It's 3 A.M. and your Zhiguli is acting up on the Garden Ring. Or you have insomnia and the munchies. Maybe you just feel like doing a little electronic gambling. If you think the only outlets for night owls in Moscow are discotheques and casinos, think again. For the past year, a 24-hour gastronom on the corner of Novy Arbat and the Garden Ring has been charting the previously unexplored terrain of convenience shopping.


True, the Arbat Gastronom is no 7-Eleven. Identifiable only by the large Khleb sign, which acts as a kind of beacon on the shop's roof, it is hardly distinguishable from neighboring state stores in various stages of transition. Yet, with a range of goods available around the clock, from basic food staples to electronics to automotive goods, the store is a pioneer in Russia's still limited service industry.


At 12:30 A.M. on a recent Sunday, there were at least 20 customers in the store. For those looking to put together a late-night meal, the second floor of the store offered a good supply of pasta, sausage, yogurt, cheese (including Port Salut for 4,000 rubles a package), fruits and vegetables, and a variety of beverages. The usual selection of chocolate, cakes (from 1,500 to 25,000 rubles), bread and breakfast cereal were all available in the first-floor bakery department. The electronics section featured a range of compact discs, appliances (Braun radio alarm clocks for 61,000 rubles) and batteries and tapes for those concerned with waking up in the morning or making the music last all night.


An unusual feature for late-night shoppers was the small automotive section tucked away in the back of the second floor and offering a range of products from foam upholstery cleaners to Shell Super Plus motor oil (five liters for 45 Deutsche marks). "The car lovers come here at all hours," said Lena, the saleswoman behind the counter.


In the tradition of 24-hour stores everywhere, the post-midnight clientele was a somewhat ragtag group, most of whom browsed leisurely through the CD selections or played rounds of Fortuna automatic poker (250 rubles a shot), the glaring lights of the machines casting a sinister glow over the fruit display on the opposite counter.


In proportion to the number of customers, the store was well-staffed with at least 10 employees, many of whom watched impassively as shoppers drifted up and down the aisles. At the register, a relaxed-looking cashier stroked a cat that had jumped up beside her till.


According to Olga and Maria, who were manning the lonely bakery section, the store's staff work an entire 24-hour shift, followed by three days off. "We don't sit, we don't lie down the whole day -- it's very difficult," said Maria.


For these people on the cutting edge of Russian retail, the difficulty of adjusting to convenience shopping is evident. "It's one o'clock in the morning," a saleswoman in the fruit and beverage department grumbled as a shopper approached. Downstairs, the staff was more jovial, joking good-naturedly with a customer. "You should be sleeping now," they advised him.





The 24-Hour Gastronom is located on the corner of Novy Arbat and the Garden Ring. The entrance off Novy Arbat. The express photo booth and flower stand are only open regular hours.