Tch!—Malls!

METROPOLIS at metrotown

Procrastination sucks. And so do malls. You know what also sucks? Long posts, which is what this is going to be :(

Crappy Lazy opening aside, I've been wanting to opine about malls for a while now... like two three months ago. But slacking off holding it off gave me time to think about what significance malls have, and why I visit them at all. Hell, I've changed the title of this post a few times.

So what are malls, anyway?
They're enormous (sometimes but not always) multilevel complexes housing hundreds of shops within. There's a mandatory food court; maybe a movie theatre; a few sit-in chain restaurants; an anchor department store or two; an off-price department store; many levels of poorly ventilated concrete and insulation-packed subterranean parking labyrinths shadowing the mall—and we can't forget the street level parking lots, which is just the best use of Vancouver's already-scarce real estate.

METROPOLIS at Metrotown.

Malls are a congregation of consumption; a hub of weekend social activity. They're a place to hang out with family or friends, grab a bite to eat, go shopping, or entertain our ever-decreasing attention spans. Malls create jobs, drive local economies, and impact communities. Their sheer size enables them to employ thousands of people in a variety of jobs from all demographics... but more important than that, however, in order for malls to sustain said employment, they need customers—customers who are willing to spend and not "just browse", and regular (and sometimes heavy) discount cycles don't help.

Why go?
Generally, when I go to a mall I'm a "browser" (I know...) because (sub)consciously I want to find something worth impulse buying (I suggest against doing that).

Left: my latest acquisition from my exploration of Tsawwassen Mills; right: only pair available but not in my size... otherwise I'd have bought both. They were as close to perfect as I could ask for in a trainer—discreet with no visible branding, luxurious leather/suede and sporty nylon construction, and sooo cushy and comfortable. This is a prime example of an off-price retailer getting it right: 85.5% off (MSRP CAD$345)!

I also love shopping... so there's that. But as the title suggests, malls have lost their luster and for a while now, but I've been aimlessly walking through them because they are everywhere. When I grocery shop I intuitively wander the mall before I even remember that my destination was the supermarket. They are a mere minutes' walk from where I work, and Vancouver's public transit is convenient enough that any direction I take will eventually take me by a mall; at this point I go because they're just there. I don't want to use the word "jaded"... Bored? Desensitised? Disinterested? By and to whatever attraction there is to want to go to a mall.

Contrary to what my feelings are toward malls, literature argues both that malls are dying or thriving (in Canada, too), depending on who you ask. Regardless of viewpoint, there is a universal consensus that malls will make a comeback or are already in the process of adjusting to new consumer behaviours and changing expectations, like focusing on experience rather than just transactional exchanges. And that's the point. As they are now malls are about exchanging money for goods, with a bit of customer service thrown in. I walk around, visit my usual suspects, sift through their wares, and may or may not buy something. That's no experience, I'm just a retail zombie. Certain brands are releasing new styles almost weekly just to try and keep customer interest.

Dubai Mall Aquarium

Source

Some "malls" are in a league of their own. Internationally renowned luxury shopping centres like South Coast Plaza in Orange County California (who doesn't even want to be associated with the word "mall"), the Dubai Mall, or the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in the heart of Milan cater to the wealthy and the aspirational alike. Whether it's the unparalleled international services of South Coast Plaza, the massive aquarium and underwater zoo in the Dubai Mall, or the beautifully rich historical site of the Galleria, these shopping landmarks give patrons an experience worth coming back for on top of offering world class brands.

Vancouver
While Vancouver isn't lacking its fair share of luxury labels, stores are standalone boutiques al fresco on busy streets rather than enclosed in a mall setting. Downtown alone is home to many haute brands: Hermés stands facing Tiffany & Co. at Alberni/Burrard; across from them are Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Gucci boutiques nestled in the Fairmont Vancouver Hotel on Georgia/Burrard; one city block away on Alberni/Thurlow is an fashionista's dream: Prada, Saint Laurent Paris, Moncler, Versace, Brunello Cucinelli, and Burberry all within a 20-second stroll from one another; and alone on Robson is Salvatore Ferragamo. There are boutique purveyors of many upscale labels, too, like Leone anchoring Sinclair Centre, and for the younger crowd Boys'Co. on Robson, and Haven and Neighbour in hip and trendy Gastown.

Consistently recognised as one of the best cities in the world and the gateway to the Pacific, one would think Vancouver would have a luxury shopping centre catered toward vacationing well-to-doers and jet-setting business people. But I suppose standalone boutiques have one advantage—no crowds. There was potential in the Oakridge Centre community redevelopment, though it's too early to say what might've become of its retail profile. Original plans have been effectively scrapped, unfortunately, for being too ambitious. Whether this means a scaling down of plans or a complete redo from scratch remains to be seen. Either way, the scale of the original development was something to behold.

