Sunshine, songs, logic

According to Greeks, Crete is the birthplace of European culture and having taken a look at the palace of Knossos, I find this an absolutely credible claim. Since Cretans are very proud, they are not ideal hosts. They are nice but not likely to jump when we want something done. They smile, but you shouldn’t take promises like “you will have it by tomorrow” very seriously. When I first visited Crete in 1987, it was a rather quiet place. In 2007, it is no longer that. Crowds of tourists, including many from Eastern Europe and Russia are swarming all over the place and you have to stand in line patiently practically everywhere. Stores with a floor area of 200 square meters and at least two cash registers, selling a minimum of 7 categories are regarded as supermarkets in Greece, though practically every second store is called a “supermarket”. Greeks also love to use the term Cash&Carry for 100 square meter neighbourhood stores. There are 3,000 true supermarkets in Greece and practically all belong to a chain or purchasing partnership. However, I would prefer to write about small, independent stores. Bars and food stores called Zorba can be found in every village, which would make Zorba the biggest chain in Greece if these ever fused. Usually, we see the owner behind the counter and stores do not open before 9 AM. On the other hand, we can still buy everything at 11 PM. Merchandise is arranged in a perfectly logical way with impulse products located in front and regularly purchased items in the back. Shop owners often wait for customers in the street and try to invite us into the store, holding an enthusiastic presentation about the wonders to be found inside, using a strange mixture of English and German. The prices displayed on signs are fantastic and owners never forget to emphasise that this is “only for now”. In general, food prices are similar to those seen in Hungary. It is possible to bargain, as I have succeeded in getting my EUR 29 purchase reduced by EUR 4. I got the impression that locals enjoy bargaining. On one occasion, I was greeted by a nice little song performed by the store owner and got around to buying my food only after he had finished singing. Of course, I am not suggesting that Hungarian retailers should sing or bargain, but the perfect knowledge of merchandise and the ease with which contact is made with customers is admirable. One more thing: the discounted sum of EUR 25 was entered into the cash register…