To shop till you drop is an American idiom which means to buying things until you are physically tired and cannot walk around the shops anymore. Sometimes it is spelled shop ’til you drop. In this usage of till as a conjunction meaning ‘until’, and of the spellings are acceptable (e.g. till, til, or ’til).
The phrase is found in print as early as the 1920s, and possibly earlier. Not surprisingly it started as an advertising slogan. It meant that you should go to one store instead of running around to different places and becoming exhausted. Over time it morphed into the current meaning of wanting to be exhausted from the activity.
Be aware that the phrase has become somewhat of a cliche and is sometimes used tongue in cheek toward the old cheesy advertisements.
Examples
The biggest shopping day of the year is quickly approaching, and HotelTonight is offering great last-minute room deals so you can shop ’til you drop in a hotel bed this holiday season. [Market Wired]
It’s also become a prime destination for visitors to shop ’til you drop. [Calgary Sun]
“Don’t wear uncomfortable shoes if you plan on shopping till you drop,” said Niki Helton, nursing freshman. [The University Star]
You’ve shopped till you dropped at duty free and get there before the allocated T-minus 20 minute gate shut down. [Gulf Times]
He feels Jaipur is quite an organised city and has less pollution and he shopped till he dropped too. [Times of India]