American Russia Observations

Surprising Russia... Chapel, Apartments, and a Basement Supermarket in One Complex!

2012-05-03T11:02:00.001+04:00

Capitalism, Religion, Sports... blended in one building complex.

We went to the clinic Tuesday. We arrived around 11 to find the office closed till 2 pm. They had switched their hours. Everyone has to be somewhere, so it didn’t bother me much.

An unexpected supermarket...

Since our plans were frustrated, I suggested we compensate by visiting a nearby supermarket, Диета 18 (Diet 18). It’s in a new multi-tower apartment, called Zenit, after St Petersburg’s leading pro football (soccer) team.

Эенит (pronounced Zen-eet) is fortunate to have the backing of Гаэпром (Gasprom). Wikipedia.

Slanted footrest (suppedaneum) cross of the Russian Church. Wikipedia.

My guess is this complex is funded by GasProm, the government owned oil and gas company, for the use of Team Zenit and the Russian Church.

Information in Russia is more protected than given, so we will have to wait to see if the chapel will become active and what Team Zenit’s relationship is to this complex.

Lavish excess is frequent in Russia.

Russian culture tends to excess... ostentatious, over the top... getting to what seems like the ultimate, and then adding more. So it’s only a little surprising this complex includes a golden domed chapel with a Russian cross.

A simple crucifix in an otherwise empty chapel window.

Taking the escalator to the store.

A down market...

Walking through the supermarket door we were faced with a staircase wide enough for a coronation, with escalators on both sides. The one on the right took us to this basement supermarket! On a return trip for photos, I was surprised to see some teenage boys bounding up 20 stairs with purchases.

A grand stairway for a super market

The shopping carts, the uniforms, the floor .. everything was new. Most of the customers appeared elderly. They were there for the Pensioner 5% discount.

A checkout ladened with impulse items.

Waiting for business, instead of generating it...

No one greeted us, no free samples, nothing tempted us to return.

I could see a lack of business smarts... no excitement generated, no loss leaders.¹ They weren’t hustling for customers. This passive approach to business is typical in Russia, but hard for a New Jersey businessman to accept.

1. A loss leader is an item priced below wholesale to entice customers. Then you can expect some to buy other items priced with a good profit margin.

Apartments are mushrooming in St Petersburg. Even a poorly run store has a good chance of success because of the surging population from these new bird cages. But Russian business could do better and faster with top marketing.

A Diet 18 Supermarket...

Once I got off the escalator, it felt like what it was... a basement... a slightly claustrophobic sensation, like I was still working in the Ship’s Office below the water line on the USS Wainwright. I get this intimation stronger yet when I am underground.

My Scottish grandma, on the cellar stairs, would say, ‘Down amongst the dead men!’ and ‘Ashes to ashes, dust to dust!'. She was literate and had a Glasgow sense of humor. ²

2. Ashes to ashes... The Book of Common Prayer, 1662.

The many mirrors did make it feel more spacious but I think a few phony windows would also help.

Low key entrance with a small crucifix above the automatic doors.

We’ll keep the card, but may never use it!

I asked if they had a discount card and the checker asked back if I were a pensioner. Now we have a 5% discount card which applies from hours 900 to 1300. I told Larissa that the smiling old people on the card would be portrayed in the USA as active seniors, playing tennis or jogging.

With a low volume of customers, I wonder how fresh the food can be... date stickers can be covered or replaced.

We found little that set Diet 18 apart. Slowly we left the market with that guilty stroll I used as a kid when I thought I might be suspected of shoplifting.

Food quality better in Russia than in the USA...

Throughout Russia, the produce and meat often are tastier and of a better quality than what you generally find in the USA... no genetically modified grains, few or no hormones in the meat, few chemicals or preservatives. ³

3. American expats sometimes comment how bread in Russia gets mold in a few days... It’s natural, but to them it’s a phenomenon.

Season Supermarket is a favorite.

Most markets have quality food, but they vary in how they present it to the consumer. Season market, close by on our city block, has a wide selection, lots of specials, their own prepared entrees, a graduated discount card based on your annual purchases to date (we now get 10%)... and great music!

True, store managers are usually behind a closed door. There’s no Service Counter with photos and names of the manager, assistants, the Employee of the Week. Employees are secretive about the manager’s name or whether he’s (in Russia, unlikely she’s) in the store.

