All roads in Sutherland Shire and beyond seem to lead to Westfield Miranda, resulting in huge crowds and parking problems.
Thousands more shoppers are choosing the easier option of travelling by train and bus.
The “worst” is still to come, with this weekend and the three days before Christmas expected to be the busiest.
Extra parking in the grounds of Port Hacking High School will be available from Saturday up until Christmas.
By 11am on Friday, advisory boards at the entrance to car parks reported only a handful of spaces being available.
On Thursday, some shoppers reported long delays in trying to exit car parks.
The Kingsway was blocked up, with traffic queuing to enter the centre preventing vehicles trying to leave.
Callers to a radio station said it took one to two hours, but others said they exited reasonably quickly.
Comments about parking appeared also appeared on the centre’s Facebook page.
Centre manager Brett Leonard said this weekend and December 22-24 were expected to be the busiest.
“To accommodate the tens of thousands of shoppers expected per day in the lead up to Christmas we’ve extended trading hours across the state, giving people the flexibility to shop at a time that suits them,” he said.
“At Miranda we’ll be open to 9pm Monday-Wednesday and Friday next week, and open till midnight on Thursday to cater to our customers’ last minute needs.
“The car park is busy at this time of year so we advise people to take advantage of our longer hours and seek assistance as required from the extra staff stationed in and around the car park.
“We are working with RMS (roads and Maritime Services) to manage congestion on surrounding arterial roads and will be opening parking at the high school across the road from tomorrow and right up to Christmas.”