G – Yes, I think we are nostalgic for some brands and some do work better than others. For some reason, I never warmed to Fairy.

M – Good point. Junk food on the whole is quite expensive, not to mention healthy. But I guess that’s why we want it sometimes.

V – Welcome! That’s very true what you say. In other countries, they are trying to beat out their competitors on everything. Here, it’s a matter of choosing certain things to advertise on sale and raising other prices. I don’t normally go to different stores — the time and gas it takes to save pennies isn’t worth it, is it? If the stores are close together, and you walk and exercise, I suppose it’s fine.

A – Gracias

P – You should be proud of yourself. I know people who don’t even try. I’ve learned you mainly need a few words. Weight — tetarto (quarter), miso (half), ena kilo. How you want it – fetes (slices), olo (not cut). Or you can even cheat if you want slices and say how many you want. Very excellent point about the parmesan.

L – That’s so true! A lot of fresh food deteriorates quickly in nutritional value, such as broccoli, especially if not stored properly and transported quickly. I think we had a joke in CA about how broccoli had to get on the night train in order to be sold by morning and eaten by afternoon. Thanks for stopping by!

T – All satirical joking aside. There IS some good stuff leftover at the laiki in pristine boxes that sellers were simply too lazy to take home, but one has to get there before the street sweeper comes by and dumps them. I used to see people (mostly pensioners and students) waiting to pounce. My manavis also has a box by the register of bruised produce or produce about to go bad, and she sells it for half off.

All the strikes the Greeks do for anything under the sun, I wonder why they don’t have a strike against the supermarkets.

The Greek shopper certainly has not realized that they have the power, and can vote with their feet.

Instead of just saying “Edo Ellada”, how about actually doing something about it. I constantly hold my favorite supermarket accountable. The manager at the one near my house is cordile but I can tell he tries to avoid me because I’ve always got a suggestion or concern to improve the store. But, to his credit, he always tries to accomodate my requests.

NOW, imagine if other Greeks insisted on the American model of the Customer is Always Right.

Like most people, I found it difficult to make ends meet in Athens, especially when shopping for the basics, like food. The supermarket in my old neighbourhood was particularly expensive, so I found it much more economical to search through the dumpster situated in the side street. People are very fussy about their fruit and vegetables, it seems, and refuse to buy them if they’re even slightly bruised or have any natural sort of marks on them. As a result, these get thrown out. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with them! There’s also no reason why we should turn our noses to, say, a tomato just because it’s a little battered and bruised. Personally, I draw the line at mould.

The open-air markets are another great place to find fruit and vegetables, as others have noted, but of course there aren’t any dumpsters there. What you do here is, you go just after the sellers have packed up their stalls and search through the gutters for whatever has been left behind. Don’t worry if something’s been trampled on — you can always wash it when you get home.

A word of warning, though. This method has become quite popular with pensioners, so be prepared to use your elbows to get the really choice veggies.

An economist would wonder why any one of these conditions would apply (let alone all three). My suggestion is that it is the stupidty of Greek shoppers who are more concerned with how much money to waste on (a) an overpriced fake Italian dress/shoes/makeup; or (b) an overpriced kinito/sportcar/trainers. When Greeks learn to shop properly, they will get better shops.

I’ve read (and tend to believe) that frozen food is often more nutritious than out-of-season food that’s been shipped a long way. Frozen foods are typically picked at peak ripeness and chilled very quickly. And freezing methods have improved mightily over the last few decades.

So I think this is a good suggestion.

Pringles are adictive, the same as coca-cola. Be careful

Laiki market is the best. If you can you should organize in order to buy as much as you can there. You’ll save a lot of money.

Beer is not food but, if you want to go for a coffee or a drink, just arrange the meeting in your house or your friend’s. It will be 400% cheaper and you’ll enjoy the same.

If you want to go out, you can always buy a coke or a beer in a periptero and go to the nearest park to talk. Just remember not to throw the can/bottle away, but in a trash bin.

Mixing food and going out. If you want to go to eat outside, avoid places with know brand names like: Applebees or Pizza hut. There’s always a “better” place than those.

And last but not least. Check the prices when you buy. It can seem obvious, but some seconds of research when picking a product in the supermarket can save you some euros.