Long queues snaked outside department stores and roads were blocked near malls thousands of Greeks bucked falling wages and joblessness to join the country's first-ever Black Friday shopping craze. In Athens, Thessaloniki and other major Greek cities, the queues formed before participating stores - mostly tech and clothes chains - opened at 0600 GMT. It was soon clear that most of the shoppers were youngsters skipping school to take advantage of up to 80-percent reductions in the sales.
At a prominent department store, Xbox One home video game consoles priced at 199 euros ($210) sold out in less than two hours. Despite large crowds, no major disturbances or fights occasionally seen at such promotions abroad were reported. Greek retail groups have expressed scepticism about the promotion which further threatens to undermine struggling small business owners. Nikolas Kougioumtsis, head of the Athens trade association, said Black Friday was "not a positive" day for many sellers.