Glyka, Davy S JB et al, why do Greek shops

Steve C Cronin

Steve C Cronin

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...have the habit of allowing locals to push to the front to get served ahead of visitors? My wife thinks she is invisible! When it happened twice this morning in Vathi she became convinced of it. Yesterday when it happened in Ag Ef she just dumped her purchases and walked out. When it happened to me in Vathy earlier this month I elbowed my way back in front much to the surprise of the offender with an appropriate comment. A Greek friend says it's because they think we are Germans!
 
I think this country doen't suit you. Things happen to you all the time.
I don't want to believe that you have created this hostile behaviour because of your attitude, I think that you 're just unlucky.
 
First off, don't call me Al. Or Paul Simon.

Secondly...well, it's the usual queuing syndrome, or lack of it, innit? Allied, perhaps, to the notion that no-one's in a hurry and has all day to dawdle through their shopping, a process that necessarily involved enquries about the kids' schooling, the economy, aunt Miranda's bunions and so on. These are all important matters that a mere sailor would not understand.

I think it's also something to do with the different sense of personal space southern europeans seem to have. In Spain, for instance, the ideal place for two housewives to have a conversation is right in the doorway of a shop, utterly oblivious to the fact they're completely blocking it. And as for Spanish pedestrians: well, they should have wing mirrors and indicators, except they'd never use them.

Oddly enough the nearest British equivalent (or is it in fact universal?) is that at any party all the blokes congregate in the kitchen, the smaller the better, until they achieve critical mass and would all fall down drunk if only there were enough room. Of course this has nothing to do with the fact that's usually where the booze is.
 
I only notice it in Argostoli in the tax office, although I can tax the car online now so that sorts one problem out. I find that all Johnny foreigners of all nations push in (if allowed) as it comes natural to them. It stems from eating your food fast as a child before the flies get it.:)
It does not happen to us in Agia Ef, they know that we spend in the shops throughout the year.
I saw a funny incident in Sami last year, it was in a Supermarket (Dimoules) there was a big queue at the till, one male walks straight to the front and puts his goods on the counter, a Brit voice shouts ;there is a queue, get to the f ing back! the queue jumper did not move, the Brit ran to the front and grabbed him round the neck and started to drag him back, then a woman smacked the Brit round the head, then another woman grabbed her!
It was like keystone cops, an Italian and Brit couple having a spat It got calmed down and the Italians went to the back. I was in hysterics, i could not stop laughing, I hate shopping but I would not have missed this, in fact i would have paid a small fee to watch it!
 
My experience in Greece is that this sort of thing does happen, more usually I think with older people and less with the young, but it's by no means universal. Many times in shops when I've been carrying just one or two items the local in front with a basket full will insist that I go in front because I have so little to buy.

I think it has a lot to do with the collective attitudes of the various cultures. Greeks seems to me to be more concerned with what's good for them and less concerned with what others think. Brits in general are much more concerned about doing the right thing than they are about getting the best for themselves.

It's just part of life in Greece, I find that a smile and a little patience go a long way. One things Greeks aren't is rude, and they don't like to see it in others.
 
Glyka said:
I think this country doen't suit you. Things happen to you all the time.
I don't want to believe that you have created this hostile behaviour because of your attitude, I think that you 're just unlucky.
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Well, it suits me enough to have gone to night school for two years to learn the language, to have paid the VAT on my boat to Greece and to spend half the year there. I just want them to play fair.
 
Can't say I have noticed it in Greece, unlike our Latin visitors who stand in the queue with 2 things, then as they approach the till various family members turn up with trolleys piled high to join the person at the front of the queue, then look astounded when you say sod off to the back.

Edit: Wife has just reminded me that I don't do shopping so what the feck do I know...........all true.
 
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...stand in the queue with 2 things, then as they approach the till various family members turn up with trolleys piled high to join the person at the front of the queue...

The Caribbean's even worse for that; the idea seems to be to put your first to items on the counter, then wander off to get the rest of the weekly shop, dropping them off at checkout a couple at a time; the check-out staff seem quite happy with the system as they can quietly ring the purchases up, whilst chatting to a colleague on the next till who is doing the same thing for another customer.

...spend in the shops throughout the year...

That's a major point and it's not that it doesn't happen in the UK, it's just that there's generally a bit more subtlety about it. Having grown up in a major tourist area, I'd often go into a shop needing just one or two items during the 'swivel-head' season and rather than wait or jump the queue, you'd wave/show the items to the check-out staff, then either leave a couple of quid on the counter to cover their cost, or if you didn't have change, pay the next time you were in there. Similarly, you could walk into a crowded pub and with a nod/wave from the back of the clamouring horde, arrange for a couple of extra pints to be pulled and discretely placed for collection somewhere on the bar; again, you'd either drop some money on the bar, or pay next time you were in; the locals were happy at getting 'preferential' service and only very rarely did a visitor even notice/realise what had happened.
 
I remember the first time in a BCN market thinking what the f is going on, then a simple explanation was given, you walk up to the the stall you want goods from and ask who is last, then you are free to wonder off and do your thing until you see that person being served.
 
Three things.

