“For ‘no nails’ go next door”

Sand in the gears of the globalised economy

(9 August 2022) (MB) We are driving to the northwest of Germany for a family affair. On the way, my husband remembers that he forgot to pack the essential outfit for this festive occasion, namely his jacket and shirt. So we stop at a well-stocked mens’ outfitter in a Bavarian town. There we are attended to by an experienced salesman. He knows his way around his assortment, the fabrics, cuts, sizes, models, styles. It’s a pleasure to be advised by such a person.

While we are choosing and trying on some clothes, we start talking. The delivery problems are enormous, the friendly man discloses. I am surprise because the shop looks well stocked. It is, he says, but there are more and more gaps. Blue suits in size 52, for example, will not be available in the foreseeable future, and there are some gaps in bow ties and neckties too.

Now you might think, well, you can purchase grey or black suits and who needs ties and bow ties nowadays? But as the conversation continues, further problems come to light.

One entrepreneur, a manufacturer of men’s clothing, had several factories in Ukraine. Now nothing is delivered from there because of the war. This energetic man had established two factories in Turkey within a very short time. Now, everything is ready to continue the production there, but the machines are still not running. The reason: the factory owner gets his fabrics from Italy, but they can’t be delivered because they in turn buy yarns from Asia and now nothing comes from there either. In other factories, the garments are ready but cannot be delivered because buttons or zips are missing. All this reminds our outfitter of the GDR’s economy of scarcity. There, the telling joke circulated: “for ‘no nails’ go next door”.

We relate all this to our friend from Saxony, whom we eventually visit. She listens attentively and then tells us the story of her bridal outfit in the mid-80s in the GDR.

A year before the wedding, during her final exams for university, she started looking for a dress, shoes, bridal headpiece and rings. The wedding car decoration and the piece for her hair were the first items she got hold of. She also bought shoes early on because nice ones were rare. In joyous expectation she put everything on display on a shelf.

Rings were a big problem. Only metal rings for about 33 GDR marks (16 US dollars) were on offer; gold was scarce and almost impossible to purchase. Our friend did not want to get married with such metal rings – she would rather have no rings at all.

Her aunt objected vehemently. To prevent a ”tragedy”,* the aunt put her niece in touch with a goldsmith. She did have a market garden, and the goldsmith received a bouquet of cut flowers from her every week – another rarity in the GDR. Thus, he owed her a favour.

So it happened that in the back room he presented our friend and her future husband with three gold rings to choose from. She and her groom were overjoyed and decided on the plainest model.

That left the wedding dress. The cut and fabric were quickly chosen and the dressmaker was ready. The bride-to-be contacted the head of the local fabric agency. It was confirmed that the fabric would be delivered on time. Eventually, it arrived just two days before the big day. A nail-biting event! The seamstress got to work immediately, everything fitted – but the zipper was still missing. A white zipper had to be found immediately. An apprentice was sent out to cycle around all the tailor shops and textile processing companies in the area to see if anyone had such a spare zipper.

Our friend, a born and bred GDR citizen, explained to us that at that time any item that might come in handy was saved: buttons, zips, ribbons, trimmings, etc. The hope was based on this knowledge that such a zipper could be found somewhere. And thankfully – the apprentice found one, so the dress could be finished and the bride could marry in a decent attire.

This was a somewhat detailed description of the story of procuring a bridal outfit in an economy of scarcity but that was everyday life in the GDR.

In our conversations with various people here in the eastern region, we encountered an extremely realistic view of the conditions to be expected, which we do not experience in West Germany or in Switzerland.

One last thing about our Bavarian men’s outfitter: my husband wanted to buy a T-shirt as well. The salesman offered various models, including one in NATO-green. I immediately protested, “no, it makes you look like Zelensky”. The shop assistant knew immediately what I meant and told us that many customers didn’t like green shades any more, that those garments were left untouched on the shelves. He pointed to a moss green quilted jacket in the showroom: only a short while ago, this model had usually been sold very quickly, now no one wants it any more.

I think that’s a good sign.

* The aunt: “What do you say when the registrar asks you to put on the rings?” The bride: “Then I say, in the GDR, there are no gold rings and I won’t get marry with some tin rings.” The aunt: “For heavens’ sake, you can’t do that under any circumstances!”