Sacks Jewellers had a rush of customers in the two hours following Premier Dan Andrews' announcement just prior to 11am that the lockdown would begin at 1pm.

Manager Brodie Lee said the stage three lockdown decision should have been announced Friday night, when the call to cancel community sport was made.

Miss Lee said staff were expecting changes to regional restrictions but not at such short notice.

"I think they should have just announced it last night because they knew what we were going into, then people would have had the morning to sort themselves out," Miss Lee said.

"It was like Christmas. It was bumper-to-bumper. The main street was chaotic and now everyone's gone," she said as she closed the store.

She said customers collected items they had on order and bought last-minute gifts.

"It was absolutely frantic, because they can't do dinners to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, we had a lot of gifts going out,"she said.

"We sold two wedding bands. People get worried because going into lockdown they can't even order them, so they wanted to order them today."

They're off work now until September 2 when the restrictions are due to ease at 11.59pm, unless the lockdown is extended.

Sales assistant Angela Vick said she won't receive an income from her role at the jewellers or the beauty business she owns. "I'm a beauty therapist so I have to stop both jobs, and I now have to home school as well," Ms Vick said.

The women were also disappointed to have to cancel a girls night at the Deep Blue Hot Springs on Saturday night, for the third time due to lockdowns.

Bunnings was a popular spot pre-lockdown as people made last-minute purchases on Saturday. The check out lines stretched the length of the store and cars lined Raglan Parade back to Gateway Plaza.

Bohemia Cafe's Steve Hickman said it was frustrating to have to revert to takeaway again, but one positive of the statewide lockdown was that it limited the movement of Melbourne residents.

Warrnambool's main hospitality venues refused entry to more than 100 Melbourne residents last Saturday night and it continued to be an ongoing issue at venues throughout the week.

Bohemia Cafe displayed a sign late last week requesting people from Melbourne not enter the premises to order takeaway items, as permitted under their metro restrictions, but to phone their orders from outside.

In a bid to curb the problem, it also stipulated if people's identification showed they were from Melbourne but in the south-west for work, they needed a letter with proof of employment or rental predating lockdown six.

Mr Hickman said the cafe experienced a flurry of orders on Saturday morning prior to the lockdown coming into effect, with multiple requests for table bookings in the two hours after the announcement.

He said staff were buoyed by the kindness of one customer who pre-paid coffees for others in light of the lockdown news.