Stores will be open Sunday, Jan, 21, in Greece as the winter sales season has been underway since Jan. 8. The recommended operating hours are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Shopping malls and department stores will be open until 8 p.m.

Despite offers of discounts, sales appear sluggish, according to Nikos Kogioumtsis, vice-president of the Athens Chamber of Tradesman.

Higher food prices is one of the main reasons consumers are choosing not to spend more, Kogioumtsis said, but the timing of the sales right after the holidays is also a factor.

Still, given the discounts for the winter sales season, retailers expect revenues for Jan and Feb 2024 to exceed six billion euros. The “feel-good” factor resulting from recent salary hikes in the public sector, plus the high volume of sales offers, may help boost sales.