LIVING
LIVING FEBRUARY
2009
BEWARE OF
WOLVES IN CHEAP CLOTHING!!!!
I recently took my daughter
clothes shopping in Piraeus since the sales were in full force.
One department store was particularly busy and as we were
clicking our way through numerous coat hangers, I was aware of a
flock of crow-like women, all dressed in black, jostling for
space and invading mine in the process. At the same time, I felt
my back-pack press into my spine so I shook off the pressure and
re-adjusted its position.
I noticed a woman at my side.
(I seem to have adopted a peculiar habit of registering details
about people which entails staring, much to the embarrassment of
my children.)
I noted the following:
Long, thick black hair held
back with a rhinestone encrusted hair-band. Too much make-up.
Black, slinky clothing, suitable for an evening out. Shifty
eyes. Possible occupation: belly dancer.
I migrated to the other end of
the shop to look at garish, shiny anoraks; so did the belly
dancer. I became aware of a second woman who seemed to be more
interested in looking at me than at clothes. Was I staring too
much?
I registered the following:
Long black straggly hair; tall, quite thin. Black and silver
striped jumper, shifty eyes, something kind of waxy and unclean
about her yellowed complexion. Tiny brown freckles across the
nose. Possible occupation: Store detective?
I suggested to my daughter
that we play a game. I would walk to the other side of the
store, take a right turn, then a left and come back to my
original spot. Her job was to watch the two women and report on
their movements to me. To her delight, the two followed me. Our
next tactic was to lose them by taking a lift to the fourth
floor. We lost them but then my nose started to run so I asked
her to kindly dig into my bag and grab a tissue. She noticed
that it was open.
I quickly tipped the contents
onto the padded bench we were perched on and noticed that my
Euro purse was missing. Fortunately though, my’ English’ purse
containing my credit cards was still there, as was my passport,
snugly ensconced in a separate pocket.
I urgently instructed my
daughter to run back downstairs with me to the ground floor
where I scanned a sea of faces until I recognized the wearer of
the rhinestone encrusted hair band. “Ah there she is! There’s
the woman who stole my purse!” I yelled in English.
According to my daughter, a
third woman looked urgently towards the one I had identified
and immediately dropped her shopping whilst grappling for her
mobile phone. It was at this point that ‘my’
Woman also dropped the pile of
clothing draped across her arms and hastily walked from the
shop. I followed her but she broke into a trot; so did I! Then
she started to run; so did I and I was so grateful not to be
wearing stilettos like hers but as I stopped to check my
daughter was still behind me, the pedestrian lights changed to
red and I glimpsed among the wave of black heads bobbing on
black coats a flash of rhinestones triumphantly winking in the
sunlight as the head that wore them frantically disappeared into
another building.
My daughter pleaded with me to
give up the chase, that it wasn’t worth the bother or the danger
and since at times I think she is more wise and even more mature
than me,( even though she is only twelve) I decided to take heed
of her advice.
LESSONS LEARNT:
NEVER apply your own cultural
norms to a foreign situation. Apparently in Greece, stores do
not employ store detectives; they use uniformed security guards
DON’T wear a backpack
shopping; they are easier to steal from and these people are
well trained and nimble.
ALWAYS keep your cards and
identification separate from your money and cheque books
DON’T pursue a thief. They
usually work in gangs and use mobile phones to alert each other.
One could end up dealing with several people and endangering the
situation further…. (It is quite exciting though!!!)
Be particularly alert in
crowded situations such as clamoring to get on a bus or shopping
in a busy store. According to readers of the Athens News, groups
of thieves operate slickly around the X 96 bus which transports
people to the airport. They create bustle and confusion as they
push to get onto a bus and whilst people are distracted, they
rob them from their pockets, bags and backpacks.
A friend of mine has suggested
we all carry our purses inside a bag that slips inside our
clothing and we place mouse-traps in our bags. Inhuman though
it might be, I am sure it would be a really effective deterrent!!
Alison
Lorentzos
copyright 2009
