On July 25, trade workers celebrate their professional holiday.
Every year on the fourth Saturday of July, Russia celebrates Trade Workers' Day. Trade is one of the key sectors of the economy: it not only provides the population with essential goods, but also shapes the accessibility and variety of the assortment, directly affecting the standard of living of every person. This sector also creates jobs and employs a large share of the working-age population.
Interesting facts:
- In China, Mongolia and Siberia compressed tea was used as currency: it was used to pay taxes, settle transactions for goods and even to pay wages. Its value depended on the age and quality of the tea — a tea brick could serve as a 'hard currency' in regions where coins were scarce.
- The oldest price tag found by archaeologists was discovered during excavations of the ancient city of Pompeii. On the wall of one of the thermopolia (snack bars for the poor) an inscription has been preserved listing prices for wine and bread.
- Up until the end of the 19th century in Russia, certain products (for example, salt and cereals) were sold by weight only in the buyer's own container. If a customer did not have their own canvas bag or jar, the seller could wrap the goods in sturdy paper, but the cost of that paper could be higher than the value of the product wrapped. This encouraged buyers to obtain reusable containers and to treat them carefully.
- In the heyday of maritime trade, merchants sold cargoes that had not yet left port, and sometimes had not even been loaded. Deals were made on a 'cargo in transit' or a 'cargo to come', and this gave rise to the first complex forms of futures and risk insurance.
- The first recorded customer complaint dates to around 1750 BCE in Ancient Mesopotamia. A buyer named Nanni carved a complaint on a clay tablet addressed to the merchant Ea-nasir: the copper ingots turned out to be of poor quality, and the seller refused to return the money. Archaeologists found this tablet in the merchant's own house — along with other similar complaints.
We sincerely congratulate all employees of the trade sector on their professional holiday! We wish you robust health, happiness, family well-being and a stable income. May your work always bring satisfaction, and may satisfied customers, smiles and strong sales be the best reward for your hard work!