Shopping in St. Petersburg

Pick up a copy of Russian Vogue and you may be surprised to see that it nearly outdoes its Parisian and American counterparts for sheer gloss, glitz, and elegant, trendy garb. And all those nifty threads that the models are wearing—Versace, Hugo Boss, Gucci, Kenzo, Prada, Armani—are fully stocked in St. Petersburg's international boutiques. The days of basic items being scarce are long gone. And to make room for all these new shoppers, stores have considerably extended their opening hours—many stay open until 8 or 9 PM, or on Sunday.

The same sense of a two-tiered system of stores exists in St. Petersburg as in Moscow. "Western-style" shops taking credit-card payment have replaced the old Beriozkas (Birch Trees) emporiums, which were stocked only for foreigners. With increased competition, some of the prices at these shops have gone down, and they are open to anyone who can afford them. State-run shops are better stocked now than before, and if you aren't looking for anything fancy you might be interested in some of these groceries and department stores. Only rubles (as opposed to credit cards) are accepted here, however, and you'll have a tough time maneuvering through the cashiers if you don't speak some Russian.

Kiosks, street tables, and impromptu markets sell a colorful jumble of junk most of the time. You'll see women lined up selling socks, scarves, and who-knows-what near Sennaya Ploshchad, and if you're lucky you might pick up some great old books (watch in particular the corner of Nevsky and Fontanka, across the street from the Palace of Prince Beloselsky-Belozersky). But this mini-industry of individual entrepreneurs, which mushroomed wildly in the first years of glasnost, is on the wane. Everything is being tidied up and taken back inside. You may also be surprised to find a plethora of "24 chasa" stores (i.e., open 24 hours a day). They vary from smallish to big, but there will always be one near you, stocked with alcohol, cigarettes, and groceries.

The central shopping district is Nevsky prospekt and the streets running off it. Don't expect too many bargains beyond the bootlegged CDs and videos (which could be confiscated at customs in the United States), however, because prices for items such as clothes and electronic goods are just as high as in the West, and in the chic stores in hotels they are even higher.

Outside the large department stores of Nevsky prospekt, you'll find some boutiques and lots of "variety shops"—part souvenir-oriented, part practical—which can be a bit bewildering. Check them out if you have time; you never know what you may find.

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