Originally Posted by k0nr4d

CZ, PL, RO and HU were never part of the USSR...

That being said, back when poland was communist you'd basically get cards that you traded for meat or fuel or alcohol (edit: different cards for each of course, you don't have to pick between if you are getting booze, gas or kielbasa). If there was a wedding, you'd get more alcohol cards for instance so people could drink at the reception. The way it was explained to me was that everyone had hella money but the stores didn't have anything to buy. There was a store called Pewex that sold imported products - you'd exchange polish currency for USD and shop there instead.