Back to the USSR: July 1985. Costs and income. Part 1

This post is devoted to income and expenditures of Soviet people in July 1985. We will talk about many things: from vegetables to music records.

Is there strawberry in USSR?

We start our review with a prickly problem - a strawberry.

"Izvestia" publish an article about availability of fruits at retail. (i, 7.07.85)

Here is a brief price survey from this article. Take into consideration that foodstuff was sold at two sales channels: at state retail stores and a farmers markets. Looking at retail prices at USSR you must always specify if it is "retail store" or "market".

Dnepropetrovsk. Strawberry costs 4 rub\kg at farmers market. There in no berry in retail stores already, shipment is over. It was sold there at 1.50. Queues were long.
Tbilisi. Strawberry costs 5 rub\kg at the market. Someone have seen it at retail store in downtown, but not for sure. In outskirt stores of the city strawberry is absent for several years.
Asgabad (Turkmenia) - price is 6-7 rub\kg. Nobody ever seen it at retail stores. People are even surprised by this question.
Riazan (Russia) - 3,5-4 rub.at the market. Not a single kilogram at stores.
Moscow - 5 rub\kg at farmers market. Also you can find a strawberry at retail food store №19 in Presna District, at 3 rub\kg.

"Let's make a summary. The strawberry exists. At the markets. But it is absent at retail stores. The same can be said about cherry and black cherry."
Don't forget, that this happens in July, at 1/6 of the planet.

A woman wrote to "The Week" about her problem - she couldn't buy a whistling kettle. 

Her problem was solved when she was sent to Riga on a business trip, and found it there. 

She was happy to buy it for herself, her relatives  and friends.

This is modern kettle, but this story makes it sad

Newspaper makes its own journalistic investigation, and confirms that at this 5-year period we shall meet difficulties with whistling kettles supply. But it is expected that a big party of kettles will be ordered in Socialist countries of Eastern Europe. (W, №28)

The bunch of photographers was unmasked in Petrozavodsk, Karelia
"Izvestia's" article is named "Photo-hustlers". (i, 30.07.85)
A group of cunning photographers worked at state corporation "KarelPhoto".
They were producing photos for posters, stands, local newspapers.
"Most of orders from state organizations were executed at breath-taking tariffs and legalized as photographing of a Best Performers."

A standart Wall of honour with portraits of Best Performes

To make it clear for modern reader: they made no illegal photo, but just increased state tariffs for customers.
This allowed them to have the month income no less 700 rub, up to 1200 rub. per person (appr. 6-8 average salaries)

The subject of non-labor income was very actual.

Newspapers explained: "The are two types of illegal income. 

The income, obtained without man's personal labor, and income obtained for a real job done. 

But this income is much bigger than this activity costs. We can call it "illegal non-labor income" and "illegal labor income". 

Jobbing workman ishunting for cash

A bit difficult to understand, you agree? For that period a first category meant all traders, corrupt officials and bribetakers, a second - a jobbing workers.

One of the wrongest job activities was trade. A group of readers write to newspaper: 
"The young men stay at the farmers market and sell tulips for 3 rubles for one flower. 

They do this job all the time for month. They don't work at collective farms. 

We, as all honest people, are concerned about it. All incomes are to be under strict control."(KP, 06.07.85)

 

Another problem is, that after getting non-labor money, a soviet men tried by buy some items of status and luxury. It was not easy to control, but there were some bright ideas: 

"The man going to buy some expensive item (over 1000 rub.) must get an approval from all his colleagues at his work place". (i, 7.07.85)

This newspapers subjects touch upon a big problem that existed in Soviet Union - people had no channels to spent their money, legal and illegal. The mean assortment of local goods and absence of import products made people to save money without spending them.
Soviet economist Shatalin says to "Izvestia" that the personal property of soviet people can be estimated at 600 bln rbl (appr. 740 bln.USD on official exchange rate), and 200 bln rbl of bank savings (appr. 250 bln.USD).
Economists were alarmed by this penthouse of cash, that overhanged on soviet economy.

Shatalin

But some comrades are ready to protect jobbing workmen!
A group of readers from Eletc (Central Russia) complains, how much time it took for municipal service to repair the street well at their block.
"6 days were lost for this job to be done and we estimate that the city will pay 30 rubles for this task. But if we hire a jobbing workman, he would do this work in 5 hours and ask 10 rubles for his service."

They couldn't order this jobbing master, as it was illegal and costly for them, but next time they will carefully choose whom to call for this activity. Wait for the state help or pay your money!

 to be continued....

About definitions:
- the word "market" in my posts means a form of retail trade, a street or indoor farmers market. If I mean market as a "free market economy", I specify it.

Abbr.:

i – Izvestia/Известия

W – The week/Неделя

O – Ogonek/Огонек

P – Pravda/Правда

KP – Komsomolskaya Pravda/”Komsomolka”/Комсомольская Правда

 About this project http://nigula-spb.blogspot.ru/2015/07/ussr-30-years-ago-1985-1991.html