Pacific Centre

Although my mall experiences are largely Vancouver-based, I don't imagine it being too different around the world*. They tend to have similar store directories, only configured differently. Some brands are ubiquitous and far-reaching, and can be found almost anywhere:

• the GAP family of stores
• fast fashion merchants H&M, ZARA, Forever21, and Uniqlo
• the Abercrombie and Hollister duo (and, similarly, American Eagle)
• a Guess?
• high street Topshop/Topman
• a few Luxottica representatives
• ALDO
• Nike
• Coach and Michael Kors somewhere
• Apple store
• variety of kiosks
• ... and many others

* "westernised" vs localised malls where brands are, well, localised.

My point is there is a level of homogeneity that sparks little, if any, interest beyond the initial visit that can leave a feeling of longing to return on a regular basis. I suppose one major reason anyone would shop at a brick and mortar—mall or otherwise—is to physically handle, touch, try and compare the products they're interested in buying. Shoppers may want customer service, or expertise a salesperson possesses. There's always the immediate gratification of acquiring the product now rather than waiting x-days for shipping. Some people love the superficial carrying of the shopping bag from their favourite store. The act of going shopping can be social. Some people make a day of it and plan ahead of time: shopping lists, specific outfits, what shops to visit, budget (ha ha) and contingency funds for those pesky impulses, and whatever personal reason one can think of. I, on the other hand, am a solo shopper through and through, so my reasons are few and selfish.

Tsawwassen Mills
I recently visited the newly opened Tsawwassen Mills which was welcomed with much fanfare—so much so that the parking lot was a nightmare to navigate due to congestion (I transited). Needless to say, the mall was packed like canned sardines. Attendance will eventually settle down to a level of normalcy (which it has), but the initial number of visitors was exaggerated since opening week also happened to be a long weekend. Remember that street-level parking I detest?

Disgusting (don't mind the ghost Camry), and this isn't the entire parking lot! The entire shopping centre is literally surrounded by giant plots of land reserved strictly for parking. Honestly, these parking lots only serve sale season. Outside of that they are, by my estimate, 50-60 percent empty.

Tsawwassen Mills is a combination of regular-priced stores and off-price outlet stores, which means the former will often push sales promotions just to compete with the latter—amazing for shoppers and bargain hunters. I didn't get a chance to fully explore the entire mall, but based on my quick assessment the stores I'd like to visit more in-depth are the Harry Rosen outlet and Saks Off Fifth (which was closed from the outside and stanchioned off on the inside for crowd control. The line stretched far enough, so no way I was going). The two off-price Winners and Marshalls are a given—I love off-priced retailers. There are worthy finds if one knows where to look and what to look for. I passed by at least two art galleries, one of them—Ian Tan Projects—prominently featured near one of the Mills' six grand entrances. There is a lingering novelty, so I plan on returning.

Park Royal South, which has SIMONS! It's the only reason I go to Park Royal.

Other Reasons...
I don't like malls—or most brick and mortars in general—for a more personal reason: I'm a shitty customer. Just the absolute worst. Don't talk to me! Leave me alone! Stay away from me! I don't want your help! See the earbuds!? Disengage immediately! The most I expect from sales staff is the minimal acknowledgement: eye contact, smile, and nod. If I need an adult I will timidly ask for help. Otherwise notice my withdrawn self-defensive hermit posture and leave me to my own devices. It's conflicting because I've worked retail before and our job is to happily serve the customer... so while I understand the nature of retail sales it doesn't stop me from feeling that way as a customer.

I also hate crowds. My level of annoyance is exponentially proportionate to the size of the crowd. In an ideal world, all my brick and mortar shopping will be done in private where I can touch things, try them on, read labels, and coalesce my thoughts and overall shopping experience. It may take hours. Shopping would be one of my Zens. If I need assistance there will be a tiny bell for me to ring at which point any aid provided will only be what is asked of, and no idle small talk.

I'm beginning to realise that I am clearly not the best person to speak about malls. I'm far from being the quintessential conventional shopper/customer as my purpose is singular and, as mentioned, being a strict solo shopper my reasons to patronise malls are few and selfish.

The reason I wanted to write about malls is because they have become an institution, and I've become, in a way, institutionalised judging from my experiences and irritated narrative. Although having thought about it, I think I've sobered up to the position that malls as they are now are in inherently boring and unstimulating after the novelty wears off (arguable for everything). I don't want to be a retail zombie. There are better things to do with my time, and time is the ultimate luxury. Malls need to give its visitors compelling reasons to want to be there rather than somewhere else. They must outweigh all other opportunity costs, and, at least for me anyway, they no longer do.