More than 80 per cent of Australians plan to do all their Christmas shopping in bricks and mortar stores this year, and for the majority, finding a parking spot is considered the most stressful part.
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A national survey conducted by grocery delivery service Aussie Farmers Direct, found 59.4 per cent of Australians most feared finding a parking spot, followed by long queues at cash registers (57.3 per cent) and negotiating Christmas shopping crowds (52.6 per cent).
It found 63.5 per cent of Australians expect to spend between three and five hours shopping in-store this year.
"This is a time of year when you should be putting your feet up ... not battling bumper-to-bumper gridlock, or spending hours to find a parking spot," said Aussie Farmers Direct chief executive officer Keith Louie.
Across Sydney, shopping centre car parking rates vary according to the centre, its location and proximity to public transport.
For example at the Coles Urban Village car park in West Ryde rates start at $5, for two to three hours and $15 for three to four hours, before jumping to $60 for four to five hours. Anything above five hours is $75.
The car park, which is operated by Wilson Parking, is around 16 kilometres from the CBD, making it a popular choice for commuters, who want to park for the day and catch the train to work.
It is understood the steep jump is to deter commuters from using spaces reserved for customers.
Wilson Parking said it could not comment on pricing and terms, adding that "length of stay or volume information [was] commercially sensitive".
Castle Towers shopping centre in Castle Hill remains as one of the last major centres to have free parking all day, however it will not last forever.
A $900 million redevelopment of the centre in coming years will result in the centre implementing 'ticketless' paid-for parking, with rates based on comparable centres around Sydney.
"When the system is activated, parking at Castle Towers will be free for the first three hours and free for customers entering the Centre after 6pm," said Martin Ollis, Castle Towers centre manager.
"Based on independent data and analysis of customer shopping behaviours, we predict less than 10 per cent of our customers will pay for parking."
Castle Towers also employs staff to monitor early morning commuters that may attempt to park in the centre car park all day.
At Westfield shopping centres 20 per cent of all retailer's turnover occurs in December, making it the busiest retail period.
A Westfield spokesperson said that, while the frequency and length of visits increased in this period, more than 90 per cent of shoppers parked for free as they left in under three hours.
Westfield Parramatta, Miranda, Chatswood and Warringah all offer three hours free parking, while Bondi Junction and Burwood offer two hours free.
"Carpark rates are set by a number of factors and do differ marginally from centre to centre depending on the local context," Westfield's spokesperson said.
"For example, in the area around Westfield Bondi Junction, there is no free start parking anywhere, so the 2 hours free period in centre is in fact one of the few areas locally where it is free to park. This obviously puts a great deal of pressure on the carpark and is a factor taken into consideration when setting the free period, and the rates."
Restricted free parking is in place to deter commuters and other non-shoppers, she said, adding that a large centre such as Parramatta has 4661 spaces, while Chatswood has 2381 spaces.
