To think some holiday makers in Greece are odd?

[authcodehobby]

I’ve been on my first holiday in Greece and it was lovely. Absolutely beautiful country and it was great to just spend a week relaxing. We stayed in a little self catering apartment with a shared pool, bar etc between apartments and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Some of the other holiday makers seemed absolutely obsessed with being ‘friends’ with the owners though. Conversations in the pool were all about ‘well I’ve known Jack (the owner) for 10 years now, he looks forward to me coming every year’, which is responded to with ‘oh well I’ve been coming since 2001 so obviously I know all of Jack’s family and they invite me out for drinks’ etc etc. All in competition to let everyone know how close they are to the owner.

Poor Jack was being asked by one woman if he remembered when her friend Sandra visited in 2005 or whatever. He clearly couldn’t.

It’s great for the resort that people think they’re their friends, but why can’t people see that, to the owner, most will be like any other customer, here today and replaced by others next week who will also think they’re best friends with Jack and family?

My friend holidays at another Greek island and never tires of telling us about Eli’s bar and how good friends she is with Eli and I’ve always wondered if she believes it but thought it was just her, but it seems not.

AIBU to think it’s really odd that people believe that people they see once a year who rely on their custom are their friends?

i agree it's odd. They are not your friends. As soon as you leave, they're behaving in the same way to a new lot of tourists. They want tips, and repeat custom, but they are not your friend!

My ex was Greek and there were a few Greek people at my university. A girl visited his mate from Greece for a few weeks. We ended up getting friendly and I lent her £30, which was a fortune and more than my weekly rent as a student in 1990.

I visited my ex in Greece and asked her for my money. She blanked me. I didn’t find the Greek people particularly more welcoming than the Brits including his friends and family. What I couldn't believe was the sexual naivety. His mates 18 yo gf having unprotected sex. I marched her down the chemist for condoms - you could only get them from a chemist. Apparently this was really embarrassing.

The brits do it in England too. I lived near a holiday home in Devon, and got accosted by someone who couldn't be,I eve I didn't know who she was, because they came to that house at least once a year. Er, no. I have no clue who you are. She was a bit pissy about it too, which made me chuckle.

its such a cliche, the friendly Greek folk. I think they still trot out in the publicity things like " dont be surprised if you are invited to join in a wedding celebration"
Trust me , they are laughing at you, they have no intention ever of inviting you in and they despise you lack of morals.
Xeni....as in xenophobia.

The first rule of customer service is that if you make customers feel special enough they will spend more and come back often.

I am always surprised at how many people genuinely think waiting staff etc. are their friends and love spending time with them. They're just doing their job!

My parents were like this- oh we must go back to x bar and see Bob, he will be disappointed if we don't... oh, remember Ralph in x restaurant, if he heard we'd been back and didn't visit him he'd be ever so upset.

Neither Bob nor Ralph knew who the fuck my parents were and didn't give a shiny shit about them unless they were spending their money. No amount of friendly cajoling from me would have them believe otherwise. They genuinely, genuinely believed all of this shit.

Then they were talked into buying the timeshare...

Is the issue the word friends?

Because I have repeat customers (nature of my job means most are) yes I have to be friendly with them because that’s my job... but I wouldn’t do that job if I didn’t enjoy spending time with people.

So I do enjoy spending time with them, I do wonder if they’re ok if they’re not there when they usually are and I am pleased to see them whenever they are there.

Obviously I’m not actually friends with them, I don’t spend time outside work with them or invite them round to my house.

But it’s not like they’re customers in a supermarket (I’ve worked there too) where you’re literally doing your job and nothing else.

I've never been to Greece but in Cyprus if you go to a place every year and the owners are friendly you might spend time chatting and you see them every day. so they consider you a friend. I've been going to same area for 11 years. I've heard a few owners say to holiday makers that they are friends and they are happy to see you.

It sounds like some of the people you heard where in competition with each other.

@petrolpump28 I think being invited to a wedding is more a thing that happens if you stay in a village. My grandparents live in Cyprus and I've been to a wedding and so has a lot of visitors.

Everyone is Greece is friendly? What even the Golden Dawn ones?

Sometimes people are genuine though. We go to the same place in Ibiza every year because the familiarity suits my autistic son. We are always greeted like friends. On our last holiday in May they asked where our daughter was, by name (she'd just turned 18 & chosen a mates rather than family holiday) On our last day the restaurant staff checked when our last meal was & when we turned up they had bought my son a present of a beach sign of Ibiza which they'd all signed & a toy car (he always had some lined up on the table & they'd noticed). These are fairly (I would think) low paid staff who have no vested interest in whether we return or not, just nice people

Thank you Guilty Pleasure. I agree, and have experienced this kind of kindness too.

I would most probably retort - "We probably won't get to know George which is a shame, but then its a big wide world and we would never go back to the same place on holiday year after year" or words to that effect

Jack even!

you snobby lot.

I am an ex rep and had repeat guests, and very nice to see them too. And the locals were also pleased.

Happened less often with the high season guests, I fear...

I lived in Greece and worked in various touristy bars for 6 years. The villagers genuinely do remember people, who have visited before, they really do.

Dull post

What is the point of you, TigerTooth?

@specialsubject
Aw I'm glad you said that.
I have been to a resort on Rhodes several times and have made friends with a bar owner. I thought he was pretending to remember us but as we chatted he mentioned things from our previous visit. I know he remembered us and I believe he is a genuinely friendly guy.
And I have never wanted to show off how in with the locals I am

‘hmm well I do speak Greek and have spent shed loads of time there, including working there, and to be frank I have found a lot of Greeks to be breathtakingly rude.’

I truly doubt you speak Greek.

I'm wondering OP if you were on holiday with one of my Aunts? She's been going to the same place in Greece for 20 years now, thinks that she is great friends with the owners and their family. I know they exchange Christmas cards, but can't help wondering hlw genuine it is on the owners part.

It's definitely not just in Greece either, I had a bloke in Benidorm tell me he goes back to the same hotel several times a year and how all the staff know him.

" I truly doubt you speak Greek."

why ? yes I do, I learnt it while I was working and living there..:)

One of my aunties was like this about a bar owner in Turkey, would only sit in that bar night after night for 2 holidays a year. Couldnt 'cheat' on him and go anywhere else.

We stay in different places every time we go away but our first holiday to Jamaica dh struck up a friendship with our beach security guard which was very random as both was very reserved. Mainly over football. They spoke over the phone a handful of times once we was back and dh sent a Man U shirt with his mum when she went to visit the same town.

Apart from that it's usually just a friendly hello to staff, I get stupidly awkward and not good with understanding any type of accent so no chance of me forming a friendship