Shopping in Australia
Photo: Chris Olszewski, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Shopping has always been part of Australian culture for quite sometime. From the basic needs, to some people's hobbies, shopping in Australia provides one of the many opportunities to buy something back home.
In Australia, malls are usually described as large multi-storey buildings, and are often fairly new, while shopping centres (or shopping centers) are usually described as small single-storey, older, roadside malls, what would be called as a small strip mall in the US. However, Australia's largest shopping mall; Chadstone Shopping Centre contains "shopping centre" in its name, but called a mall in colloquial conversation.
UnderstandWhen it comes to malls, retail stores and really anything to do with shopping, what you see in Australia is very similar to that of what you see in North America, and historically, Australia's shopping industry has been…
HoursMost Australian shopping malls and shops have much shorter hours than those in the United States.
Places to shopAlthough malls weren't founded in Australia, the Americanization of Australia saw the large increase of malls, particularly in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Newcastle and Canberra while Adelaide has them but to a…
Inside a mallWhat's found inside a mall is again similar to those found in the US, and they usually have the typical retail shops, a food court, some popup stores, specialty stores, and sometimes fruit stalls, although fruit stalls…
GSTAll displayed and advertised prices in Australia by law are inclusive of 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST).
TippingUnlike the U.S., tipping is not customary in Australia. Tips are accepted if you freely choose to give one, though Australians themselves generally do not tip.
Duty-free shoppingDuty free shopping in Australia can generally only be done in airports and Australian external territories such as Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
See also
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Shopping in Australia" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Chris Olszewski, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons