European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 31, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                A uniformed soviet Soldier mingles with the crowd around the sidewalk artists of arbat Street in Moscow. Arket a Way of life by Norm Zeigler travel outdoor writer no Westerner in the soviet Union can escape the Black marketeers. They approach visitors outside hotels at tourist Sites on downtown streets even in restaurants. Most Are Young some not yet in their teens but a few Are approaching Middle age. They will try to sell or Trade everything from military medals and to shirts to caviar stacking dolls and jewelry and of course rubles. Free Enterprise May be just getting a foothold in the official soviet Economy but in the unofficial Sec Tor it is flourishing and has for years. Hedrick Smith in his Best Selling Book the russians quoted Andrei Sakharov As saying that the underground Economy accounted for " 10 percent or More of the Gross National product.   in the mid-1970s. The figure might be even higher today. The store shelves May be empty or stocked with unwanted inferior Quality goods. But As one Young muscovite said you can get almost anything on the Blac k Market from cars to  f be called it the one interesting thing in Moscow. There is no other Way to get Good clothes Fie said because the soviet Union has a very bad  what Black marketeers want is Western Money . Dollars German Marks that enables them to shop at one of the hard currency shops which have a much better selection than the regular stores. They will also take Western goods in Trade jeans sneakers to shirts sunglasses. These they can sell at inflated prices or Trade Tor scarce commodities. Black marketing is illegal. Most tourists seem to do it anyway but it could land you in a soviet police station and the soviet police will not read you your rights and ask you if you would like to Call your lawyer. The soviets do not usually prosecute foreigners Lor Black marketing but do you want to be responsible Tor putting behind bars that Young fellow who sold you a Wale hi1 most Black marketeers seem not to worry about the risk and in fact Enlora ement seems random. N Moscow s arbat Street dollars change hands within View of police surveillance cameras. Near our hotel in Leningrad one Man carried on a booming business out of his car. One night several of us wat bed two Polk Emen stroll Over and sit in his Bat k seat Tor several minutes. Afterwards they went peat fully on their Way. Outside the new Maidens Convent in Moscow most of the vendors Selling prints paintings and Bandit Raits refused to take rubles. The Tat t that they were breaking the Law did not seem to com Ern them in the least. Be said he would t take rubles bet Ause there was nothing " to buy with them. At our first dinner in i Leningrad our waiter began peddling caviar and jewelry before he was finished bringing the drinks. With a Napkin draped Over one Arm he filled glasses and showed a red army commander s watch for Sis. One of the group members asked it if was dangerous but he Only shrugged forme not for you. Business is business. I Only earn 200 rubles $ u at the special tourist Exchange rate a month in this  generally the authorities tolerate a i Hanges and gilts but foreign currency dealings Are taboo. On the Street you May be offered As much As 1 2 rubles to the Dollar. I in official tourist Exchange Rale is rubles to the Dollar but there is no Point in getting rubles when there is virtually nothing to buy with them. And you will be required to show a receipt when you re Exchange them before leaving the country. One of the first things our Inlo Urist guide in Moscow told us was not to buy Many rubles. It is Good advice. Above artists like this one in Moscow generally demand Western currency in payment not rubles. At right two plainclothes officers left and a uniformed policeman flank a couple on Moscow s arbat Street a moment later the two people were taken into custody on charges of Black marketing. May 31, 1990 stripes Magazine