“I brought 15 pairs of sneakers, a suitcase of medicines”: the exploits of Russian “shuttles”

I spent my month-long vacation in Bulgaria and Istanbul. The trip turned into a shopping tour. I returned home with three huge suitcases and 30 kilograms of hand luggage, stuffed to capacity with medicines, sneakers, hygiene products and household chemicals.

My friends who were vacationing in Bulgaria filled their suitcases with food, alcohol, pet food and appliances. To each his own…

By hook or by crook, we brought absolutely everything to Russia, despite the existing prohibitions.

“Why do you need so many drugs?”

“A chicken is not a bird, Bulgaria is not a foreign country” – this Soviet proverb has lost its relevance in our time. “Yes, what kind of shopping is there, it’s funny, whether it’s Italy,” friends frowned when I proved that with a competent approach, you can stock up in the same Burgas no worse than in Milan. Although a year ago I myself thought that in Bulgaria and fashion are incompatible things. I used to come back from there with a half-empty suitcase. I brought only Italian parmesan and Spanish jamon.

But this year I discovered a new Bulgaria.

When I arrived in Burgas, my friends, who got to the resort earlier, had already made a shopping list – they wrote a shopping list so as not to gain anything extra and save money.

– Bulgaria is an online country. All locals use delivery, no one goes shopping. For example, I have already received a multicooker, which in Moscow costs about 15 thousand rubles at a discount, and a new one costs 28 thousand. Here, the latest model cost me 5 thousand, they don’t deliver to Russia anymore, – a friend boasted. – I also took packages for a vacuum cleaner, which we now have at the price of a vacuum cleaner, but here I gave a penny.

Other acquaintances ordered canned food for dogs in tins: “We have no choice, our Yorkie only has certain food that has run out in Russia. We took 50 cans, I hope the border guards will not have any questions.”

The first thing I did was go to pharmacies. The assortment in Europe is richer, the quality of drugs is better, and the prices are lower. For example, migraine pills cost 250 rubles here. In Moscow, an analogue is sold from 800 rubles and more. But there is a small nuance – medicines are imported to Bulgarian pharmacies in 2-3 packages. Online ordering from pharmacies takes about two weeks. So trips to local pharmacies have become my daily ritual.

– Why do you need so many? – you withstood the pharmacist on the fifth day, when I once again asked to wrap everything that is.

– I’m from Russia … – it was possible not to continue further.

“Then I understand,” the man smiled knowingly. – Only Russians create queues here. Everyone comes with a huge list of medicines, picking up full bags. I don’t understand one thing, is it really bad for you there?

At the end of August, compatriots bought antipyretics and antivirals on an industrial scale in Bulgaria.

“It makes sense to take local analgin, it helps a lot with a hangover, antihistamines – here they are of high quality, pills for stomach problems, well, they take vitamins in boxes,” a doctor friend advised.

As a result, I scored 28 packs of migraine pills – for myself and my friends, antipyretics, allergy medications, cold drops, cold powders. For everything about everything I paid 15 thousand rubles.

“Russians? Guessed by the packages “

For many years, my family has been buying clothes from exactly those brands that have left Russia. Now there are two options left – to wear what you have or to go abroad for clothes.

The largest mall in Burgas looks modest compared to Moscow shopping centers. But everything I love is here: Zara, HM, Bershka, IKEA, Nike and Adidas.

We went to the store with a big group. Came in for the summer collection sale.

“There are T-shirts for 200 rubles, trousers for 300 rubles, socks – a package of 100 rubles,” our adult children squealed with delight.

Things from the new collection cost a little more – from 1500 to 2000 rubles.

– Oh, mom, pants for 1900 rubles, expensive? – when choosing the next trousers, the son thought.

– No, son, in the current life, it is not at all expensive, and most importantly, it will not be available at home …

I compared the prices of things of departed brands, which are now being sold online in Russia. Last year’s collections exhibit at least twice the real value. And in the reviews, buyers are outraged that the clothes come in such a form as if they had already been worn.

In Burgas, we took classic winter boots from the American brand Timberland for 10 thousand rubles, while in Moscow their price is from 22 thousand. And Nike winter sneakers for 8000 rubles.

In addition to things, our children collected sixty pieces of small metal cars.

– We have already received an order from collectors. Here they cost 200 rubles, and in Moscow from 1500 to 2000 rubles. And now they are no longer on sale in Russia, – the guys explained to me.

We sat down to catch our breath at McDonald’s. Two servings of french fries, two cheeseburgers, six nuggets and Coca-Cola cost us 1,500 rubles. More expensive than it was in Russia. It seems that now only Russians go to the Bulgarian Mac to nostalgic for a bygone era.

While waiting for a taxi, several other families were standing next to us with packages from HM and Zara.

– Russians? the man turned to us.

– How did you guess?

– By the number of packages. Only the Russians take out so much junk from here. This is not the first time we have come here, we have seen enough of how people took carts out of IKEA. At the end of August, we will go again for school uniforms for children, and stock up on autumn wardrobe for the year ahead.

We still had a week before departure to place an order online.

My son chose 20 pairs of sneakers on the site.

– A limited collection of new sneakers has appeared. With our money, one pair costs 6,000 rubles. You won’t find such people in Moscow, you have to take them, – he reasoned. I have found buyers. The assignment was transferred. Selling in Moscow for ten.

