GUM
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Editor's review
Founded in 1951, GUM is one of Minsk's oldest and certainly its largest department store. It isn't exactly a contemporary shopping haven, but it is an interesting reminder of the fading Soviet shopping experience. While the selection over GUM's multiple floors is immense (household items, jewelry, cosmetics, clothes), much of the product is in a glass case or behind a counter, quite opposite to the western idea of casual browsing and self-serve shopping. It's perhaps not a shining beacon to fashion, though certainly a curiosity with some grand Soviet architecture to boot. And the currency exchange office near the entrance on the ground floor is a convenient extra.
Editor
Editor & Minsk Local
Reviews
Bought a Luch watch from GUM in late November 2013 during a trip from the United States. Thought I was getting something special. The damn battery died after two months. Two months!! Should have lasted at least two years. I am pissed!! And, of course, since I'm on the other side of the planet now I can't do much about it. On the whole, it was a large, ok store. The coolest thing about it is that the staff wear uniforms.....sort of a throwback.
I was disappointed. Kind of grubby / shabby to be honest. It still has a sort of faded 'Soviet chic' look about it which might appeal to some!
The most famous shops in the Eastern Bloc! Check out GUM in Moscow too - the Harrods of the East!
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