Shopping during war

How is to do your shopping during war? I think this is quite an interesting topic. It is also very specific to buying from a city which is 1000 km from the fighting. Ukraine is a big country and the experience in Lviv is different than what people experience in cities that are much closer to the fighting. That being said, buying online is very handy, with the Ukrainian postal service and Nova Poshta offering fast delivery and there are also delivery lockers.
There is a shopping mall in Kharkiv that was attacked by the russians and it was restored. But, of course, going to a shopping mall is different than just buying in small shops.

In Lviv the shops look beautiful. This is just one of many which have gorgeous window displays and decorations.

There are markets for fresh produce and, like the one above, for clothes, paintings, jewellery, and other similar items. I bought many times from that market and I took a friend there. She is speaking Ukrainian and had a chat with the lady who was selling embroidered T-shirts. I could understand a few words, but I understood most of what she was saying. Her brother was wounded in the Pokrovsk region. The most important thing I did not got, if he survived. My friend told me afterwards that he did. For the lady who was selling the T-shirts, learning that we are volunteers and that we are coming again and again and that we’ve spent weeks working and volunteering proved emotional. She started crying and gave my friend a hug.

Another lady from where I bought a T-shirt, asked me where I am from. She was so happy to learn that I am from Romania that she gave me a fridge magnet, as a gift. It was not the first time I received a gift. When my husband and I bought our Vyshyvankas, from a shop, we were given some coffee.

This is because of the war, because they appreciate what we are doing and that we are there.

Old ladies are selling flowers. On my last trip, as I had a flat with lots of vases, I bought constantly flowers. These ones were for the ladies at the camo netting. They loved the flowers and I loved both buying from an old lady who needs the money and surprising the ladies that are working hard and deserve the recognition for what they are doing.

This is a supermarket in a mall. These chickens were on sale just before Easter, very popular with the children. It is a well stocked shop. I used other supermarkets, closer to home. I was in one, buying litter tray pellets for my cat. An air alert started, which was interesting for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was clear I was the only foreigner in that shop at that time because my air alert was in English while all others were in Ukrainian. Not everybody had their air alerts set up. Secondly, I stood back and watched the others. Nobody cared. A mother was picking up chocolate with her son. When we got what we want, we paid and left. That shop is underground, but people were going up while the air alert was still on.

Food shopping is interesting from another perspective. I bought all the vegan stuff from a vegetarian shop. There are not vegan options in most supermarkets when it comes to fake meats, so a specialised shop is great. But, there are many delicious naturally vegan options in the supermarkets, like houmous. I have to point out that I got 2 amazing types of houmous: with pickles (I will do some at home because it is so good), and another one with truffles.

The interesting part is not the flavours, but where some of the items were made, in Kharkiv, the city that’s only 30 km away from the russian border. They are being bombed constantly and they are still producing things such as vegan salami.

“During the air alarm, the processing and delivery of orders may be extended. Thank you for your understanding!”

This is the kind of message one can see on the delivery page for a pet online shop. Of course an air alert “may” involve delays, but it might not. I am not surprised, with the railways working on time, the postal service delivering even close to the frontlines, any other courier is expected to do the same.

While in the UK, before going to Ukraine, I looked online for pet carriers for my cat. I did not buy online, but went into the shop, where I saw these wonderful Vyshyvankas for pets.

But one review stood out when I was looking at the carriers:

“I bought this for winter, because when you run to the subway during an alarm with a plastic carrier, the kitty is freezing. Now she is more comfortable, the draft is no longer a worry either.”

The reply from the shop:

“Thank you for the feedback! We are glad to know that your kitty is warmer in such a carrier, and we hope that she is less stressed! 🙏”

Not only there are Vyshyvankas, but, unlike the UK, in Ukraine there are more options in the shops too. The main pet supermarket chain in the UK does not have all these options that are in this shop, the main pet supermarket chain in Ukraine.
The white egg-shaped thing is a self-cleaning cat litter box. It is around £300, only available online in the UK. Also the staff in the Ukrainian pet shops was much better prepared and friendly than the one in the UK. I managed to buy a pet carrier that suited my needs even though the staff only spoke little English for the complex questions I was asking, but stayed with me, with the translation app to make it clear what I wanted to say or what she was replying.

There are also patriotic things. I saw this plate, with the cat with the camo hat, in a flower shop. I was very tempted to get it. It is a fun piece of crockery, as anyone can buy from a gift shop in any western major city. But, at the same time, it is a message of defiance, swearing at the russians.

I ordered these macarons for my husband and they were made on time, with fantastic customer support. I was very happy with everything. The macarons were not more expensive and the level of care for the customer was fantastic. I bought more because the experience was so wonderful.

People still buy stuff during the war, but slightly different.