A couple of days later, part of the order was delivered to the delivery point in Sunny Beach. On the first day, the son refused several couples. On the second day, the receptionist did not accept the refusal.

“Either you take everything or nothing,” the woman muttered.

– But yesterday we were allowed to return.

“Not today,” the woman stood her ground, who, apparently, herself established the order.

I had to pay for the order in full. For four pairs of sneakers they gave 28 thousand rubles.

By evening, the son found a buyer for the pair that he planned to refuse.

– They took them from me right away. I threw another 5 thousand, – the son boasted, – In Russia, similar ones cost from 15 to 22 thousand rubles.

At the end of the holiday, we once again went to the delivery point. The queue had been huge since morning. The Bulgarians took away the fans, ours unpacked mainly goods from IKEA and NM.

Before leaving, the husband thought about alcohol. Offered to buy a couple of bottles. After a long debate, he gave in to me: they took shampoos for 100-200 rubles, household chemicals and hygiene products.

It remains to bring the luggage without loss. We stuffed the medicines into sneakers, which, as a result, came out 15 pairs. The tags on the clothes were cut off.

Nobody paid any attention to our sneakers and medicines. But the metal cars raised questions from the border guards.

– Lay it out, you can’t carry so much, – the Turks were indignant at the border.

– We are collectors, we carry for ourselves, – the border guard was persuaded.

The shift leader was called. He looked and waved his hand: “Drive.”

“Today he wears Adidas, and tomorrow he will sell his homeland”

Next stop is Istanbul. We stayed there for four days. By that time, I already had a plan in my head that it was time to learn a new profession.

At first we went to the famous Laleli quarter, where our shuttles have been selling goods since the 90s. The area did not impress. All stores were filled with cheap consumer goods, which are hardly in demand even in peacetime.

And we waved to where all the Russian shopaholics in Istanbul go – to the pedestrian Istiklal Street. First of all, we looked into the four-story Nike. Prices here turned out to be a couple of thousand more expensive than in Bulgaria. The sneakers cost me 6800 rubles, while in Burgas similar ones cost around 4000. The second sneakers came out at a discount – 4000 rubles.

– Many sizes are over, the Russians have sorted it out, there are a lot of you this year. No one is limited to one pair, – the store employee explained.

The Russians really created a stir in the shops of Turkey. In resort towns, locals complain that shopping centers are empty. Tourists from Russia bought everything.

In addition to the pedestrian street, we visited one of the largest shopping centers in Istanbul, Istinye Park. We spent six hours here.

Russians were everywhere here, both in the mass market and in boutiques with expensive brands. On the way out, I talked to the customer.

– In Europe, it is not always possible to buy a bag more expensive than 300 euros, in Turkey there are no problems with this, – the girl said. – But there are some drawbacks: you can pay in cash if the price of the goods does not exceed 7,000 lira (23 thousand rubles). Payment by Mir card in luxury stores does not always work. You have to look for locals who are ready to pay for purchases for a certain percentage.

– Do you arrange Tax Free?

– We arrange. But many do not have time to return the tax at the airport. The fact is that check-in counters in Russia open 2-2.5 hours before departure. They are located inconveniently, in the farthest cul-de-sac of a huge airport. It’s like they did it on purpose.

You must first register, then run to the tax free window, and then rush back to check in your suitcases. Next, you need to go through passport control. Boarding gates for Russians are also located in the farthest corner. It’s twenty minutes to run there. Few take risks.

Finally, we looked at Starbucks, where we were surprised by the cost of coffee – 90 rubles.

We had a day left before departure, and we again went to the pharmacy. Medicines here turned out to be cheaper than in Bulgaria.

We bought a drug for allergies and asthma for 300 rubles, which in Moscow costs about 3,000 thousand. They took sucking plates from the virus, which the Turks themselves use before traveling in public transport. They collected toothpastes for 200 rubles each – their cost in Russia exceeds 800.

In one of the pharmacies we talked to a Russian-speaking pharmacist.

– The Turks are now hiring Russian-speaking people to help with the choice of medicines for your tourists, – the girl shared. “We have drugs here at least three times cheaper than yours, and some even ten times cheaper. I noticed that the Russians are buying lenses for the eyes, the price difference is five times. They take Turkish antipyretics, which are more effective – they bring down the temperature faster and last up to 12 hours.

For diabetics, they buy locally produced drugs, they cost 800 rubles from us, while the Russian equivalent costs 1,500 rubles. People order twenty packs. The fact is that Turkish-made insulin is of better quality.

One man complained that after taking the Russian drug, his eyesight fell, and his fingers became numb. Two days later, taking the Turkish kidney stopped hurting, the eyes do not dry, the fingers began to move. Apparently, in Russia they do not pay attention to fakes, and in Turkey for such a prison.

We left the pharmacy with a full package. As a result, the number of medicines that we stuffed into suitcases amounted to about 60 packages.

The next day we flew to Istanbul. The picture at the airport was reminiscent of the nineties. People took out giant suitcases, boxes, trunks. The crowd joked: “Now we’ll be back and they will meet us with the words: “Today he wears Adidas, but tomorrow he will sell his homeland?”

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