Twice per year, Greece makes a large-scale sale, where you can purchase anything in special price, from clothes and shoes to house devices and food. Such offers run during fall and spring, when all retail businesses, with no exception, decrease the product cost. Autumn discounts in Greece start on 1st of November and have a 15-day duration.
During this period, special rules are set for several shops. Price tags have to mention old and new product prices, as well as, if its desirable, the discount percentage, viz. the amount that the buyer may save. In addition, commercial shops have the option to work on Sundays as well, and the suggested working hours are from 11 to 18. The hours of operation may be adjusted, according to the shop specialization and the personnel requests. In addition, the discount dates are regulated, and may not only be during the first two weeks of the last months of spring and autumn. If, there are questions in local level regarding law on “mid-season sales” and the scheduling of the sales, the dates are postponed with the decision of local self-administration in such way that they are convenient to everybody – both sellers and buyers.
For example, in Thessaloniki, autumn sales will not last for 15, but for 14 days, from 1st until 14th of November. The suggestion for working on Sunday remains valid- the retail shops will initiate autumn discounts in Greece from Sunday, 1st of November, in almost all shops of the town, at 11am. The time was not randomly selected – this is the time where Sunday rituals in churches end and people start to return home. Of course, on their way, they can visit any shopping center and purchase objects with large discounts.
The mid-season sales in Greece are not a way to huge profits, since billing is monitored by Greek Ministry of Finance. More specifically, from its regional offices. This means that the trick with sudden increase in cloth prices for a week before the sales with the following announcement of a discount does not apply here. In addition, for the case of deception attempts, the shop-owners may suffer large scale fines. The sale does not include bad quality products with defects and expiration dates – sanctions are also enforced in these cases.
Therefore, shopping in Greece during sales is absolutely safe – people know that they will not be scammed and use shopping to save money. Many families wait for mid-season sales in order to purchase expensive house devices or car, which they cannot afford without sales, which sometimes reach up to 60-70%.