People were just trying to survive: why domestic theft was so widespread in the USSR

Many people remember the USSR with nostalgia, praising its stability, confidence in the future, and social equality. However, even they cannot but agree that there was also poverty and shortage of goods.

These factors led to the fact that household theft was very common in the union, and it was also considered something normal. This phenomenon was described by Belarusian blogger and USSR researcher Maxim Mirovich.

Many people believe that the USSR was a country of exceptionally honest and decent people who never took what was not theirs. Burglars indeed did not break into other people's homes to make a profit, but this is only because ordinary Soviet people had almost nothing to steal. In addition, the media rarely reported on crimes at the time, so it seemed that there was little crime in the union.

However, petty thefts in the USSR were everywhere. This phenomenon was so widespread that it was not even considered something shameful in society.

Thefts in public catering

Stealing in Soviet catering was the easiest thing to do because it was almost impossible to catch the perpetrators red-handed. Sour cream was diluted with kefir to increase the amount of product and take some of it for themselves, and kefir was diluted with milk.

Milk was also stolen. It was usually written off as "spoiled." Soups were cooked with a mixer, and a piece of meat was put in only when it was given out.

Thefts in grocery stores

In stores and markets, sellers also wrote off all possible products, taking them for themselves. Also, some food, usually of higher quality, was sold "right from the counter" only for "their own" at a higher price than the selling price, and the difference was pocketed.

They also stole from the markets, namely, they weighed customers' orders using magnets.

Thefts in retail stores

Fraud schemes did not differ dramatically from one sector to another. In industrial stores, scarce and high-quality goods were also sold "right from the counter" for a higher price.

Thefts at factories and construction sites

People would steal anything that was lying around or easily accessible from work. For example, tool sets, glass, cement, and even bricks. All this could often be seen in large quantities in the garages or on the balconies of construction and factory workers.

Tractor and taxi drivers

Whoever had access to what was available stole it. Drivers, for example, carried gasoline, diesel fuel, spare parts, and body paint. Taxi drivers also did not take into account the meter for trips and charged a much higher price, and in the late Soviet years they were often involved in petty crime, helping prostitutes and illegal alcohol sellers.

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