The cost of living has skyrocketed. Except for the cocaine market, a multitude of basic products have risen in Price when salaries have not grown at the same level. In Spain we have an interannual inflation of around 3%. In Türkiye, on the same date, it is 33%, and that is leading thousands of Turks to travel to Greece every week, and not for pleasure.
But to Lidl to make the purchase.
Supermarket migration. In the mid-2010s, the Greek economy was a drama. Purchasing power plummeted and the country’s debt crisis forced many households to squeeze every euro. Neighboring countries that also used the euro were no consolation, so they looked east: to Türkiye. Within the economic context, the lira was cheap and the euro strong, so many Greeks, especially from the islands, went to Turkish bazaars and supermarkets to Buy clothes, utensils and food. The ferries were packed.
It is estimated that the cost per visit was about 120 euros and, since filling the shopping cart in Turkey was considerably cheaper, the Greeks bought large shipments of cheese, oil, meat and sausages. One of the “supermarket corridors” was Lesbos-Ayvalik, and in the middle of the decade there were talks of up to 100,000 annual visits. Now, the tables have turned.
The tragedy of the lyre. More than two decades of controversial policies, among other factors, have led to the collapse of the lira. The cost of imports has multiplied and the inflation rate does not reach the 80% it was a few years ago, but it has stagnated at more than 30% that is suffocating the population. It is something that is disproportionately affecting food, including basic necessities.
Now it is the Turks who have enormous problems when it comes to buying fresh products, meats, cheese and oil. The situation does not seem to be changing in the short term due to massive debt, default rates (with the penalty that entails) and that price increase in subsistence products. It is the “typical”: products that increase a lot and stagnant salaries, the perfect combination to ruin the purchasing power of families.
To Lidl in the neighboring country. What is happening? That this dynamic of cross-border purchases has been completely reversed. If a decade ago it was the Greeks who crossed the border, now it is the Turks who, with a euro that is not so buoyant, but enough to make it worth it compared to the prices in their local markets, flock to Greece to make that weekly purchase.
In a Bloomberg report there are specific figures that compare a Lidl in Alexandroupoli (about 40 kilometers from the Turkish border) and a Turkish Carrefour. For example, minced meat costs 9.36 euros per kilo in Greece, compared to 12.10 in Türkiye. Greek sausages cost half as much as Turkish ones, Gouda cheese costs a third and oil makes one of the biggest differences: 10 euros per liter in Greece compared to 20 in Turkey.
Social networks. Social networks are a loudspeaker – let them tell the influencers of the Australian mines – and those who visit Greek cities to make purchases share their experience through networks such as TikTok. The word spreads and more citizens are encouraged to take the leap.
For Alejandrópolis, it represents an injection of money for both food businesses and restaurants. Bloomberg details how, after a day of shopping, Turks have a drink in Greek restaurants while sharing the experience. And it is estimated that there are 3,000 Turks who are making this weekly trip.
travel agencies. Because if we have to define this it is as a need, yes, but also with that word: experience. Because although it may be something private for a family to do, travel agencies are organizing tours to Greek cities, with groups of supermarket tourists who do not want to visit the city, but rather the Lidl on duty.
For about 50 euros, buses loads of Turkish shoppers leave on Friday afternoons and arrive in Greek cities on Saturday morning and spend three and a half hours in the supermarkets. Then they spend some free time in the city, they can go to eat and, in the afternoon, on the way home with a full stroller. The biggest annoyance? Apart from having to go to another country to buy because in yours the cost of living is very expensive, of course, it is the line at border control.
How long will this last? Türkiye hopes to halve inflation by 2026, but it will still remain extremely high. We will see how long this situation lasts, which, from January to September of this year, has led to 6% of Turks who visited Greece doing so only with the aim of filling their cars.
Images | Zoshua Colah, Aldin Nasrun
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