An independent holiday in Crete is a relatively complex organization for the purchase of products, essentials. You can do this in small local shops. But the range is small. The way out is to visit the supermarkets of Crete, where you can buy food, drinks, local delicacies, clothes, stationery and other goods.
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Features of the work of supermarkets, shopping
Crete, like the rest of Greece, is a leisurely resort in Europe, where rest is leisurely. Alas, but this applies to shopping. Supermarket chains have been created here, which are located in the major resorts of the island, in the capital and cities. However, they have specifics that must be taken into account when planning purchases. Each store can offer a limited range of products. Therefore, many tourists and independent travelers go to the supermarkets of Crete to make complex purchases for several days of rest.
Features of the shops and shopping on the island:
- In addition to food and drinks, you can take semi-finished products or ready-made meals.
- Standard opening hours are from 9:00 to 20:00. There are special small shops for shopping at night. On Sunday, most of the halls are closed.
- You can take the cart only by unlocking the lock. To do this, you need a coin of 0.5 or 1 Euro.
- Promotions are held periodically, often goods are offered at a bonus price.
If you are planning a long stay on the island, it is recommended to take a loyalty card. Many supermarkets in Crete offer its clearance after a certain one-time purchase amount. You can learn about the privileges of a regular customer, bonuses or promotions on the official website of a particular retail chain.
Overview of retail chains
There are several large retail chains operating on the island of Crete. They have offices in the resorts of Chania, Heraklion and other areas of the region. An overview of the specifics of their work can be found in the reviews of tourists. The location of the traction halls is in the resort areas of cities. Often the supermarkets of Crete of different chains are nearby, which makes it possible to shop, choosing good offers in each.
ABVasilopoulos
ABVasilopoulos is the most famous and popular chain in Greece. its peculiarity is the majority of locally produced goods. She cooperates with Cretan farms, food producers. Quality control is good here, but prices for some items may be higher than other dealerships.
Features of ABVasilopoulos supermarkets:
- Relatively cheap fruits and vegetables. Most local production.
- Service is in Greek, salespeople and staff don’t always speak English.
- You can take a regular customer card, a bonus will be credited to it.
- Lots of cheese and cheese products.
- On Sunday, shopping malls are closed.
Until recently, locals rarely visited supermarkets in Crete, more often they went to small shops. However, with the advent of large European networks, the situation has changed. Now in the trading floors, most of the buyers are Cretans.
Sklavenitis
The Sklavenitis supermarket chain is the largest in Crete. They are open not only in big cities, there are representative offices in villages, close to popular historical and natural attractions. Feature – the social policy of the company. She participates in charity events, helps local communities.
Information about Sklavenitis Supermarkets located in Crete:
- The largest network, more than 100 offices operate on the island.
- Good quality products, prices are not too high.
- There are always few queues, you can make quick purchases for a beach holiday or excursion.
- There is no deposit required for the trolley.
An additional advantage of the infrastructure is that there is always a large parking lot next to the trading floor. This is convenient for independent tourists traveling by rented car. The company supports local producers, there are a lot of real Greek products here.
LIDL
This supermarket chain in Crete belongs to the German trading group of the same name. They appeared on the island relatively recently, but quickly established representative offices in all the major resorts and cities of the island. Feature – low prices, a lot of European-made products. Tourists and residents buy permanent products here – food, drinks, small household items. However, there are no local delicacies – fish, local cheeses, a limited selection of alcoholic beverages.
About LIDL Supermarkets in Crete:
- Part is located in the suburbs, near the big highways. Landmark – signs along the road.
- The architecture of the buildings is the same for all – a large white barn with a gable roof.
- There is also a uniform arrangement of goods. This is convenient for regular customers.
- Almost all cash desks work, there are no queues.
The network of German supermarkets is known to European tourists. The reason is that loyalty cards, bonuses and discounts are valid for all representative offices in Europe. Here you can buy confectionery, local and European production.
SYN.KA
This company has the smallest supermarket chain in Crete. They are focused on tourists, most of the trading floors are located in the tourist areas of the island. Feature – often representative offices are located in small towns and villages. This is convenient for lovers of secluded relaxation. In the departments you can take food, drinks, there is alcohol. The disadvantage is that there are no semi-finished products or ready meals.
Information about members of SYN.KA:
- Trading floors are compact, easy to navigate.
- Periodically held promotions, give discounts. But some of them are valid only for cardholders of regular customers.
- There can be long queues if there are no other supermarkets nearby.
- Branches are closed on Sunday.
Cards for discounts and promotions are issued only after making a purchase of an indefinite amount or more. You can apply for it at your local branch or on the official website. It will be valid for 2 years, after which it needs to be replaced.
Crete has a well-developed network of food supermarkets. But to plan purchases, you need to find out the location of each trading floor, prices and possible discounts, and the frequency of promotions.