отовариваться?

hi,

Наконец-то осуществилась мечта советского человека: отовариваться в кремлёвском спецраспределителе.

I get a dictionary definition for отовариваться as to redeem for merchandise, how does this work in this sentence?

thanks

It just means to buy.

"Отовариваться" comes from "товар".

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sperk

hi,

Наконец-то осуществилась мечта советского человека: отовариваться в кремлёвском спецраспределителе.

I get a dictionary definition for отовариваться as to redeem for merchandise, how does this work in this sentence?

thanks

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Отовариться is a soviet concept.
Back in USSR times there were little a man could buy in a store.
Instead as a special favour or benefit he could have some opportunities presented by his job to buy things at some procurement bases or elsewhere. Usually that involved some coupons which granted him the right to do it. He bought goods in exchange of these coupons so the verb отоварить means turning that coupons into goods.

Отовариться don't mean to buy exactly. That meant a man had some special privilegies to buy goods this way.

Something strange is going on here... I posted the answer but it did not show.

Here it is again:

Отовариваться = to shop, to do shoping

Simple as that

shopping. sorry for a typo:-(

Also:
...to go shopping at...