Michalis Leontiadis, a spokesman for Puma Security, said his firm has seen a rise in demand recently for night watchmen, especially in Athens's wealthier northern suburbs.

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Many industry executives and analysts expect the trend to gain steam in coming years, in a shift that promises to hit smaller communities such as Athens especially hard.

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Dimitris Mavrogiannis, who owns an auto-paint shop in the New Kosmos district of Athens, says he usually issues receipts, especially as a lot of his work is for insurance companies, who insist on them.

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