Tallinn Town Store doors swing open

Photo: Toomas Tatar

In Lasnamäe, Tallinn, a municipal grocery store was opened yesterday as supported by city finances. Plenty of people gathered to witness the event, mostly those advanced in years. As the ribbon was about to be festively cut, people behind it stood waving balloons with Centre Party election slogans. To counter that, IRL city council opposition was present with posters putting the happening down as a spectacle of the absurd kind.

Full time, the municipal store is supposed to be offering 34 product items at the cheapest prices the market has to offer; even so, some were already disappointed. For instance: there was the elderly lady who said several items were cheaper elsewhere. Another one complained that some stuff was indeed priced lower – but by just some few cents.

Whether or not the shop will ever make end meet, the city fathers were unwilling to predict. As admitted by vice mayor Arvo Sarapuu: the shop being managed by municipal company Tallinn Marketplaces, the Lasnamäe no-frills store costs would partially be covered by profits earned at Nõmme Market.