KZBlog

The Haves and the Have Nots (Comments Off on The Haves and the Have Nots)

Posted by KZBlog on 22 March 11 • Categorized as Life in KZ • Tagged as consumer goods, inflation, middle class, prices

I wrote a bit earlier about prices of meat and food products in Kazakhstan. However, a lot of less necessary products are already more expensive in Kazakhstan than in the US, and getting more expensive.

Perhaps the biggest problem is that although things have improved slightly, there are still two classes of goods in Kazakhstan, quality but expensive or cheap but low quality. Things like furniture, cars, TVs, even bath vanities and other hardware are either ridiculously overpriced or badly made. The development of a middle-class consumer market, where things are reasonably priced but reasonably good quality, has a long way to go.

I was particularly struck by this when helping a friend who is moving back to the US do some shopping online. Decent flat screen TVs in the US cost under $1000, whereas in Kazakhstan they start at $1000. You can find nice new cars in the US for $15-20000, whereas anything in Kazakhstan under $20000 is going to have some kind of flaws. This even extends to entertainment: you can eat out at a canteen or cafe for a 1000 tenge or go to an elite restaurant and drop $100 without effort.

And while I don’t know which is cause and which is effect, the division between classes is very visible in Astana. While many of my well-paid friends dine out regularly, a dear friend of mine who has lived in Tselingrad all his life didn’t even know there was a row of restaurants on Turan Street. More troubling, the lower class feels that not only are the simple pleasures of life not for them, but also a good education and a decent job are out of their reach. I doubt we will see a revolution any time soon, but disturbing markers like a high rate of teen suicide and criminality are doubtless outcomes of the hopelessness of a large sector of the population.

I don’t know what steps need to be taken or what role the Customs Union might play in making Russian and Ukrainian goods cheaper (not to mention foreign goods made in those countries), but it will be interesting to see how the middle class develops.

How to Find Odd Things in Kazakhstan (2)

Posted by KZBlog on 19 March 11 • Categorized as Life in KZ • Tagged as allbiz, KazNet, services, Shopping

While Kazakhstan does have a ways to go in developing useful web services, there have definitely been some interesting developments. I have friends who use online grocery shopping services, I believe from Astrakhzhan. And I mentioned Pomidor.kz in an earlier post as a pretty good review site for local services.

From the other side, international sites and services are starting to serve Kazakhstan. Amazon.com ships to Kazakhstan and services like Yelp and Foursquare have a handful of users here, so you’re starting to see more information on shops and restaurants in Kazakhstan. While locals are slowly picking up the idea of using the Internet to shop or find information, the Internet is great for expats who may not speak the language.

And as I just discovered while helping a loyal reader get information about setting up a small factory here, if you’re looking for industrial or specialty goods, All Biz has a pretty good directory of companies in Kazakhstan as well. While the site isn’t good for consumers, if you are doing business in Kazakhstan, it’s a good way to find distributors of frozen peas, medical equipment or even thrust bearings and chemical products for metalworking.

Just thought I’d share the resource in case it was useful for people. And if readers felt like leaving comments with other good web-services that serve Kazakhstan, that would be brilliantly useful.

Manners (1)

Posted by KZBlog on 17 March 11 • Categorized as Life in KZ • Tagged as Ak Bulak, blogs, expats, parenting, rudeness

Thanks to Kazakhnomad who posted on a story by a an expat working in Almaty about bullying on the toboggan trail. Go read her story yourself, but basically she was annoyed by kids who cut in line for the tobbagan trail at Ak Bulak and, what is more, being encouraged by their mother to cut in line, be rude to a pregnant foreigner, and pretend not to speak Russian so no one could complain.

I know many people here tell me that kids are kids. I sometimes hear praise for a theory of parenting (sometimes attributed to Turkey, sometimes to Japan) that parents should not discipline their children until the age of 5. For 5 years, the kid should be able to run around, scream, and do whatever he or she wants. And yes, kids are kids. But I don’t see how you can coddle your kids, let them cut in line, and say rude things, and then expect them to grow up to be well-mannered teenagers or adults.

What do you think of raising children to be good mannered?