Commuter Train Salespeople in Moscow

"May I have your attention please," said a lady at the back of the train station. A seasoned salesperson, she describes the merits of the products she is selling. There is a large variety, from dish cleaners to stickers. When you ride the light rail commuter trains in Moscow, you often run into an interesting practice where a person goes train to train, and gives the best sales presentation they can. It does seem like a form of banner advertising, but in real life. Perhaps it is an annoying nuisance to some, but a very fascinating entrepreneurial practice to me.

I turn to the gentleman next to me, and say, "Great presentation, she can possibly increase her sales by posting her location on Twitter, that way her regular customers can find her as they ride the rails." He looks at me in a very confused way, but politely agrees. We strike up a conversation where he asks me where I am from. I tell him a limited version of my life story; lived in the U.S. since I was eight, moved back to Moscow today, now I'm taking the light rail to my new home. He tells me he is from Tajikistan, to which I respond; "if you cannot tell by my accent, I am as much of an immigrant as you are, despite having been born in Moscow itself. Everything is so new to me, having been gone since 1989." He smiles and nods and quickly warms up to me as we continue our conversation. At one point I ask him how he likes Moscow, to which he responds, "I love it here."

Several minutes later, a gentleman makes the same announcement, and showcases several calendars that change pictures as you look at them from different directions. He makes a very convincing presentation, full of dramatic flair and enthusiasm. I make a note of this, and say, "That one was even better, but he needs to expand his product line. For example, had he had calendars with space stuff on it, I would buy it in a heartbeat. I like nature as much as the next guy, but I can't say no to some cool space stuff, man." My fellow immigrant agrees, nodding enthusiastically as our train passes through the suburbs of Moscow.