The boss won’t think it important if you can’t find an item, or want him to stock something, and he really doesn’t care about a complaint from you. He will not apologize for the store if you have spoiled food or some other problem. He may solve your situation, but probably in a brusque manner.

In our supermarkets, it’s unlikely you’ll forget you’re in Russia ...

We have babushkas (grandmothers) smashing their shopping carts through the crowded isles! There is no unit pricing. But where else can you buy on impulse at the check-out smoked fish to enjoy with vodka?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We look forward to your comments!

Have you found a supermarket in another strange setting?

Has that ‘old basement feeling’ ever gotten to you?

What’s good or bad about food shopping in Russia?

Technorati Tags: Russian church,Zenit,football,Russian suppedaneum cross,Gasprom,pensioner discount card,loss leader,Diet 18 supermarket,basement feeling,Book of Common Prayer,Glasgow,babuskas,unit pricing.

Forum Accusations Threaten an Innocent Expat in Russia

2012-04-16T13:37:00.000+04:00

We live comfortable and interesting lives in Russia, but at times I have problems related to my being an expatriate.

I get most of my books on the Internet...

I rarely go to Mayakovsky Library or the English bookshops. The trip to the Fontanka embankment takes an hour by bus, metro, and foot, which makes it too tiring for my limitations.

Instead, I rely on BookMooch as a sociable way to get free books, only requiring a walk to the post office and some inexpensive postage. It’s pleasant to send and receive books worldwide with BookMooch.

A new vulnerability...

Enrollment errors, anti- fraud measures, misinterpretations... can cut essential Internet connections. An expat can rely heavily on his ability to get items through the Internet. With what happened recently with BookMooch, I feel some of my emotional well being was put in question.

My website sign-on mistakes were interpreted as shifty behavior...

In 2009 I tried to enroll with this forum...

Forums were a new experience for me. I had trouble signing on and navigating the site.

I sent two emails to the administrator but never was allowed to become a member. Now I see they have shifted the Way to Russia Lounge to Facebook, so at last I can participate.

I enroll in BookMooch a few months later...

BookMooch enrollment instructions were clearer. Here too, if someone confuses the enrollment system by re-enrolling with different email addresses, he may be blackballed from joining just because there is a possibility the applicant is a trading finagler and it often seems there is no appeal available for the innocent.

Logo artwork courtesy of BookMooch.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/

Trading sites share information about their members to sort out those who may work the system improperly.

Internet websites aren’t able to be very flexible...

Owner John Buckman is public spirited, a giving entrepreneur. Naturally he needs to protect this innovative and worthwhile site from schemers. BookMooch therefore is wary, strict, and firm about indications of suspected transgression.

It’s difficult to give everyone with a problem a fair hearing when there are around 75,000 members, and 2000 books traded each day. As with daily life, website membership can be precarious.

Unexpected problem on the BookMooch forums

Recently I started participating on Mooch forums. Last year a good friend on BookMooch, who had helped me secure many books, had her account frozen as a result of forum comments that were complained about (flagged). I knew then that any problem with the forums could be serious.

I wrote Technical Support, asking why my posts on various topics had disappeared. An administrator answered I had received ‘multiple flags by multiple members’. They had suppressed my posts without telling me.

The email said to not post to forums for 90 days and then I could request the ban be lifted. Unfortunately I redid a post just before I received this letter... and then tried but couldn’t remove it.

A frozen account...

I got a second letter stating I had posted after I was told not to and my account was Vacationed (frozen) for 90 days.

It’s mystifying how this all came about. Perhaps some members objected to my praise of European members...their quality inventories and polite emails... which could have been taken as an implied criticism of American Moochers.

I believe strong statements are not something to be feared or crushed. Even if I had posted provocative opinions (which I hadn’t) I don’t think that’s any reason to stop me posting. Give and take on a forum is healthy and part of the free marketplace of ideas.

BookMooch needs clearly identified volunteer moderators.

These forums need moderators who can respond to inappropriate comments or resulting complaint flags without endangering anyone’s status or membership.

When applicants and members are turned away or frozen without fair consideration, it can only hurt the morale and growth of an organization.

As the forums exist now, I was unwise to post on them. I won’t go there anymore.

