Christmas is a frantic time for those working in the retail industry, and it often means irate customers, long hours and endless festive soundtracks.
To accommodate the influx of Christmas shoppers, most outlets extend their trading hours – with some centres even staying open for 34 hours straight in late December.
Some of the biggest retailers and supermarkets including Westfield, Chadstone, Myer, David Jones, Woolworths, Coles and Aldi will keep their doors open for last-minute shoppers and present procrastinators well into Boxing Day.
This year, Melbourne’s iconic Chadstone shopping centre will be open 9am until midnight from December 19 until the 22, and the following two days with be a mammoth 34-hour trade from 8am on Saturday December 23 until 6pm on Christmas eve.
On Boxing day, Chadstone will be reopening early at 7am until 10am for post-Christmas sales.
Westfield Sydney will be extending trading hours from 9.30am until 9pm from December 18-20, from 9.30am until 12am on December 21, 9.30am to 9pm December 22, 9.30am to 9pm on the 23rd and 10am until 6pm on Christmas eve.
However some Westfield centres, including Parramatta in Sydney, will follow Chadstone and will open from 9.30am on Dec 21 until 9pm the next day for a huge Christmas shopping bonanza.
All Westfields will reopen on Boxing Day – with the Sydney centre opening from 7am until 9pm and other stores around the country from 8am until 6pm.
Most David Jones stores across Australia will be allowing for extended trading hours, with those outside of Westfield centres staying open until either 12am or 10pm in the two days before Christmas eve, while most close at 6pm the night before Christmas.
Myer stores will follow a similar timetable to David Jones, with 8am until 12am December 21-22, until 9pm on the 23rd and until 6pm on Christmas eve.
For last-minute Christmas shoppers searching for the perfect ham or jar or cranberry sauce, Australian grocery stores are also stepping up with longer opening hours.
Coles supermarkets will be staying open from 6am until midnight for selected stores around Australia on December 21 and 22, including Bateau Bay, Birkinhead Point, Coffs Harbour, Blacktown and Castle Hill in NSW.
Some stores are even staying open for 24-hours straight in the days leading to Christmas, such as Penrith in Sydney and Burwood East in Victoria.
Woolworths supermarkets has not yet advertised specific opening hours for each of its stores, however all stores will remain open on Christmas eve in NSW except for 333 George Street and Sydney’s Metcentre, and all will be open for Boxing Day except Leichhardt Marketplace, York Street, 333 George Street and Sydney’s Metcentre.
Source: Daily Mail Australia