Shopping in warehouses is

not like shopping in the supermarket.
Middle Cat and I went to a warehouse yesterday. It is a place her late Greek-Cypriot MIL introduced her to when Middle Cat first married my BIL.  It is of course run by Greek-Cypriots.
It is an industrial size shed in the industrial area of the city. The people who work in it are Greek-Cypriot migrants, their children and grandchildren. Middle Cat knows most of them of course. As a physiotherapist she has treated some of them. Surprisingly her husband is not related to any of them - although some of his cousins undoubtedly are related by marriage.
And, not surprisingly, it caters for the Greek-Cypriot residents of the city. There are shelves stacked high with olives in tins and jars. There is olive oil in small cans and large cans. There are crates of tomato puree and tins of tomato paste. There are dried beans and peas in kilo packets.  There are spices in half kilo packets stacked next to dried figs, Turkish dried apricots and apple rings. Along one row there are industrial size tins of fruit and ten kilo packs of flour. At one end there is kitchen equipment. Even there the items tend to be large - intended for large families and entertaining all the extended family. It is all a reminder that things are done a little differently among them.
English is spoken there - but you are more likely to hear Greek - the Cypriot version. Middle Cat speaks a little. We are greeted with words like "Kalimera" (Good day)  "Ti Kaneis?"  (How are you?") and "Yasou" ("your health"). Even I can respond "Poli kala" ("very nice" - in other words "I'm okay").
But it really is a different place and it is inhabited largely by the old and the employees - who are packing orders for supermarkets. The younger generations shop in the supermarkets. The women go to work. The art of the market type warehouse shop is lost on them. They don't have time to stop and gossip like their parents and grandparents did - even while currently abiding by social distancing restrictions.
I think they may have lost something there.