A Girl Scout holding a Greek national flag ahead of a student parade in Athens on March 24. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis Local Greek businesses are in disarray, and many Greeks now prefer merchandise to euros.

"My boss came in and said, 'We are all going to die,'" one young woman who works for a small travel agency in Athens told The New York Times. "He gathered us all together, really, to tell us that."

Soon after that, the boss cut the woman's hours to just two days a week, according to The Times.

But they're not alone — many companies have been struggling of late.Pharmacists, who import most of the drugs they sell, faltered almost immediately when Greek banks closed last week; other companies are trying to pay all of their taxes for the year right now.

One Greek jeweler even rejected a customer who wanted to buy approximately $1.1 million worth of merchandise because "he was more comfortable holding on to the jewels than having money in Greek banks," according to The Times.

"I can't believe that there I was, turning away a million-dollar offer," he told The Times. "But I had to turn down the deal. It's a measure of the risk we face."

Greek banks have been closed since June 29 after Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras announced a referendum to vote on bailout terms offered by Greece's European creditors. That vote came back as a "No," and Greece is currently closing in on a deadline to present another plan to its creditors.

A demonstrator holds a placard reading ''NO'' during a rally organized by supporters of the No vote in Athens, Friday, July 3, 2015. AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris A European Union summit is set for Sunday to discuss the situation in Greece, and some officials have indicated that this will be the final meeting on the issue. Most recently, Greece has requested a new 3-year bailout program.

In the meantime, the Greek economy has seized up and banks are running short of cash as Greece's assistance from the IMF and the European Central Banks has dried up after Greece failed to pay over 1.5 billion euros owed to the IMF on June 30.

In addition to bank closures, capital controls limiting ATM withdrawals at Greek banks to 60 euros per day have been in place since June 29. These measures are expected to be in place through Monday.

An ATM which is no longer dispensing cash displays a message on its screen in central Athens, Greece. Reuters/Cathal McNaughton Amid this uncertainty, some Greeks are "panic buying" electronic kitchen appliances such as dishwashers, ovens, and refrigerators, fearing the collapse of banks and not being able to withdraw deposits.

Meanwhile, others are splurging on less useful goods. Sophia Marcoulakis, a 48-year-old lawyer in Greece, told The Washington Post she was thinking about buying a designer handbag — a luxury good she "never would have allowed herself before the banks shut down."

"You have a feeling that money has lost its value," Marcoulakis told The Post. "It's just a number."