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You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Bulgarian. (November 2024) Click [show] for important translation instructions. Machine translation, like DeepL or Google Translate, is a useful starting point for translations, but translators must follow the LLM translation guideline, revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate, rather than simply copy-pasting machine-translated text into the English Wikipedia. Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low-quality. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation. A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing Bulgarian Wikipedia article at [[:bg:Кореком]]; see its history for attribution. You may also add the template {{Translated|bg|Кореком}} to the talk page. For more guidance, see Wikipedia:Translation.

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Corecom (Bulgarian: Кореком) was a chain of hard-currency stores during the communist rule in Bulgaria. Goods were often priced cheaper than in the West; however, they were still inaccessible for most Bulgarians because the national currency, the lev, was not accepted at the stores. Apart from Western diplomats and visitors, access to hard currency was a privilege of the nomenklatura (small, elite subset of the general population) and a few other people who were authorised to travel abroad or do business with Westerners. Anyone purchasing goods at Corecom but not authorised to possess foreign currency ran the risk of investigation by the authorities.

The stores operated on the same principle as East German Intershops, Czechoslovak Tuzex, or Polish Pewex stores.^[1] In addition to major Western currencies, such as US dollars, Corecom stores also accepted foreign exchange certificates. Western consumer goods sold at these stores were not available at regular retail outlets, including imported spirits and tobacco products (e.g. Scotch whisky and Marlboro cigarettes), consumer electronics (e.g. VCRs and video cameras), cosmetics, clothing, magazines, toys, and even foodstuffs such as Kinder Surprise chocolate eggs (commonly known as "корекомски яйца" or "Corecom eggs" at the time).^[2] There were also Bulgarian products that were either destined exclusively for export or ordinarily required signing up on long waiting lists.

Ironically, by making the significantly greater diversity and quality of Western consumer goods conspicuous yet inaccessible to the vast majority of the population, the communist party elites inadvertently demonstrated the hypocrisy of their anti-Western rhetoric.^[3]

• Shortage economy
• Eastern Bloc economies