Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Soviet economy divided all production into Group A for heavy industry and Group B for consumer goods. Group A included every item needed to create other final goods while Group B covered food, clothing, shoes, housing, and personal appliances.
Stalin's government assigned top priority to Group A during economic planning from 1928 until 1991. Five-year plans guided the entire course of the national economy during this period.
Five department stores existed by January 1935 and fifteen more opened within the following year. The Central Department Store opened its doors at the end of 1933 and remained part of the commercial network until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The State established Torgsin stores to sell scarce goods in exchange for foreign currency or gold. Citizens viewed the items inside as treasure and made huge sacrifices to acquire them despite the emotional cost of selling valuables.
A new law legalized individual trades such as cobbling, cabinetmaking, and tailoring on the 2nd of May 1936 but banned artisanal food production. This move slightly improved the shortage of essential items while prices at Kolkhoz markets floated freely.