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Suburban Adelaide stores have opened their doors for Boxing Day sales for the first time this morning.
Key points:
- SA Government granted a special exemption to allow stores to open for Boxing Day in Adelaide's suburbs
- Retailers expecting 3.7 per cent boost in sales
- Move opposed by unions and independent retailers
And in the city, sales have started at 9:00am for the first time instead of the usual 11:00am on public holidays.
The State Government granted a special exemption in November for shops throughout the suburbs despite Parliament blocking its attempt to deregulate trading hours as the Liberal Party promised in the March state election.
The Australian Retailers Association is predicting South Australian Boxing Day sales to increase by 3.7 per cent to $133.4 million this year.
"With retail trade expected to reach its peak on this day, bricks and mortar retailers should prepare their stores to accommodate for the extraordinary increase in foot traffic," the association's executive director, Russell Zimmerman, said.
Malcolm Hockley was waiting at the entrance of Tea Tree Plaza an hour before it opened to grab some bargains, along with dozens of others.
It was the first time he had ever participated in Boxing Day sales.
"I had a list in my pocket and I've got everything off the list," he said.
"I'm happy. I've saved $50.
"I'm putting money in somebody's pocket."
Shopping centre manager Lachlan Monfries said today was expected to be the busiest shopping day of the year.
"We're so excited to be opening on Boxing Day in the suburbs for the first time in South Australia," he said.
"Our customers are so excited to be able to shop at Boxing Day sales for the first time."
Opposition from unions and small retailers
Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) assistant secretary Josh Peak said he was disappointed a legislative loophole was being used to allow more shops to open.
"Many thousands of retail workers will be working and won't be able to spend time with family and friends as they would normally do," he said.
"Many of them would've been required to work; it's not an option.
"The Government's living in fantasyland if they think that retail workers genuinely have a choice whether or not to work today.
"Likewise, online retailers should ensure their e-commerce and social platforms have the capacity to handle the 24-hour mayhem that arises through the influx in website traffic."
Mr Peak did not agree there would be any additional revenue over the Christmas period.
"All that's going to happen is that sales that were going to be tomorrow or the day after are going to be occurring today and less people are going to be spending time with their family and friends," he said.
Smaller shops have always been allowed to open on public holidays.
Colin Shearing from South Australian Independent Retailers, which represents them, said today's exemption would also allow Coles and Woolworths supermarkets to open.
"Our small, independent grocers will lose up to 70 per cent of turnover on this day and they'll never get that back," Mr Shearing said.
"This doesn't do anything for small business at all — in fact this goes straight into the hands of the big, national, multinational supermarket chains."
Government happy with shoppers' response
Premier Steven Marshall said allowing Boxing Day sales would provide more jobs for the state's young people.
"I think South Australians are absolutely voting with their feet," he said.
"The suburbs in SA are ringing to the tune of cash registers right across the state.
"This is exactly what we wanted to see."
Shadow attorney-general Kyam Maher said having shopping on Boxing Day would take workers away from their families.
"They've sneakily used a backdoor way to provide an exemption that will allow big stores, big chains, international retailers to open today when it's usually only small, locally owned businesses," Mr Maher said.
Shop trading hours are deregulated in country South Australia, apart from in Millicent and several smaller towns.
Boxing Day sales have been held in the Adelaide CBD since 2012.
Topics: retail, industry, business-economics-and-finance, unions, adelaide-5000, modbury-5092, sa
First posted