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The large signs in the shop window of dozens clothing stores on the street Patision they are blatant. “All 2.99 euros” are written in large letters that “hit” the eye of the passerby and gain his interest, as always happens when a product is unnaturally cheap.
The clothes in many of these stores, which have proliferated in recent years, not only in Patision but also in other major streets such as Acharnon and the Piraeusare second-hand, regardless of whether this is not visible in the window or on the labels, and create conditions of unfair competition.
“K” walked in Patision and found that about 20% of the clothing stores have second-hand products at very low prices.
The Athens Chamber of Commerce speaks for violation of sanitary rules and legislation which concerns trade and points out that businesses that operate in all legal terms are marginalized and face serious sustainability problems because they cannot compete on an equal footing with the shops in question. But the shopkeepers are also talking about a lot of damage and are asking for checks from him Municipality of Athens and the other competent services.
“K” walked in Patision and found that about 20% of the clothing stores have second-hand products at very low prices. Patision is a different street from the one we knew until a few years before the crisis. Back then, as the shopkeepers say, “we left the window lights on so people could see it at night and come the next morning to shop.”
For 37 years, the Rose of Karkanopoulos has a clothing store a few tens of meters away from ASOEE. Very close to it are two shops that sell clothes at prices that do not exceed five euros. As she tells “K”, the damage they have caused her is so great that she no longer thinks about the future of her business, but how it will be a few more years before she can retire.
“No one checks if there are invoices”
“They don’t say anywhere that the clothes are used, but a garment like that stands out. The worst thing is that no one checks if there are invoices, if receipts are cut and if their employees are insured. The clothes they sell don’t even have tags.”
Mrs. Karkanopoulou points out that with the changes that have taken place in the last decades in the human geography of Patision, both her own business and the shops that sell cheap have ended up claiming roughly the same clientele. “Most of the customers of these stores are immigrants, but so have we been for many years.”
Rania Goulopoulou tells “K” that the large presence of stores that sell second-hand clothes is a symptom of the economic difficulties that citizens face. “Now you see women with huge bags from these stores. The criteria are purely financial. They shop there in bulk, but if they need a better outfit they will come and buy it from us,” he emphasizes.
In general, shopkeepers agree that the competition that is a few meters away and sells products at very low prices is a very tough opponent. They understand why some customers choose to buy clothes “for two euros from across the street”. “Our only hope is that customers will realize that quality matters and will start to prefer us again,” says Ms. Karkanopoulou.
“K” attempted to submit the relevant questions to employees and owners of shops that sell used clothes, but they refused to answer.
The president of the Athens Chamber of Commerce, Thanos Tsangaris, he tells “K” that “this is a very serious matter that has concerned us for the last five years. Where such a store appears, two retail stores located next to it close. Permits are given out of control, we estimate that it is 60-65 in the last year alone.”
Second hand stores are required to sell their products in the same unit of measure they are bought in. If you buy by the kilo, you must sell by the kilo
As he notes, the ESA has made two presentations to the Municipality of Athens, but found no willingness to carry out checks on these businesses, which, as complained, do not comply with health regulations and sell their products in violation of the law.
“Second hand stores are required to sell their products in the same unit of measure they are bought in. If you buy by the kilo, you must sell by the kilo. If these shops buy, for example, 5 euros a kilo and sell 5 euros a piece, unfair competition is created which affects the professionals who comply with the legislation”, says Mr. Tsangaris.
The ESA’s proposal is the creation of a joint echelon which will consist of officials from the municipal police, the Attica Region, DIMEA, EL.AS. and health services and will carry out sweeping checks to record illegalities.
What did the inspections of the Municipality of Athens show?
The responsible deputy mayor of Athens Eleni Zontirou tells “K” that the checks made by the municipality revealed that many of these shops were operating without a license. Thus, the owners were asked to proceed with the relevant procedure. “From the checks we have done, it has emerged that these are stores that sell second-hand clothes. It’s not visible in their window,” he notes. As he emphasizes, the responsibilities of the municipality are limited to license issues and he assures that he will request in writing from the Region the creation of echelons from the competent services in order to carry out a thorough check for each of the points raised by the Athens Chamber of Commerce.
