Customs and regulations for shopping hours (times that shops are open) vary between countries and between cities.
Shopping days and impact of holidays Some countries, particularly those with predominantly Christian populations or histories, do not allow Sunday shopping. In Islamic countries, some shops are closed on Fridays for noontime prayers. In Israel many shops are closed on Friday evenings and Saturdays during the daytime for Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath).
Each state in Australia sets its own standard trading hours, but in most of the country the shops are open seven days a week for at least part of the day. These also depends on their day-to-day needs.
For some shops and other businesses in culturally Christian countries, Christmas Day is the only day in the year that they are closed.
In the United States and Canada, nearly all retail stores are open every day of the year except for Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and Easter Sunday. Some suburban and smaller communities often close on Sundays. For example, Bergen County, New Jersey, next to New York City, completely bans Sunday shopping. Nearly all stores in the United States have restricted hours on Sundays (most often 11 am or noon to 5 - 7 pm), and stores close early on important holidays, such as Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and Independence Day. Banks, post offices and other government offices either are closed on weekends, or close early on Saturdays. Many other non-retail establishments remain closed on weekends.
In Islamic countries shops may have special opening hours during Ramadan.
In Israel, many shops are closed on religious holidays other than Shabbat, especially on Yom Kippur when nearly all businesses are closed.
By country Australia Shop trading hours in Australia are regulated by individual states and territories.
The Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory and the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, totally or almost totally deregulate shopping hours. All retail businesses in the two territories, regardless of size or product offer, are allowed to decide their trading hours to suit their individual customer demand. Non-essential shops in the three states are required to remain closed on Christmas Day and Good Friday, ANZAC Day (until 1 pm), and in Tasmania and NSW on Easter Sunday, and in NSW on Boxing Day (outside the Sydney special trading precinct). Shops in the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory can remain open on any public holiday. The two main supermarket operators, Woolworths and Coles, generally trade between 6 am and midnight every day, although some inner-city shops in Sydney and Melbourne operate twenty-four hours. In Canberra, stores such as Woolworths Kmart and Coles were open 24/7; however during the Covid-19 pandemic store closures, these stores did not reopen with 24/7 shopping hours.
Melbourne generally has the most relaxed rules. Almost all shopping centres in Melbourne now trade until 9 pm on Thursdays and Fridays as well as being open longer hours on Sundays. Interstate late night trading only occurs on either Thursday or Friday rather than both.
Melbourne is also famous for beginning the trend of 36-hour overnight trades in the lead-up to Christmas. Some of the larger shopping centres will open from 8 am December 23 until 6 pm on Christmas Eve. Centres often open to 10 pm or midnight on most other nights in the fortnight before Christmas, and the first few days of the annual Boxing Day Sales.
Trading hours in the Australian Capital Territory have been deregulated since the repeal of the Trading Hours Act 1996 [ACT] on 29 May 1997.
Shopping hours in South Australia are still regulated, but there have been numerous changes to relax the laws. Nonetheless, trading laws are still face complicated and confusing: legal trading hours vary depending on size and product offer. Supermarkets that trade with fewer than seven workers and with a trading floor less than 500 m2 are exempt from the laws. Larger supermarkets are required by law to close at 9 pm on Mondays to Fridays, and 5 pm on Saturdays; they are permitted to trade on Sundays and public holidays only from 9 am to 5 pm, except ANZAC Day, which is 12 noon to 5 pm; they must remain closed on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Christmas Day.
In all areas of Queensland, trading hours of major supermarkets are Monday to Saturday from 7 am to 9 pm and Sundays and public holidays from 9 am to 6 pm. Most major shopping centres close at 5 pm every day, except for "late night shopping" on one night a week. Supermarkets in major shopping centres must still cease trading at 9 pm, with special access for just the supermarket.
In rural areas of Western Australia below the 27th parallel, local governments nominate shop closing hours to the State government, which, if accepted, are implemented by ministerial order. Shopping hours in the state's capital, Perth, are regulated by laws similar to South Australia's. Trading hours are stipulated in law, and are based on size and product offer. As in South Australia, smaller, independently operated supermarket retailers are exempted. Chain supermarkets are required to close Monday to Friday at 9 pm, Saturdays at 5 pm, and are permitted to trade on Sundays and public holidays only from 11 am to 5 pm.
Austria
The situation in Austria is very similar to that in Germany, with most public holidays being based on Catholic holidays as the country is predominantly Roman Catholic. Until the 1990s, all shops closed around noon on Saturday and did not reopen until Monday morning. Entrepreneurs such as Richard Lugner lobbied for an expansion of shopping hours, and laws are gradually being changed, with more and more exceptions granted. Meanwhile, as in Germany, filling stations and train stations in big cities have taken on the role of Nahversorger ("local providers", supplying the local population with groceries) outside regular shopping hours.
