The registers are ringing, store floors are teeming with shoppers and retailers have reason to cheer.
Ahead of the crucial festive trading flurry, the sector is already reporting an improved pre-Christmas season on last year's.
"What we're hearing from retailers is that compared to 2014, trading is relatively strong, and better than previous years for a majority of retailers," Australian Retail Association executive director Russell Zimmermann told AAP.
"Retailers are very optimistic and very hopeful. There's not been much pessimism around which probably is opposite of where it was this time last year."
Estimates released by the industry body on Friday predict pre-Christmas sales to soar 3.6 per cent on last year's numbers to $46.8 billion.
The country's biggest states by shoppers are due to report a sales lift, with NSW predicted to jump 3.3 per cent to $14.8 billion, Victoria 4.6 per cent to $11.7 billion and Queensland bumping 4.2 per cent to $9.6 billion.
Mr Zimmermann said a calmed political landscape both at the state and federal levels had contributed to consumer confidence.
"Elections create instability and that certainly doesn't help trade," he said, citing various state polls including Victoria, NSW and Queensland in the minds of shoppers last year .
"Add to that the fact there was a lot of instability around the Fed scene and certainly rumblings around Tony Abbott's leadership.
"That type of uncertainty does not assist retailing and confidence in the economy. This year we have a very stable government and no elections on the horizon."
The last week of trading is expected to be dominated by food sales and last-minute gifts bought from brick and mortar retailers.
While a range of toys, the most popular being Frozen, Star Wars and Lego merchandise, were among the first goods to be snapped up in early weeks, Mr Zimmermann said the last week of pre-Christmas trading would be dominated by toiletries and tech gadgets.
Perfumes, aftershave and makeup would be sold in "humongous" numbers, along with tech items like phones, iPads, tablets, fitness bands and computers.
Food sales would also see their traditional spike in the coming days, with dry goods being sorted out on the weekend before shoppers hit up the greengrocers and fish market on the 23rd and 24th.
"If they can store the ham and turkey and that type of thing they'll be doing that this weekend," Mr Zimmermann said.
