now.

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Canon Vacuum Cleaners

Recently Russian service centers of Canon have started receiving complains from the people having the troubles with their Canon… vacuum cleaners.

It seems that one large electronics supplier in Russia has bought somewhere what they truely believed to be Canon Vacuum Cleaners, and even advertised them. So many bought intrigued by the brand name and overall feeling to get something cool from Canon.

Now it seems it was a nice planned action to sell thousands of some third party, probably Chinese vacuum cleaners labeled as “Canon”, having the manual and boxes looking like actual Canon stuff.

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And Lube for All

This is just a typical Russian mart-like store for everyday needs - grocery, etc.
One of our readers had made a closer look to the goods they sell right near the cashier and was shocked with what items are freely available for everyone right at the cashier between candies and chewing gums. Let’s take a closer look:

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The Soviet Lookbok

This is the example of what Soviet Russian citizens could order by mail from their state - the only vendor in the country. It’s no surprise that literary EVERY house in the country had something from those items.

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Soviet Trade System

What did they have in Russian shops during the Soviet Era when all the shops in Russia belonged to the state and the state was the only merchant?

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Lines, Lines, Lines

Just fifteen years ago you couldn’t just walk in the shop and buy what you need. Instead, you had to stand the longest line you’ve ever seen and as a regard you could buy not more than some limited amount of a limited choice food or other products. That was Russia in the beginning of the 90s - right after the collapse of USSR, when old Communistic supply system was already ruined but new, capitalistic, hasn’t been built yet.

That wasn’t only shops who had long lines at their entrances every day, but places like the Embassy of U.S. had the long long line too - you can see it on the last photo of this set. But the most curious line in this set is the line to the Lenin’s Mausoleum - you can see it on the photo with the Red Square - one could think that Russian people shouldn’t stay any more in line to visit the Lenin, the idol of the communism beliefs when they have such a ruined society around, but no - people were still eager to stand many hours line to visit Lenin too. Probably they wanted to say some swear words right in his face?

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First Russian Mall

This is a photo series of a first Russian mall in Moscow. It’s more than 120 years old and these photos are not newer.

There are three stages one can see on the photos. At first the old mall buildings were renovated and new stores were built, then a few photos of a crowd having good time on the party dedicated to the grand opening and then go photos of the new mall opened to public.

This was long before the communist took power in Russia, it was a capitalistic, Tsar ruled old Russia..

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