Giant retailer Coles Supermarket has bemoaned of the protracted five days shutdown spread throughout the two-week long holiday break for business establishments this December in South Australia.

The South Australian government has legislated that all shops within its area of jurisdiction would be prohibited from operating three days over the Christmas period and two days over the New Year holiday.

Coles managing director Ian McLeod called the trading regulation as the most backward among the states and territories across Australia and would lead to negative impacts for SA consumers, workers and business operators as well.

In the case of Coles, McLeod admitted that the five-day shutdown would mean lost opportunities for more incomes for the grocery retailer's outlets but more so less income for Coles employees who wish to report on public holiday to take advantage of a higher wage rate.

He reminded SA residents that they need to beef up their households' grocery stocks to avoid running out on holiday essentials as "the state government has closed supermarkets for three consecutive days over Christmas and two days back-to-back over New Year."

Furthermore, the SA government ordered supermarkets operating in the state to shutdown their stores at 6PM on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, which Coles said could leave many workers from missing out on their last-minute shopping.

Coles was hoping that prior to the onset of the holiday season, the South Australian government would seriously consider in adjusting its trading hours regulations at least for shops selling the essential needs of SA residents.

McLeod admitted that the regulations came as a disappointment to the grocery retailer and business group Business SA joined the company in scoring the decision of the SA government.

The business group said that the South Australian government should have followed the decision of most of the state governments, which adopted a more flexible scheduling scheme on their respective trading hours.

Western Australia mandated only a four-day public holiday for the Christmas season while Victoria and Tasmania allowed for a single day as official holiday.

The New South Wales government has already ruled for a total of three public holidays for its area while Queensland authorities could match SA's number of public holidays though the state's holiday regulations would apply depending on the region.