Until very recently, shopping hours remained very restrictive. In 2008 Austria modified its 2003 Öffnungszeitengesetz ("opening times law"). The new regulations allow stores to open from 6:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. on weekdays, and on Saturday until 6:00 p.m. but they are restricted to a total of 72 open hours per week. Bakeries can open 30 minutes earlier at 5:30 a.m. Shops are closed on Sunday, but there are exceptions for tourist locations, train stations, airports, and the Christmas season.
Canada Store hours in Canada are regulated by each province or territory and, in some provinces, individual municipalities as well.
As a general rule, there is little regulation of shopping hours across the country. In the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, as well as all three territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut), there are no restrictions at all and stores can open 24/7 every day. Nova Scotia permits any store to open every day of the year except Remembrance Day (November 11).
The remaining provinces (Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador) require stores to close on most major holidays. Furthermore, three provinces have further restrictions on Sunday openings. In Manitoba, stores may open on Sundays only with municipal approval and only between 9 am - 6 pm (although exceptions for essential services apply). New Brunswick allows Sunday opening all year only with both municipal and provincial approval; otherwise it is permitted only from August until the New Year. Some communities in New Brunswick (such as Woodstock, Miramichi, Sussex) restrict Sunday hours of operation to 12 pm - 5 pm.
The province of Quebec is the only province in Canada that regulates shopping hours outside of Sundays and holidays. As a general rule, stores are permitted to open only between 8 am and 9 pm weekdays and 8 am - 5 pm weekends, excluding holidays. There are several exceptions, however, notably several supermarkets in Montreal, which are open later hours or 24 hours a day.
In practice, few stores in Canada (except a few grocery stores) remain open 24 hours. Most shopping centres open from 10 am-9pm Monday to Friday, 9:30 am - 6 pm (or in some cases 9 pm) on Saturday and 12 pm - 5 pm or 6 pm on Sunday. Many larger stores, such as Walmart Canada, and most major grocery stores remain open 8 am - 10 pm Monday to Saturday and 10 am - 6 pm (in some provinces 8 am - 10 pm) on Sunday, except in provinces where further restrictions apply. The Sobeys chain stays open from 7 am - 11 pm on weekdays and Saturdays, though some locations are open twenty-four hours. Many Loblaws brand stores such as Zehrs Markets and Real Canadian Superstore are open from 7 am - 11 pm, 7 days a week.
China Trading hours in China, including Hong Kong and Macau special administrative regions, are commercial decisions and are not regulated. Most shops are open on public holidays. Some convenience stores are open twenty-four hours and every day of the year, but only a few large supermarkets are open twenty-four hours a day.
During the Chinese New Year, many shops in China close for a few days, from Chinese New Year's Eve to the first day of the Chinese New Year. Or more often, to the third day of the Chinese New Year. Some shops in Hong Kong and Macau operate on Chinese New Year holidays, especially supermarket chains.
Croatia Shopping hours in Croatia are currently unregulated after the Constitutional Court struck down a ban on Sunday shopping, which had been in effect from mid-2008 until mid-2009.
Most large out-of-town supermarkets are open between 07:30/08:00-21:00/22:00, Monday to Sunday. Shopping malls usually open at 09:00 and also close at 22:00, every day. Smaller supermarkets close earlier on Sundays, typically at 13:00. Other shops in urban areas are generally closed on Sundays.
Bakeries and newspaper kiosks often open very early in the morning, at 05:30 or 06:00, and open every day but not twenty-four hours. Filling stations and convenience stores along major roads as well as some pharmacies (at least one in each major city, five in Zagreb) operate twenty-four hours.
Denmark Standard operating hours for most businesses are generally 8:00/8:30 - 17:30. Since 1 October 2012, Danish shops have been allowed to be open every day around the clock, except on public holidays and after 3 pm on Christmas Eve's Day and New Year Eve's Day. Shops with a turnover of less than DKK 32.2 million (2012 figure, indexed) are allowed to be open every day of the year. Still in many small towns shops are usually closed on Saturday after 2 pm and on Sunday. Some small shops are closed on Monday.
Finland Sunday shopping was first introduced in 1994.
In 1989 shops were allowed to be open on Sundays in sparsely populated areas. In the autumn of 1994 the law was extended to apply to the conurbanations i.e. densely populated areas, but only in December and on six specifically designated Sundays.
In 1997 it was legislated that the grocery shops could be open on Sundays during the whole summer. At the same time the closing hour was set at later; 21:00.
In 2000 small markets — less than 400 m2 in sales area — were encouraged to be open on Sundays all year around, with the exception of four days. Also the legislation concerning (super)markets bigger than 400 m2 in sales area was clarified by discarding the law of six designated Sundays and replacing it with Sunday opening hours from May to August and from November to December.
On 15 December 2015, the Finnish parliament voted to remove all opening hour restrictions for all retailers. The law came into effect on 1 January 2016.
Many stores are open every day. Larger supermarkets and hypermarkets are open from 7:00 or 8:00 to 21:00 or 22:00, and smaller shops from 10:00 to 18:00 or 19:00.