Greece draws countless tourists with its iconic islands, ancient sites, and sun-kissed beaches, but one holidaymaker was caught off guard by an unusual find during her trip
Several European countries are popular with tourists, including Greece, Spain, France, Germany, and Italy. Brits like visiting Europe due to its short distance from the UK, which means quicker flights, and the mix of city getaways and seaside holidays – some of which can be fairly affordable.
Crystal Pincott, from Somerset, went on a holiday to the Greek island of Crete, likely expecting to see gorgeous beaches with turquoise waters, traditional Greek whitewashed buildings and historical sites. However, what she didn’t expect to stumble across was a physical Shein store while exploring the streets of Rethymno, a city on Crete’s north coast.
Shein is a global online shopping platform known for its vast array of trendy clothing at incredibly low prices, making it a leader in the fast fashion industry.
While most shoppers are familiar with using Shein on their phones, the brand sometimes opens temporary pop-up stores in select locations.
Crystal took to TikTok to share her unexpected find during her visit to Crete.
She filmed the Shein store, which had a sign on the shop front indicating that products such as clothes and shoes were being sold for €6 (£5.24).
The British tourist also filmed inside the shop, revealing an array of bags, heels, sandals and rails of clothing, including summer dresses and skirts, on sale.
In Crete, you can typically find local markets offering fresh produce and traditional goods, specialty shops showcasing crafts and handmade jewellery, and larger department stores and modern shopping centres in the bigger cities. However, the presence of a Shein store is something that would certainly surprise both visitors and locals.
A TikTok video by Crystal has garnered an impressive 5.9 million views, 587,500 likes and over 3,600 comments, at the time of writing.
One astonished viewer queried: “Omg there’s a Shein store in person in Greece? Since when?!”
Another user commented: “This is exactly how I imagined the shop to look.” A third quipped: “Ask if my Shein order is there.”
A different viewer noted: “That’s cool tbh (to be honest).” Others who have visited the store left comments like “I went in there, loved it” and “I saw this today, I was so excited!”
However, another user had a different take, stating: “The fun with Shein is scrolling on the website for hours though.”
Shein has previously hosted pop-up stores throughout the UK and across the globe, including locations such as the US, Spain, Italy, South Africa and Dubai.
However, it has never maintained a permanent physical presence anywhere. After three stores bearing Shein’s name popped up in Athens, Patra and Agrinio last year, the Greek newspaper eKathimerini spoke to Martin Reidy, a representative from the company, who clarified: “We are an exclusively online platform.”
He further added that these stores have no connection to the retailer: “They are not associated with Shein. We have no physical stores in Greece and are not planning on opening any.”
