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Moscow shopping
Shopping in Russia during Soviet times was an oxymoron. Russians often jumped through hoops to acquire even the most basic goods through a complex system of rationing, barter, and, most importantly, connections. That seems like forever ago at the vast Yevropeisky shopping mall, which has hundreds of stores and a 24-hour supermarket. Even as the global economic crisis was sweeping into Russia, shoppers packed the mall and cleared the latest fashions off the hangers at Zara. In Moscow's city center, by Red Square, there's a veritable feast of luxury goods—it could be Milan or New York. Hermès and Cartier boutiques overlook Lenin's mausoleum from their perch inside GUM (short for State Department Store), Moscow's only mall in Soviet times; two blocks away, TSUM (Central Department Store) has become the Russian capital's answer to Barneys. Nearby, the country's most famous fashion designers have opened boutiques. In addition to their taste for designer duds and luxury goods, Muscovites have also gained a fondness for attributes of their Soviet past: Packaged right, these kitschy souvenirs can make fun gifts.
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