HIS 242 Unit 14: The End of the Soviet Union Pepsi was one of
the first "Western" companies to establish a presence in the Soviet
Union in the 1980s--probably a sign of the beginning of the end--The
main problem for companies wishing to do business with Russia back then
was the fact that the Russian ruble was not a convertible
currency. These little kiosk stands were everywhere in Moscow
when I was there in 1990. |
Although I am far from being a big fan of Pepsi (I did learn to use Pepsi as a kind of universal mixer with "beverages" while I was in Russia.), nevertheless, Pepsi was a definite improvement over the "gassed Water" machines common in Russia. |
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Let me explain how these things
worked. The machines worked on the same principle as the coffee
vending machines that you can find in the United States. In the United States, you put
your money in, make a selection, then a small paper cup drops into the
slot and fills with coffee. You remove the cup and drink your
coffee. The difference in these "gassed water" machines was
first, that instead of coffee you were getting a kind of Sprite, or
7-Up, flavored carbonated water/soda, not necessarily cold either--Hey,
it didn't taste too bad. Second, the cup was not a disposable,
paper cup but a reusable plastic cup. You put it upside down in
the slot and pressed a button to rinse out the cup. Then you
righted the cup and filled it with the soda. When you were done,
you put the cup back for the next person to use. |
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