A fair response...

So I was very upset. Besides sending and receiving books with BookMooch, it is also a good site to find out about interesting books and correspond with intelligent people. I felt I was losing an essential, worthwhile, and entertaining hobby.

Fortunately, once I wrote the administration that my repost was a glitch, my prohibition was lifted later that day. I received reasonable and fair treatment! I don’t want to jeopardize my membership by encountering conflict, and have resolved to be especially careful in my dealings on the site.

Here in Russia, if you want, you can say pretty much anything on or off the Internet with little or no squelching or repercussions. So it’s strange for me to have experienced problems on these two sites. Have you had a similar situation in your Internet life?

Comments

It was pleasing to get so many comments on the last post. I’ll be answering each one. It’s a great incentive to keep writing!

Technorati Tags: Mayakovsky library,bookstores,Anglia,Parson's,forums,Way to Russia,Facebook,internet site enrollment,sharing membership information,frozen account.

Your name unspoken when Russians chat.

2012-03-02T15:00:00.001+04:00

An Avian Conversation Without Names

I’ve tried since 2000 to get used to life in Russia but some things always will be problems. After nearly 12 years here, and me close to 70 years old, we’re not moving back to the USA because it would take more money than I have. So I just have to continually remind myself to adapt!

I miss the Small Talk and friendly greetings heard in the USA and some other parts of the world. People in In Russia don’t smile at strangers. (They say here you must be drunk or insane to do so.)

The lack of smiles I’m used to, but I haven’t adjusted to people not saying my name during Small Talk.

A major social difference in Russia your teachers didn’t warn you about...

In the US most people understand the importance of names. Dale Carnegie pointed this out. If you remember someone’s name... your neighbor, supermarket checker, store clerk... you try to use it as a sign of friendliness, respect, and to make the talking go easier.

No one expects in Russia to be addressed by name when neighbors or acquaintances meet. If I see our next door neighbor walking outside or in the corridor I say, ‘Draszy, Gala’. Her reply since I’ve known her never includes my name. Typical, but for a small town boy such as I, it gets on my nerves.

Also, a typical Russian doesn’t know or use a store clerk’s name even though he may speak with him a few times a week. I feel this keeps a layer of frost on casual greetings, diminishing good feeling on both sides of an otherwise pleasant exchange.

This is the way things are, and will be.

Greetings without names is neither a negative reflection on Russians or intended rudeness. Here name greetings of acquaintances is considered unnecessary... maybe even effusive, gauche, or trespassing.

In European reserve often wins over simple friendliness. This behavior is enhanced in Russia by their customs on what to call people, and when to employ a name.

How Russians call each other... (if they do!)

In the Russian language, names are not used as often as when speaking English. It’s the flip side of what I advise Russians about courtesies... When speaking English you must use more of please, excuse me, thank you, and try not to give yes or no without softening words.

If it’s family or a close friend, you may hear a simple first name... but less frequently than in English.

My son-in-law and his mother have always called Larissa with her patronymic, Ivanova tacked on. But Larissa Ivanova sounds too formal to Larissa’s ears. Authority figures at work, and people you don’t know well are called this way, a first name... then a middle name, a patronym based on the first name of the father.

If you don’t know the full two name greeting, it is sometimes considered better to skip it than to use just a first name.

The good and bad of American social attitudes...

Wide open smiles, enthusiastic and loud greetings, and ferocious eye contact by some Americans can be a little scary to more reserved and diffident Russians. Americans have no trouble initiating conversations with strangers, say on the elevator or in your own apartment building.

This friendliness is usually innocent and just what I miss, but their is a dark side to American social dealings. They are often seen as aggressive... a steam roller, the conquering American. I understand this reaction as I am put off by brash attitudes in some American television we have on our TVs here.

Violent thriller movies, the Discovery Channel, and now the Disney Channel are examples. The Discovery Channel is especially awful... Bragadochios hefting guns, driving huge noisy trucks, swaggering.

Russians are a more passive people than Americans, also sometimes good, sometimes bad. They are less aggressive than Americans in simple social exchanges, and even geopolitically.

They don’t have the background which makes the American culture prone to missionary zeal, and semi-psychotic preventive attack. Americans feel they can change the world to fit them.

