ATHENS – The extension to Jan. 7 of a second quasi-lockdown aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 is seeing more customers in Greece turn to e-deliveries with non-essential stores closed but they'll have to wait longer than usual.

So many people are asking for goods to be delivered that couriers and e-shops say they can't keep up with the demand, seeing deliveries that routinely had come within a day or two taking longer.

While that is bringing a bonanza of business to the courier companies – couriers had before two lockdowns this year complained of low pay and poor working conditions – retail stores are taking another big hit, closed out of the holiday season.

Some retail stores have also turned to offering deliveries, but that has piled up the orders on the courier companies as there's a mad scramble by businesses to try to cash in on Christmas with their stores closed down.

While some businesses had built up delivery capacities earlier this year, including supermarkets that saw a boom in online orders, others didn't, said Kathimerini, not expecting the second lockdown to go into a second month.

Even though some businesses made the necessary investments in anticipation of Sales figures show that as much as 25 percent of a company's business comes in the period leading up to Christmas while for toy stores it can be as much as 60 percent, the government allowing seasonal stores selling Christmas items to remain open and supermarkets allowed to sell them.