In 1968 an elderly relative living in Leningrad was permitted to come to the States to visit her (my) family. She had exactly the same experience when seeing our local grocery store for the same time. And it was just an average place.
Oh, and I also remember shortly after the 1968 election my parents were loudly cursing Richard Nixon (they hated the guy). My relative started sweating and shaking in terror. “Children, the walls have ears” she said in Yiddish. A very instructive moment.