1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
Guess what is one of the most profitable businesses in Russia? Trading arms? Possible, but illegal. Drug dealing? Highly illegal and something that is cursed by millions of people around the world. Selling natural resources? Yes, but not during the winter holiday season.
Traditionally dressed for a traditional holiday, Santas and Snegurochkas (Snegurochka is the mythical daughter of Santa Claus with a body of snow who accompanies her elderly father, sings, and gives out New Years presents.) take off for homes and offices to greet kids and adults, present people with little gifts in large stores, and entertain happy audiences in cafes and restaurants. This brings happiness to people and large wads of cash to those controlling the holiday business. Because this business is tax exempt. Unofficially.
If you want Santa and Snegurochka to come greet your family you might find out that you will not be calling some office or service. Instead you will talk to a housewife that makes extra cash by taking your order and providing you with strictly limited information, never revealing any business details, such as the company address or the name of the boss. Interestingly enough, ads from different companies, no matter where they are published, generally have same phone numbers.
This seasonal business has strict rules. First of all none of the holiday service providers should be promoting themselves, by lowering prices or offering additional services. All parties carefully track each other to make sure that pricing and service are the same. New competitors that do not follow the rules either accept them or get mercilessly kicked out of the market.
The structure of the business is reminiscent of sex services. Same home phone operators, same payment schemes, same administrators. The latter are also known as bouncers and negotiators. Their task is to collect money and make sure that Santas and their daughters do not work on the side. Another aspect that makes the two businesses look the same is the net profit level. Every Santa earns his boss eight to ten thousand dollars a month. Considering the fact that there are about a thousand Santas with fake beards working in Moscow, the net value of the market is around $10 million.
The backbone of the New Year greeting force consists of experienced professionals with their own costumes. These people have been working in the field for a long time. They started when the Soviet Union still existed. Santas work fourteen hours a day, fulfilling at least ten orders in a shift, but despite of the tough schedule, it is pretty difficult to join the holidaymakers. There are far too many candidates, which helps to keep up the quality of the service, because bad Santas get fired quickly.
Still the New Year service has old problems that have existed for years and years and years: Santas never arrive on time, they are far from being professional, and are rarely sober. At the same time all service providers swear that their staff is perfect. They claim that all customers can complain to the administrator (aka bouncer) if problems arise.
However, chances that people will get a professional actor dressed as Santa Claus are pretty low. According to unofficial statistics most of Santas and Snegurochkas are students, teachers, doctors and engineers, who want to earn some extra money in their spare time. Promises of timely arrival also seem to be based on science fiction, considering colossal Moscow traffic jams.
New Year greetings from a real Santa Claus have become a tradition in this country. It means that people will still be paying for such services in spite of delays and inadequate quality. Thirty minutes of Santa will set you back by about thirty dollars if you want him to greet you or your kids before December 26 or after January 2. Same thirty minutes will cost around seventy bucks on New Years Eve. Santa can also fall into your apartment or office from the sky (he will come through the window). This trick doubles the fee, because it requires masquerading trained mountaineers, who normally clean building facades and windows in summer.
Santas are ready to go anywhere in the city to make kids and adults happy. Tipping is allowed. Customers are advised not to offer drinks to the visiting entertainers. Service operators claim that Santa will refuse anyway.
Oh, really?
