When there was a line for bananas in the Bulgarian store, and imported jeans were measured not only in leva but also in dollars, the cabin of an international truck could become a small warehouse for Western goods. For many, international drivers were the "korekom on wheels" - the people who traveled behind the Iron Curtain and returned with things that others could only ask "does anyone have anything to bring" for.
Jeans as a Sign of Prestige
During socialism, international drivers were among the few Bulgarians with regular access to Western Europe. They spend days and weeks on the roads between Bulgaria, Germany, Austria, Italy, France and other countries, and their collection is often awaited not only by families, but also by neighbors, friends and acquaintances.
The most desired item is jeans. The original models of “Levis“, “Wrangler“ and “Lee“ are almost unattainable for the average buyer. Officially, they can be found mostly in “Korekom“, where shopping is done with foreign currency. The first stores in the chain appeared in 1960, and in 1974 the state regulated the sale of imported goods for foreign currency.
For those who do not have dollars or access to “Korekom“, the unofficial market remains. Drivers sell the clothes they bring through personal contacts and recommendations. Thus, a pair of jeans can pass through several hands before reaching a young man who will wear it for years, mend it and keep it as a distinctive sign.
Records, cassettes and films from the other world
Music and cinema follow the same route. Western gramophone records, audio cassettes and recordings of pop and rock artists are difficult to find in the official retail network. Bulgarian stores offer a limited repertoire, and amateurs often record songs from foreign radio stations or rely on someone returning from a trip.
With the introduction of VCRs in the late 1970s, a new scarce commodity appeared - the video cassette. Films, concerts and music programs were distributed from hand to hand, often with the promise that the copy would be returned in a day or two. International drivers are among the channels through which tapes, equipment and titles absent from cinemas and television screens reach Bulgaria.
A profession with access to three continents
This role is possible due to the sheer scale of international transport. SOMAT was established in the 1960s as a state-owned company for international transport and gradually built routes that connect Bulgaria with Western Europe and the Middle East. “SOMAT made Bulgaria a key country on three continents“, says Dimitar Nikolov, who was the company's commercial director.
The official job of drivers is the transport of goods. The import and resale of personal goods is an unofficial practice that should not be attributed to all representatives of the profession. But it is international transport that gives some of them access to markets closed to the vast majority of Bulgarians.
That is why the profession acquires a special prestige. The international driver does not just drive a truck abroad. He brings news, currency, fashion, music and images from a world that for the rest exists mostly behind the window of “Korekom“.
After 1989, this intermediary role gradually disappeared. Western goods left specialized stores, appeared in ordinary trade, and video cassettes, records and jeans no longer depended on which driver had returned from Germany. But the memory of the cabin, from which a pair of real jeans or a cassette with an unknown film could emerge, remains one of the most vivid images of the deficit during the Sotsa.
Sources: bta.bg, bgnes.bg, 168chasa.bg