I was born in yugoslavia, so could be a local peculiarity. Wherever there was a large (communism, so government owned) company, if you needed something that co

I was born in yugoslavia, so could be a local peculiarity. Wherever there was a large (communism, so government owned) company, if you needed something that company either had (raw materials) or produced, you just needed to find someone who worked there, and they would sell you whatever you needed. Friend works in iron works/steel company? Need steel sheets, just call him. Need some end products? Just call him. Need cement? Or cement blocks? Just call someone who works at a cement factory, he'll take a few blocks home every day, and after a week or two, you go to his house, pay and pick them up. It was never stealing trucks full of stuff, but with 1000+ workers, having 200, 300 workers that steal a bit every now and then (like pens and post it notes in the "west"), after a few years, you get whole neighbourhoods built using stolen bricks and cement, and all the fences were built out of iron rods, that were destined to become something else.