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Trade and services

 At the dawn of independence, Ukraine plunged into an era of severe shortages. When hyperinflation  reached 10 000%, we lived in the time of entrepre-  neurs and so-called ‘paper millionaires’.    

Backed neither by gold nor by foreign exchange  reserves, paper coupons replaced our money.  They were of so little value that even con artists  saw no point in counterfeiting them. The first batch  of those coupons lacked both a serial number and  purchasing power.    

At that time, Ukrainian favourite cooked ham  sausage rose up to 500 000 coupon-rubles/ kg.  But even at such an astronomic price, buying  this sausage was next to impossible, just like  purchasing other groceries, clothes and cleaning  products. In a joke invented in the ‘90s, a hostess  asked her guests, ‘Would you rather drink your tea  with sugar or wash your hands with soap?’    

Back then, many businesses paid their employees  with their company produce. To survive, Ukrainians  had to learn to sell, including what they have had  earned. And so, even teachers, doctors and scien-  tists turned into traders, and educational degrees  almost lost their significance. Being resourceful in  the ‘90s was more valuable than being a university  degree’s bearer.    

Eventually, with so many sellers, trade moved  from shops to the street. Folding beds lined cities  and towns, serving as stalls for those who had  something to sell. Buyers could find anything  in those spontaneous markets, from second-  hand items to deficit goods: imported clothes,  perfumes, cosmetics, and books.    

Sellers delivered their stuff to the bazaars using  ‘kravchuchka’ — a homemade trolley bag  nicknamed after the then President of Ukraine  Leonid Kravchuk. ‘Kravchuhcka’ became an iconic  sym- bol of the ‘90s hardship.    

Commission shops, another relic of the ‘90s,  resembled second-hand shops. But while the  title ‘second-hand’ was reserved for pre-worn  clothes from abroad, the commission shops  resold everything previously owned by us:  outfits, tableware, jewellery, appliances, furniture  and even car spare parts. Odesa boasted the  coolest commission shops. They sold plenty of  fashionable goods brought by the sailors from  overseas.    

Kiosks or booths (metal cabins with a large glass  window) often surrounded pedestrian areas of  towns and cities. Convenient for those on the  go, they sold fizzy drinks, juices, chewing gums,  chocolate bars, cigarettes and alcohol. Later, they  expanded their range to condoms, toys, lingerie  and pre-recorded audio and video cassettes.    

In 1996, Ukraine introduced its currency —  hryvnia, worth 100 000 coupon-rubles. And  so the era of currency exchange kiosks began.  Initially, 1.8 UAH cost 1 USD. However, by  1999, one dollar cost 5 hryvnias. Consequent  devaluations happened in 2008 and 2014.    

The Millennium economic recovery civilized  trade in Ukraine. Beauty salons and barber shops  sprouted around and boomed from the 2010s  replacing the classic hairdressers.    That time also had its casualties, like traditional  public baths, called ‘banya.’ They forever disap-  peared from the service sector around now. Some  banyas were demolished, others turned into sau-  nas and hammams.    

However, the shoe repair booths of today’s  Ukraine could actually be seen as a “time ma-  chine”. In 2021, shoe repair places look exactly  like they did thirty years ago.    

The old ‘supermarkets’ turned into ‘hypermarkets’  and malls. Their heyday came in 2010s when the  pace of life accelerated. With no shortages seen  in the 90s, Millennials and Zoomers suffer from  lack of time. Therefore, ample shopping and en-  tertainment centres (malls) serve us as one-in-all  leisure hubs: shops, cafes, bars, bowling, cinema,  food areas, nail salons and even a casino with an  option of indoor parking for drivers.  

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