The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-10

Great Bazars OF ST. petersburg Rn1
NIoscow-The Weekly Thieves
Market.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
st. MISUNDERSTANDING and selling in
Russia is peculiar. 1t is peculiar in many
ways. Where you buy, when you buy,
what you buy, how you buy-it is all diff
ferent from what 1t is with us. One of the
first things you notice is that every store
handles exclusively one Zine of goods "
There are one or two big stores in Peters
burg and Moscow, and one actually In
Tomsk, Siberia, where there are numer-
Gus departments" and variety of wares
offered for SALE but they are really all
owned and kept by foreigners. The aver
age native merchant does only one thing
at time. The result is that you will see
in Russia stores, the whole stock of which
consists of articles to which not even one
small department in all the big stores In
samovar shops-they are as frequent in
any Russian city as grocery and corner
drug stores are at home. Imagine whole
rooms full of samovars-sllver, copper
and brass, and varying in size from q
quart measure to a small barrel But af-
ter you have Travelled about awhile in Rus
STA and have become more familiar with
the fact that the whole Russian nation
subsists largely on tea, and that every
drop of that tea is made in samovars, you
will understand the ubiqu1ty of the samo-
var shop.
Then there are icon stores An icon is
peculiar combination of picture. and Is
very important part of the Russians re-
ligion in every room in their houses, even
in every hotel room there is an icon. no.
ticed them in every apartment of the pal
aces-they are over all the doors of the
stores SO il is not strange that you can
walk along the streets of any Russian
town and see whole stores full of nothing
but icons.
In every city and town in Russia there
are bazaars. Externally these are all of
the same kinds and styles. In st. Peters
burg and Moscow they are substantial
brick buildings, with arcades lined with
stores, in smaller towns they are wooden
booths, and in Siberian town | saw
bazaar where the stores were merely farm
wagons full of the things to be sold or
boards laid on the ground and covered
with merchandise. Then, too a great
many of the smaller merchants simply
carry their stock around the bazaars how
ering about the booths and picking up
stray custom on the outskirts. Sometimes
of cloth, another will have a basket full
of fur caps, still another will have strings
of dried mushrooms hanging from a long
pole he carries across his shoulder
The merchants at the bazaars seem to
show the greatest willingness that the pur-
chaser should use every precaution that
he shah be wei suited. The buyers also
display great patience and prudence in the
selection of their purchases. If they are
buying something to eat they always
taste freely; if it is something to wear
no matter what-they try il on. 1t is a
common thing in the bazaars to see people
trying on all sorts of articles of clothing
At one of these bazaars 1 actually saw
two women take every stitch of clothes
off a baby to try something on 1t. Nobody
seemed to be at ali surprised at the pro-
ceeding except me-and the baby. The
latter seemed to feel that it was not be-
ing treated with due respect, and was
bawlng Justify.
Again one day at Samara / was going
to the wharf in the old part of the town
The road led across the railway track
long professions of wagons were passing
carrying every sort of load from the
wharves to the city, herds of cattle and
horses were being driven hither and thth-
er, and men and women were hurrying
past intent on their work. 1t was in every
way busy scene. Just by the railroad l
saw man standing at the side of the
footpath; he was one of these peripatetic
merchants. l knew this by the long pole
he had across his shoulders, on which
was hung his line of goods. When l
drew near l saw that he dealt in stockings
women's woo4en stockings, and he had
found a customer. On the ground at his
feet sat woman in short calico dress with
a red 'kerchief tied over her head. She
was sitting fiat down in the dirty road,
with her felt boots for the moment laid
aside, and she was now trying on a pair
of purple yarn stockings.
Both in Petersburg and Moscow there is
a certain bazaar bearing the euphonious
and inviting title of 1.-The Thieves Mar
ket" The Thieves Market in Petersburg
is in full blast every day, but that in Mos
COW exists only on Sunday. You are re-
spectfully advised to lay aside your watch
and any other jewelry and also any easily
removable articles of clothing before visit
ing either one of these resorts. At The
Thieves Market in Petersburg you can buy
anything from a diamond bracelet to a
basket of empty beer bottles, and they say
that II you know exactly what you want
and know enough Russian to bargain with
the merchants, you stand a good chance of
getting beautiful and wonderful bargains
At Moscow every Saturday night, at a
certain place by the wall, a few booths
are hastily knocked up and rooted with
''gunny-sack. And here on Sunday morn
ing the Thieves Market Of Moscow knows
its brief weekly existence.
Nearly all the trading of the Russian
workman is done at these bazars, where
the prices are nearly always cheaper than
in the regular stores.
In many respects Russia is the cheapest
country to live in / have ever found. The
cleanest and incest Russian hotel ever
stayed in served you In your own room, on
your own private dining table, a good,
Well-cooked dinner, more than enough for
two persons for the sum Of S$l cents for
each person.
But, above ALL. If there is anything you
want to buy to keep you warm Russia Is
the place to buy 1t. / have bought an
overeoat of heavy, warm sheepskin, that
reaches 70 the ground and measures six
10 eight rect around, that has a collar that
when turned up reaches above your head.
and all nicely dyed black for S475 Such
coat would wear ten years, and Is so
warm that you could put II on over Moth
ing more than bathing suit and yet be
perfectly comfortable in any sort of
weather we have.
But II you ever buy anything in Russia
there are two words that is will be money
in your pocket to know. These are
ohtchen dorogo' They mean very dear
TO TOO dear" The Russian merchant AL
ways makes his prices too high because
ne expects you to haggle with him. You
always haggle with him because YOU ex-
q frrh
The consequence Of this course
IS usually an unsatisfied feeling on both
sides He thinks that If he had stuck to a
higher price You might have paid Il: YOU
think that perhaps II you had haggled
awhile longer you might have gotten your
purchase for less. But this is the way
things are done in Russia, so you must
act accordingly. Therefore / say learn
these two words. "Ohtchen dorogo" Let
them sink deep into your very soul; learn
20 say them unconsciously instinctivelv
When you 60 into a Russian store and ask
the price Of an article. whatever the mer-
chant says, II Is always next In order for
you TO say "ohtchen dorogo." II is like
learning part in a play. You point to
what you want to buy and say "scawlke |
stoeet'-" How much does II cost?' The |
merchant answer two rubles or may be 30
kopeks-it doesn't make any difference