Here, people are more ‘live and let live’ believing in minding their own business. They are less likely to have an agenda when dealing with other people... but also they are not as adventurous in finding new friends.

Full circle!

Social attitudes in Russia and the USA are revealed by how and if names are employed in normal greetings. I still use names when greeting my Russian friends and acquaintances but understand that they won’t or cannot return the favor.

Comments appreciated! I’m eager to get your take on name/no name greetings.

- When chatting casually do you learn and try to use the other’s name?

- When speaking another language do you switch etiquette gears?

- Have you noticed a similar situation in other regions or countries?

Technorati Tags: small talk,greetings,patronym,Dale Carnegie,social attitudes.

The Russian Pochta becomes a bureaucratic challenge

2012-02-02T15:30:00.001+04:00

Russian postal clerks and local deliverers are women.

There’s the easy way, and then the Russian way...

Larissa observed when we were living in the United States, that ‘Everything is for the people.’ meaning that the convenience and comfort of Americans is often considered and provided for... easy dealings with the bank, free coffee samples at the supermarket, lots of clean restrooms wherever you are.

What could be simpler than having my wife stop at the local post office to get a book for me? Now, in late January, it’s too cold in Russia for me to make the walk, minus 10 to 16 degrees centigrade. Larissa brought along our Internal Passports, and the package arrival notice she found in our topsy-turvey mailbox.

We have new apartment post boxes since last summer. Unfortunately someone painted numbers upside down, and put the boxes up so that when you open your box your mail naturally falls, even often when you carefully slide your hand in the box to catch the mail. To fix this would be to admit the management had supervised something done wrong.

Unexpected bureaucracy strikes!

Larissa has collected some books before but this time the post mistress refused to release my package without a handwritten power of attorney. The lady explained it was from across the border, and maybe I didn’t want my wife to see the mail I was sent. They had a problem with a divorced spouse before... but that was their mistake as current married status is clearly stated on internal passports.

Is delivery possible?

I was going to wait until the temperature improved but the long range forecast had no warmer weather for the next two weeks.

Sometimes the post office has occasionally delivered book packages straight to our apartment landing, so I decided to call to ask them to deliver what they had refused to release.

My Russian works!

Larissa printed what to say in Russian. Using these notes, I scanned and ad-libbed. I enunciated clearly and distinctly, and was happy to be understood with no problem.

I said, Прошу пожалуйста. Доставить пакет на дом. Я не могу придти, болен... which means... Please deliver my package to my home address. I can not come there. I am sick.

Yes!

The clerk I spoke with (after maybe twemnty rings) said they would deliver the package, and a second book that had just arrived, that very night or the next day.

I handed the phone to Larissa to make sure everything was clear, and then we relaxed and felt happy with anticipation.

No!

Within a few minutes we got another call saying they couldn’t deliver without a do-vear-en-noct delivered by hand first with this stipulated phrasing ...

доверенность Power of Attorney

I, –name-, (internal passport numbers and dates) address, give permission to get all my correspondence which comes to this post office branch to my wife, (her passport information).

Signature Date

Signature Postal Supervisor Counter signed in my presence.

The post office is open 10 am to 8 pm, so Larissa figured she would go after 5 pm in the bitter cold and solid dark to deliver the dovearennoct. She said they were pleasant about it . Later, at supper, I asked Larissa (before thinking what country I was in)...

Were they sorry about the inconvenience we experienced... Did they apologize?

Larissa look at me and said in a flat voice,

Robert, people in Russia never apologize.

Especially true when it is some type of official problem!

This story is typical of Russian bureaucracy, which is more burdensome than what I’ve heard about France. Still, confronted with such situations, you can survive with patience, a level temper, and persistence.

But yes, I sure miss the friendly flexibility of the average American bureaucrat!

Comments welcome, or you may use the Wibiya strip below.

Technorati Tags: Internal Russian passport,post office bureaucracy,Power of Attorney.

Escaping A Tacky Wallpaper Scam in Russia

2012-01-10T15:07:00.001+04:00

Our new kitchen wallpaper, safely up after our scamming adventure.

We recently got out of a possible scammers’ trap just before it slammed shut. It all had to do with whether to pay a deposit before work was finished, and overall sloppy business practice.

Time to wallpaper!

Back around 1995 Larissa sent her daughter money from America to put up new kitchen and bathroom wallpaper. We arrived in 2000 to an attractive kitchen but with the toilet screaming an electric metal reflective ambiance. So this winter it now seemed a good time to cater to our own tastes and fix things with new paper. Remember, Russians generally wallpaper their walls, not paint them.

How not to find good workers...

The woman we used for wallpapering before was in the Ukraine on vacation, so Larissa looked at some newspapers to get a a range of prices. She found small display ads for home repair... here it’s called in Russian remont.... for windows, doors, wallpapering, you name it. Also there were ads of just one or two lines including abbreviations followed by a cell phone number.

Larissa was impatient, and wanted the wallpaper up quickly, so she called a number from one of the short ads and arranged an appointment on a Monday at 5 PM.

A poor estimate...

Two men came to our apartment that evening to give an estimate. They said 10,000 rubles would include cleaning and smoothing the walls, prep work, and wallpapering... along with some tiling on the lower part of the toilet walls. I insisted one of them sit down and write out this estimate and sign it.

Written estimates are rare for small work in Russia, where being business-like isn’t considered necessary. I should have asked them to list internal passport numbers and print their full name below his scratchy initials. In Russia, people invariably sign with initials or fragments of names. so John Hancock would be something like J Han k.

Really, we had no idea if they had an office, where they lived, or how to be sure to be able to contact them.

Bad business practices...

In Russia home repair men don’t have printed business cards, estimate forms, or bonding and insurance. With potentially violent competition, corrupt and greedy officials, and no Western business sense, things are not wrapped very tight here... the direct opposite to how things are done in Germany, Finland, or the United States.

This Wild West, wide-open sloppy approach to doing business leaves the consumer vulnerable to scams, and sometimes exposed to dangerous people. These two men were young, tall, and strong, spoke good Russian, and seemed to be adequate for the job of shifting cabinets and fridge, and getting the wallpapering finished quickly. They were not ethnic Russians but we didn’t want to exclude them for something beyond their control.

Off to a poor start and an ill considered deposit understanding...

They implied that at least one of them would be working at our apartment the next day. Instead, Tuesday morning after 10 AM a scrawny young guy looking as if he had slept on the subway, was the only one to appear. He said he came to remove the old paper and do the tiling, and that a woman and her husband and would come in the afternoon to start the wallpapering. No one else arrived the rest of the day.

Starting around noon Larissa got a few calls from one of the original men saying he needed a deposit to continue the work. Larissa had said in the rush of words the night before that we could pay 50% when half the work was done. Even with eleven years hearing and speaking Russian, a rush of words is one way to get around me easily!

Red flags start popping up!

The Good Wife told him it was too early to collect money as the task was nowhere near half finished. His request was insistent, and so they agreed he could come by towards the evening. This felt like a potentially threatening situation to me. I reminded Larissa about Red Flags... when if you listen to your intuition you feel something isn’t quite right.

Larissa called her daughter to get her reaction. The daughter-in-law said to never give money before the job is completed. In the 90s some friends of hers got cheated just this way. So we agreed to stop everything before we were in too deep.

It seemed to us they wanted to put us in the middle of a wallpaper mess, as a way to manipulate some prepayment. Then, it would be easy for them to disappear and we would lose the deposit.

The shaky people disappear...

The young guy finished his task that day, but left his bag with a few tools in it. We put 500 rubles in the bag and planned to give it all to him but, although he called a few times to arrange when, he never came back for his bag. And the man demanding a deposit, didn’t come to see us that evening.

Things worked out all right

We contacted friends who have wallpapering friends, who had done good work before. We agreed to have everything completed over the next weekend, for the same 10,000 rubles. This husband- wife team wore pullovers, were skilled and careful, and gave us three tips...

1. Never call anyone for Remont who doesn’t list a landline number. It’s hard to find people if something goes wrong when they only have cell phone numbers. It’s just too easy for them to disappear after they scam or steal, or worse.

2. Never give a deposit before or during work... especially when the work should be finished in just a few days.

3. Try to only hire people who have done good work for people you know.

Be thankful that where you live things are probably done in a much more business-like way... and remember the Three Tips... It’s OK to not trust people until they earn your confidence... anywhere in the world!

Technorati Tags: Russian business practices,remont home repair,3 anti-scamming tips.