One of the distinguishing characteristics of life in Manila
is the malls. There are a plethora of malls
in Manila. It is almost impossible
to live in Manila, Philippines, without frequenting the mall part of your
regular routine of life. Two of
the largest malls in Asia (SM Megamall and SM Mall of Asia) are found in
Manila. “Malls account for 15% of
the Philippines gross national product (GNP) and 33% of the entire service
sector. It also employees some
5.25 million people, representing 18% of the Philippines workforce.”
That’s about 2 out of every 10 people! Since going to malls is such a regular routine of life here I thought I
would do a blog post about the typical mall.
Most malls here are named after the developer. SM, Ayala, Robinsons are three of the largest
developers, accounting for the major number of the malls across the nation. SM is the largest shopping retail
operator, accounting for over half of all of the malls nationwide and totaling
almost 2 square miles of total mall floor space. This map gives you an idea of the abundance of malls here,
showing three malls side-by-side (basically on the same long block) with one of
those malls being one of the largest in Asia!
Just as in the States there are parking structures available
here, but with just a few variations.
Some malls have lights above each parking slot, either a red or green
light. The purpose is so you can
quickly scan and see which spots are taken and which are available. Very helpful!
Another variation is that at some malls (perhaps the
“fancier” malls) you might find a “driver’s lounge”, a waiting area with
benches and sometimes even a TV for your driver to wait for you as you shop.
Even with your own personal driver, does driving through
Manila traffic sound stressful?
How about purchase a condo in a high rise right next to the mall
itself? More and more malls are
expanding and building condo high rises.
As I was “doing research” for this blog post there were a
few things that stood out to me and made me say to myself “wow that’s cool!” One of those things was the
elevators. Most elevators come
staffed with an attendant to serve you and help organize people into the tight space.
(Which is quite helpful when you have a bulky stroller). And a common sign at mall elevators, as
seen below, reminds shoppers to give preference to not only disable people, but
also the elderly and pregnant women!
Any mom who has gone shopping with their young child can
relate to how inconvenient it can be to be shopping when you child tugs on your
pants and says, “mommy, I have to go peee peee!” I have had that happen a couple times already, rushing my
son through the crowds to the CR (comfort room) only to find a long line of
women. But then one time a lady
got my attention and points to a mini-urinal in the corner! I felt like I got to cut to the front
of the line. What a great service
to mothers of young boys!
Another thing I noticed is a common “wash area” outside of
the CR (comfort room) at most eating establishments. Which makes washing your hands before and after the meal
much easier and quicker, not to mention saves on napkins too.
The malls here are more than just a collection of
stores. The large open space
common area in the middle is used for a variety of events. On this particular day they were
holding a Zumba class right there in the middle of the mall.
Another usage of malls here are for their free air
conditioning. Needing to escape
the heat and humidity but want something for your kids to do? There are a variety of play areas,
bounce house and even carnivals available for your kids to run and play.
And I haven’t even gotten a chance to mention the bowling
alleys or ice skating rinks!
The malls I am used to from Southern California offer a few
different department stores at each mall.
It is easy to find a JC Penneys, Sears, and Robinson’s May all at one
mall. But here you will only find
one department store at each mall, “THE” department store. That is because the developer of the
mall owns the department store.
Sometimes going to the mall is a hassle back home in the
States because you have several errands and stops to make that just cannot be
done at the mall. But that is not
the case here because you can do pretty much everything at the mall.
Need to go to the doctor or dentist? We got that!
How about the grocery store? We got that too!
Need to get in your quota of mass attendance?
What about that plunger you were hoping to pick up to unclog
the toilet? Just stop at the
hardware store.
What about the prescription refill you needed to pick up for
your sick baby? Just pop into the
pharmacy.
I am sure this post is vastly inadequate to fully capture the essence of the malls in the Philippines, afterall we have only been here a little under 2 months! But I do hope it has given you a little glimpse into our life over here in Manila. For now I have years ahead of me to fully explore the malls and do more thorough "research". Until then I will enjoy the air conditioning the malls provide and the little slices of my childhood in the States I can experience, enjoying Wendy's Frostys with my son. Well, technically this is a Wendy's coke float not a Frosty. It actually comes in a combo meal, a float or frosty with fries. Some things really are "more fun in da Philippines!"
That's really interesting. It definitely takes "one-stop shopping" to a whole different level. Have fun exploring!
ReplyDelete