Shopping Hours in South Africa

Standard business hours in South Africa are:

• 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday to Friday
• 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturday
• closed Sunday.

Most shops that aren’t in malls keep these hours, as do most informal traders - a situation that can be inconvenient to visitors who’d rather plan their days around their own schedules.

So for those who want to do a bit of shopping while in South Africa, SA Blog offers a bit of advice:

• Go to a mall for necessities like toiletries and groceries, and for last-minute gift shopping, if you’re near one. Malls tend to keep longer hours - 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. is standard - so you’ll have more time to squeeze in a trip.

  Click here for a reasonable mall directory. Note that for some reason it doesn’t list the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, which is Africa’s most-visited place. Rather an oversight, don’t you think?

• If you see something you like, especially in an outdoor market, don’t hesitate - buy it then and there. The odds on your getting a second chance are longer than you think.
• Keep in mind that you’ll be able to find most South African books and music back home, via online traders like Amazon.com.
• Visit SA Blog’s Shopping category for reviews of individual shops and malls. Great advice and ideas!

• Golden Acre Shopping Centre, CBD, Cape Town: Shopping Review
• Gateway: Durban’s theatre of shopping
• Kalahari.net, SA’s Amazon.com
• Red Shed Craft Market, V&A Waterfront: Shopping Review
• V&A Waterfront, Cape Town: Shopping Review

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