Food is bought in a variety of shops. For hints on how to shop for food see SHOPPING.
Universam:. Many of these once sparse self-serve Soviet supermarkets have rapidly modernized their facilities and improved their quality and selection of goods. Canned and packaged goods, juices, pots, tableware, soap, paper products, dry goods, as well as meat, bread, fruits and vegetables can be found here. If this trend continues, they will all become true supermarkets.
Gastronomes: usually have meat, fish, conserves, cheese, coffee & tea, liquors & spirits, cereals, and semi-prepared foods, but not dry goods or fruits and vegetables, fresh dairy or fresh bakery goods.
Diet: (Dieta) grocery stores are similar to a Gastronome but also have special foods for diabetics and others on special diets.
Supermarkets: Almost 60 Western style supermarkets with large floor space (100-200 square meters) and good selection from fresh produce, baked goods and dairy products to meat, cereals, beverages and paper products have opened in the past 3 years.
Mini Market Kiosks: Little walk-in stores have an amazing variety of packaged foodstuffs and even fresh back bread and fruit.
Grocery Stores: (Produkty, Продукты) are used here to indicate the better "food product" stores that have fresh vegetables, fruit, bread, meat, eggs, etc., as well as the more usual packaged foodstuffs, sugar and coffee.
Farmers Market: (Rynok) has fresh vegetables, fruit, sausage, meat, honey, cheese, flowers, etc. See MARKETS (Farmer's Markets, Kolkhoz Markets). In summer fruits & vegetables are sold near metros.
Other types of food stores include:
Dairy=Moloko
Bakery=Bulochnaya
Fruits=Frukty
Vegetables=Ovoshchi
Fish=Ryba
Meat=Myaso
Prices: Most food stores have been privatized and now set their own prices. Prices are lowest in street stalls and wholesale markets, about 5-20% more in food stores and most expensive in supermarkets and "24 hours stores".
As of May 1, 2002 these are the range of prices for 1 kg (2,2 lb) in Rbls (1$ = 31 Rbls):
Bread 6-8 ($0.14-0.26)
Milk (1 ltr) 16 ($0.56)
Beef 50-100 ($1.87-3.00)
Pork 40-100 ($1.50-3.75)
Butter 8-30 ($0.29-1.12)
Eggs (10) 14 ($0.45)
See also CURRENCY EXCHANGE FOR INDIVIDUALS and MARKETS (Farmer's Markets, Kolkhoz Markets).
Hours: See HOURS FOR SHOPPING AND BUSINESS. Many smaller food shops and bakeries are open on Sunday; some food shops are open round-the-clock, see "Open 24 Hour Food Stores" below.
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