--- Chris Doss <lookoverhere1 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Woj, did thrift stores (lombardy, I guess) exists in
> the Soviet era in Poland?
>
[WS:] Not really. People simply used stuff until it broke, and then tried to fix it. AFAIK, there were some used "schmaty" outlets at some bazaars, but they were not very popular.
However, there were consignment stores with highly priced imported luxury goods, such as fashion products and electronics, some of them used, some of them new. However, these were typically more expensive than items available in ordinary stores. Ditto for antique shops or collector items shops.
Also, during the 1980s there were outlets with used "schmaty" donated from the West, usually run by churches. They were somewhat popular due to general shortages of almost everything, but there was also a strong resentment against them.
People in that part of the world (this also includes Scandinavia) are generally suspicious of charity which they view as a form of paternalism and condescention toward the recipients. This is particularly true of used items - there was a widely spread belief that if you want to make a gift, buy something new instead of dumping the rubbish from your basement. Many people, even the poor, had reservations wearing "schmaty" previously used by someone else.
AFAIK, there are some used items stores (mostly appliances) but they are not widely spread even though new stuff is far more expensive there relative to wages. The prices of clothes, fashion items or appliances are comparable to or higher than those in Western Europe or the US, but a typical wage is about $600 - $700 a month. There are also outlets and bazaars selling schlock imported from the Far East.
However the attitude of buying quality and using it as long as possible, instead of buying schlock and throwing it away, which seems to prevail in Amerika, is still visible there. You can find that on many levels, from houses to articles of clothing, with the possible exception of automobiles.
Wojtek
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