As Greece spirals further into financial turmoil, with people preparing to vote Sunday in a referendum that could decide if the country remains in the eurozone, banks have been shut for most of the past week.
On Friday, some branches opened briefly to allow pensioners to withdraw up to 120 euros of their pension.
The drama was all too much for one man, though, who collapsed in tears outside a bank in Thessaloniki.
Giorgos Chatzifotiadis, 77, had lined up for hours to collect a pension on behalf of his wife, only to be told he wouldn't be allowed to withdraw the money.
"I cannot stand to see my country in this distress," the retiree told Agence France-Presse.
"I see my fellow citizens begging for a few cents to buy bread. I see more and more suicides. I am a sensitive person. I can not stand to see my country in this situation," he said.
