Deafening noise, huge crowds and smelly loos are putting off even mall rats

Deafening noise, huge crowds and smelly loos are putting off even mall rats
The Times of INdia


THE shopping’s fun, it’s the rest that’s a pain. Crowds which push their way into lifts, people who forget to flush and folks who don’t believe in queues — all these factors are now forcing many, who loved to hang out in Bangalore malls, to go elsewhere to shop. BT focusses on some of the biggest irritants in malls:

Parking: Model Carun Carumbaiah says he prefers to leave his car at home when he’s going to a mall. “I always find parking’s full on weekends. So if I’m going for a movie, I take an auto,” says Carun. Perhaps only shoppers should be allowed to park, he suggests. “Window shoppers should pay as much as Rs 150. The ones who purchase something can pay Rs 20.”

Lifts/escalators: Head of department at a fashion institute, Anjali Sharma, says lifts and escalators at malls can be a huge irritant. “The lifts are always full, unless you’re there on a Monday morning. The escalator finishes at one place and the next one’s at the other end of the mall — by which time you’ve walked for at least a km. And when you’re with kids, it’s anything but fun,” she says.

Overcrowded foodcourts:
The variety’s fantastic and prices are reasonable, but if you’re looking for a great food experience at a foodcourt, forget it. Go there only if you don’t want to talk to the people you’re with, is one piece of advice. Says restaurateur Aparna Suri, “You can barely hear yourself speak, forget about listening to what the other person’s saying.” Here’s what she does: “I eat and run, if I really have to. You just can’t take a shopping break there.”

Dirty bathrooms: While they’re better than the payand-use loos elsewhere, bathrooms at the malls could do with a makeover. Says Aditya B, an entrepreneur, “The bathrooms in malls have to be worked on, but how clean they are depends on the people using them.” He says many loos even have their toilet paper holders destroyed.
“With such traffic in the bathrooms, people first need to be educated on how to use loos. Another alternative is to have one or two pay-and-use cubicles.”

Crowds: “Why do people think it’s okay to jostle?” asks businesswoman Zeena Ahmed, who can’t understand why people here don’t have any idea of personal space. “People are spilling out of everywhere. You’re in a queue, and they’re pushing you. I once had a guy literally leaning on me. I had to tell him not to touch me.”

Noise Levels: Model Mustafa finds the noise at malls disturbing and hates going shopping in the evenings. “You’d rather go there at odd hours. It’s irritating with all the noise and you’re not in the mood to shop anymore,” he says.

Litter: A big put-off for shoppers has been the litter in the malls. Says Padmini Chandra, fashion expert, “Last week we had bought tickets for a movie in the mall. We reached there early and were so put off by the litter and dirt that we just sold our tickets and left,” she says.