Deck the malls – Christmas midnight shop trading hours locked in

SA Gov

The State Government has announced the three weekdays of midnight trading in the lead up to this year’s busy Christmas trading period.

Shops across Adelaide will be able to open until midnight on Thursday 19 December, Friday 20 December and Monday 23.

This is in addition to midnight trading on Black Friday on 29 November.

The dates were chosen after consultation between businesses and unions.

Businesses can still choose to open later than 9am or not at all on Sundays and Boxing Day if they wish. Workers can also refuse to work on Sundays and public holidays.

Legislation allowing shops to open until midnight on Black Friday and on up to three weekdays in December came into effect on 1 November 2022 following a Labor election promise.

The Shop Trading Hours (Extension of Hours) Amendment Act 2022 also enabled shops across Adelaide to open at 9am on Sundays and to permanently allow Boxing Day trading in the city and suburbs, with the exception of larger supermarkets.

Previously, shops across Adelaide opened on Sundays from 11am to 5pm and only shops in the Adelaide CBD could open on Boxing Day, trading from 11am to 5pm.

The rest of regional SA is deregulated and shops can trade whenever they choose.

Visit SafeWork SA’s Retail trading hours page to see trading hours for all retailers in South Australia.

As put by Kyam Maher

As we head into another busy Christmas trading period, South Australians can be assured there will be three days of midnight trading, allowing shoppers time to grab those last minute Christmas gifts.

The ability to shop late into the evenings on these three nights provides greater certainty for retailers and increases flexibility for shoppers as they fill their stockings for Christmas.

Our changes to shop trading legislation in 2022 have offered certainty to shoppers and businesses alike across the Christmas period, Black Friday and Sundays.

Importantly, our reforms protect the right to time off for workers, while also allowing greater flexibility for shoppers during the busy Christmas period.

As put by Andrew White, Adelaide Economic Development Agency’s Executive Manager, Rundle Mall

The countdown is on until Christmas and we expect November and December to be the two busiest months of the year for Rundle Mall.

We will be taking full advantage of the extra trading hours granted by the State Government, with Rundle Mall staying open until midnight on Black Friday and on the Thursday, Friday and Monday before Christmas Day.

We know South Australians love the opportunity to shop, eat, drink and have fun in Rundle Mall later in the evening. Last year, we saw the number of visitors increase by up to 25 percent and spending rise by up to 70 percent on days when the Mall was open until midnight.

Extra opening hours means more time to shop at a busy time of year, more hours for stores to make sales, and more shifts for retail workers.

/Public News. View in full here.