Thousands of retail staff across St George and Sutherland Shire have been stood down following mass store closures in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Shopping centres are virtual ghost towns, with the majority of stores now closed as retailers move to temporarily shut their doors following the federal government's increased restrictions on public movement.
While shopping centres remain open, level three restrictions mean people should only shop for necessities and as infrequently as possible.
The list of retailers closing their doors voluntarily has grown in the past two weeks.
Michael Hill jewellers was among the first, announcing it would close all its stores on March 23.
Premier Investments, owner of Smiggle, Peter Alexander, Just Jeans, Jay Jays, Portmans, Jacqui E and Dotti closed its doors March 26 and stood down most of its employees.
Mosaic Brands, owner of Noni B, Rockmans, Beme, W. Lane, Crossroads, Katies, Millers, Autograph and Rivers, closed the same day.
APG & Co, owner of SABA, Sportscraft and JAG has shut its stores, as has Retail Apparel Group, which operates Tarocash, Connor, Johnny Bigs and yd.
Many other major retailers, including Witchery and Country Road, have shut. Cotton On Group, which includes all Cotton On stores as well as Factorie, Glue, Supre and Rubi Shoes has closed stores, while Hanes Brands, responsible for Bonds, Bras N Things, Sheridan and Champion closed its stores on March 31.
At Westfield Miranda, supermarkets, food retailers, chemists, health funds, banks and hairdressers remain open, as do major chains such as Big W and Target.
While Myer closed all of its stores, leaving 10,000 staff without jobs, David Jones remains open for now.
A handful of other stores remain open, including Bed Bath N Table, Animalia, Best N Less, Rebel and JD Sports.
Very few fashion retailers are open, with Zara one notable exception.
Some cafes and eateries also remain open for takeaway only.
It is a similar story at Westfield Hurstville.
National Retail Association chief executive Dominique Lamb said this week COVID-19 was proving to be a "once-in-one-hundred-year crisis" for the industry.
She said it had become untenable for retailers in discretionary spending categories such as fashion to keep their doors open in the current climate, and it was financially "a smarter decision to close" than to keep trading.
For a full list of stores currently open at Westfield Miranda click here.
For a full list of stores currently open at Westfield Hurstville click here.
