In the USSR they used to say that the whole country was standing in lines. There were different types of lines that caused many problems for the country’s residents. For example:
1. Queues at the shops: Due to the shortage of goods and food products in the country, people were forced to stand in queues even for the most basic goods. Queues for bread, butter, meat and other products were a common occurrence.
2. Queues at pharmacies: Also due to the shortage of medicines, there were also long queues at pharmacies. People were forced to wait for a long time to get the medicine they needed.
3. Housing queues: There was a housing shortage in the USSR, so people had to wait in lines to get apartments. The lines could be very long, and families had to wait for many years to get housing.
4. Queues on public transport: Due to the lack of transport and limited schedules, people were forced to stand in long queues at bus and tram stops.
5. Queues at cinemas and concerts: Even the entertainment industry in the USSR was no exception. People had to stand in line to buy tickets to cinemas or concerts, as tickets were limited and sold out quickly.
Queues were a common and integral part of life in Soviet society, and people spent considerable time waiting for necessary goods and services. This was a result of the lack of resources and the inefficient economic system of the USSR.
But there were also advantages to queues. People communicated. And the USSR was considered the most well-read country in the world :) What else is there to do in queues? You can’t sit in your smartphone.