NU12#5: What pisses you off at the mall? What do you suggest? - Use of Rewards/Prestige Card for Free Parking

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ed Vargas <ed_vargas08@yahoo.com.ph>
Date: Mon, Oct 14, 2013 at 3:53 PM

NU12#5: What pisses you off at the mall? What do you suggest?

By Ed Vargas

I guess everyone goes to the mall. Malling has become part of our daily routine to shop, eat and dine, buy groceries, buy books, do banking, have a haircut and many other things; from the mundane to special occasions like baptism, wedding etc. . As SM's tag line "We've got it all for you", the mall has practically everything we need has become part of our lives. The mall millionaires like the Sys, the Gokongweis and the Ayalas won't be millionaires had it not been for us. Yes, us the customers who faithfully and loyally patronize their malls. What do we get in return? You are charge with parking fee for giving them the opportunity to partake of our hard earned money. Alright, I'll agree that building and maintaining parking spaces (entirely a whole building in some malls) entails a lot money and huge capital but isn't' that part of doing business? Worse is, if you take a closer look at your parking ticket it says. "The management will not be responsible for any loss or damages to your vehicle." What? You park at your own risk and pay for it? I think this a one sided affair. You pay the parking fee so that mall owners can recoup their investments in building the parking infrastructure. That's fine, but having no responsibility for what happens inside and to your car is the height of customer insensitivity. If it's not highway robbery, it's customer disservice at the very least. Even worse is, you've entered the parking only to find it's full and get to pay on your way out just the same or wait for hours till somebody goes out to vacate a slot.

So what do we do as customers? Do a boycott? No, we can do that. As I said, mall has become our way of life, has become part of our urban culture. I am not asking for free parking. Although, we would have love that. But free parking? Only in our dreams! Besides, it's subject to abuse. What I'm asking from the millionaire mall operators is a little consolation for customers who have loyally and faithfully patronized their malls. I suggest the following:

1. A customer with a total minimum of P 2,500.00 purchased at any stores or establishments gets a free parking for 3 hours. The 45 pesos minimum parking fee is just about 1.8% of that amount purchased. If he parked more than 3 hours, then he pays the excess according the existing pay schedule.

2. A customer who purchased less than the minimum amount gets his purchased amount accumulated every time he comes back to make a purchase until he reached  the total minimum amount of P 2,500.00 to be entitled to a free three hour parking.

How do we implement this? This is not difficult to implement as some malls are already issuing loyalty cards to its regular customers. Robinson Galleria Supermarket has the "Value Card" where your accumulate points every time you make a purchase. SM has its own "Prestige card" or "bonus card" and so is the Ayala Malls. They can tuck in the free parking privileges I suggested above to this loyalty cards. The loyalty card then serves as both loyalty card and parking card. Isn't that cool! This will be a win-win situation for both mall operators and regular customers. This will encourage repeat customers and build a strong loyal customer base. Any takers?  4  < Good, papalit ka na kay JG>

--

Prof Jorge Saguinsin

BIDDA:   BELIEVE, INSPIRE, DREAM, DO, ACHIEVE

+639228730181

To view assignments, please click:

www.profjorgenentrep-ateneo.blogspot.com

www.profjorgeentrep-jorge.blogspot.com

www.profjorgentrepdev.blogspot.com  - for inspirational videos

www.entrepnew.blogspot.com -  for NU 12 submission

Prof Jorge entrep slideshare presentations

Blogsend emails (for submission of assignments)

profjorge.entrep.nu12@blogger.com  for new 12 submission

profjorge.entrep.selfdev@blogger.com for IV submission

profjorge.entrep.ateneo@blogger.com  for all other assignments