If you go into a smaller shop/cafe/office/restaurant all heads will turn towards you. They're waiting for your greeting - "Kalimera" or "Yassas". At which they will respond and return to their gossip and you're part of that new community. You'll be ushered forward when it's your turn. But if you don't greet them, you're a rude Brit, and will be ignored - unless you're in a tourist spot adapted to lots of Brits on holiday.

Next, Greece is a country for oral communication. So, notices saying what various "counters" or official desks do are rare. So the second task on entering an office after the greeting is to ask the official tending a queue (if there is a queue, rather than a hemishpere of thrusting elbows) is to ask if this is the right office. This calls for a short exchange to find out what the potential queuer wants. Sometimes this turns into a queue barge, but usually not. And yes, the old and frail are often shuffled to the front.

Of course, the best place to practice queue barging is in a busy British pub. Or a theatre bar during the interval. Or wriggling into the tube at London rush hour in the City. Beats continental queue barging into a poor second place. But at least everyone knows what they're queuing for.
 
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jimbaerselman said:
Three things.

If you go into a smaller shop/cafe/office/restaurant all heads will turn towards you. They're waiting for your greeting - "Kalimera" or "Yassas". At which they will respond and return to their gossip and you're part of that new community. You'll be ushered forward when it's your turn. But if you don't greet them, you're a rude Brit, and will be ignored - unless you're in a tourist spot adapted to lots of Brits on holiday.

Next, Greece is a country for oral communication. So, notices saying what various "counters" or official desks do are rare. So the second task on entering an office after the greeting is to ask the official tending a queue (if there is a queue, rather than a hemishpere of thrusting elbows) is to ask if this is the right office. This calls for a short exchange to find out what the potential queuer wants. Sometimes this turns into a queue barge, but usually not. And yes, the old and frail are often shuffled to the front.

Of course, the best place to practice queue barging is in a busy British pub. Or a theatre bar during the interval. Or wriggling into the tube at London rush hour in the City. Beats continental queue barging into a poor second place. But at least everyone knows what they're queuing for.
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None of that particular relevant to the circumstances we have experienced over the years. Maybe I havn't made the scenarios clear.

Don't know where YOU drink in the UK but try queue jumping in MY local and you'll get a VERY bruske response!
 
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In all our years of living in Greece, (well Corfu actually), I can honestly say we've seen hardly anything of this behavior, maybe as previously mentioned, we go out of our way to give a nod of hello, or a Yasas.....
However, off and on over the last 8 years or so, we've been living in the Middle East....you should see the blatant, shameless queue jumping that's common practice here!!!
All you can do is be patient and wait your turn. Simple as that...!
 
Why do shops have the habit of allowing locals to push to the front to get served ahead of visitors?
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If you don't understand why my reply was relevant, that may explain why you have difficulties.

Note: I quoted "a busy British pub". Your local may well be an exception with its brusque response; I trust that excludes violence? Notoriously common in some other busy pubs used by Brits.
 
Cariadco said:
In all our years of living in Greece, (well Corfu actually), I can honestly say we've seen hardly anything of this behavior, maybe as previously mentioned, we go out of our way to give a nod of hello, or a Yasas.....
However, off and on over the last 8 years or so, we've been living in the Middle East....you should see the blatant, shameless queue jumping that's common practice here!!!
All you can do is be patient and wait your turn. Simple as that...!
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I too cannot recognise this place in which Steve has so many problems - in fact I've found the Greeks very queue disciplined, unlike Italians or Arabs. So we must put it down to a peculiarity of place (that he frequents) or of appearance.
 
charles_reed said:
I too cannot recognise this place in which Steve has so many problems - in fact I've found the Greeks very queue disciplined, unlike Italians or Arabs. So we must put it down to a peculiarity of place (that he frequents) or of appearance.
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+1 it's all about engaging with the folks in the shop. If you don't conform to their expectations of polite behaviour, the don't be too surprised if they aren't very courteous in return.....
 
I find that it's not so much queue jumping as letting the people with only a couple of items go ahead of those with lots. I've been pushed in front of as well as been pushed to the front. Makes sense to me, I'm in no hurry and enjoy listening to the Greek chatter, trying to work out what is said.

My husband has just reminded me that, in the supermarket today, he offered a Greek man the opportunity to go in front of us and was told that it wouldn't be correct as there were so many people. His good deed was rewarded by being hit by a minibus wing mirror as we walked back to the boat - hope it broke!
 
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Cariadco said:
In all our years of living in Greece, (well Corfu actually), I can honestly say we've seen hardly anything of this behavior, maybe as previously mentioned, we go out of our way to give a nod of hello, or a Yasas.....
However, off and on over the last 8 years or so, we've been living in the Middle East....you should see the blatant, shameless queue jumping that's common practice here!!!
All you can do is be patient and wait your turn. Simple as that...!
Click to expand...
No, we have never experienced it on Corfu but mainly in the islands further south and the Aegean, particularly Aegina!
"Waiting OUR turn" is just exactly what we want to do in a member state of a modern Europe.

Is your boat back in the water? Must be hitting business rather badly having her laid up right in the middle of the season? Will's partner hardly ever sees him and Rob & Veronica are up to their eyes with clients.
 
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