You didn't mention about the other counters in the stores. For example they had about 3 brands of cereal behind one counter and you paid for them the same way as the meat but it wasn't weighed. You didn't grab anything and take it to a checkout like you do here. Lived on caviar, bread, and pate most days.
Went to the famous Moscow circus. My now fiance went to a scalper for tickets. Has to pay in American dollars which were illegal at the time but they took anyway. Did see some errors that I'm sure wouldn't be allowed in previous years but was a great show. Commenting on hoping the cork didn't shoot out of the horse's rear end during the show didn't make her too happy as she thought it was the only thing I got from the show as she didn't completely understand American dark humor.
Thought of something else: the elevator my friends’ apartment building was somehow activated by the weight of someone stepping into it. It would abruptly drop several inches when you went in, which was very disconcerting. Also, there was little spent on lighting in interior hallways. They were dim. On the other hand, my friends assured me that the buildings were air-tight in order to keep from loosing heat in the winter.
I don’t specifically remember the cereal counter, but I’m sure it was there. I do remember an office supply store where there was not much, and it was all behind counters. That store was in St. Petersburg, on the premises of the Singer Sewing Machine factory that had been built before the Revolution. It had lovely art nouveau ironwork on the staircase.