Paying for shopping centre parking...

I just don't get it

Why should I pay to park when I'm going to already be spending money in their centre.
Are they trying to flush out the casual shoppers from the shoppaholics/big spenders....lol.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/westfield-marion-shoppers-to-pay-to-park/story-e6frea83-1226267538919

What's your vote ??

A Mum wrote:I just don't get it

Why should I pay to park when I'm going to already be spending money in their centre.
Are they trying to flush out the casual shoppers from the shoppaholics/big spenders....lol.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/westfield-marion-shoppers-to-pay-to-park/story-e6frea83-1226267538919

What's your vote ??

it is called greed

Nothing but GREED, any way to make a buck these days. Marion today and soon it will be at all Westfield shopping centres, just a matter of time.

Paid suburban shopping centre car parking isn't entirely new in Adelaide, with paid parking in both Norwood and North Adelaide, and the undercover car park at Parabanks was paid parking for years.

I'm surprised Marion is the first Westfield to adopt paid parking, would have thought they'd have targeted Tea Tree Plaza first with the amount of people that park there to catch the O-Bahn into town.

Given I'm on the other side of town, it's not going to affect my rare travels to Marion. I'll still go and cop the parking fees sweet.

If Westfield go down a similar path to Chermside (Brisbane), which has just had the boom gates installed, I understand a smart parking system (similar to what's done in the undercover sections of Burnside Village and Fairview Green) will be installed as well as offering a valet parking service for $5. The smart parking system will make parking easier and may very well be worth paying - or you're out in two hours anyway as you're not wasting 20 minutes finding a car space.

The one thing I'd like to know is how much will the parking be after 2 hours?

Corparate greed at its finest !!!

Retail is dead and they put this in.... Bizarre !!

Feel sorry for the retail workers apparently they have to pay too .

Westfield should hang themselves in shame !!!

I'm shopping at colonnades ... Won't put up with this !!!

marion council going to make a mint to with everybody parking in side streets
wonder why it was approved

Anything I can get from Myers I can get online - have always liked Castle Plaza better and I always go to the Capri or the Piccadilly anyway!

Ben W wrote:Anything I can get from Myers I can get online - have always liked Castle Plaza better and I always go to the Capri or the Piccadilly anyway!

Mitcham cinemas or noarlunga cinemas are good too and you can get some real good movie deals or cheap tickets.

Why pay $18.50 at Marion cinemas buy expensive candy bar food then get slugged for parking .... Crazy !!

I do like my palace/nova cinemas too for independent / art house films

Southee wrote:Mitcham cinemas or noarlunga cinemas are good too and you can get some real good movie deals or cheap tickets.

Why pay $18.50 at Marion cinemas buy expensive candy bar food then get slugged for parking .... Crazy !!

Agreed Southee, as for the lollies you should do as I do and simply hit Woolies on the way and sneak it in! - I have even managed to get a Hungry Jacks meal in on occasion!

Southee wrote:I do like my palace/nova cinemas too for independent / art house films

Does your wife know about that Southee???

Lol - my wife has a huge handbag that I load up with Lollies and drink bottles .

In winter I smuggle a few things in my jacket .

The prices they charge at the candy bar always makes me laugh especially now it's all selfservice !!!

Mind you these days with the little one a movie at a cinema is a rare thing !!!

Sure is mate in the last 12 months I have managed "The Lincoln Lawyer" and "Courageous" at the cinema, although I do have foxtel for the rest that have been released!

blacky wrote: marion council going to make a mint to with everybody parking in side streets
wonder why it was approved

Good point there !!

I don't drive - I catch buses everywhere - so this won't affect me too much, but I can see how it could be a gigantic pain in the rear end for those that do.

I'm lucky, with Big W and many other specialty shops now at Hallett Cove Shopping Centre, I can bypass Marion on most occassions now.

I don't think they realise the backlash their retailers are going to feel.

Time will tell, but I believe they're biting themselves in the bum

I'm missing the point here.
1. Who goes shopping in one shopping centre for more than 2 hours?
2. If you don't want to pay for parking, park in the street and walk to the shopping centre.

Seems much ado about nothing to me.

We pay to park at airports, sporting arenas, etc, why is this any different?

There is a difference - but I just can't put it in words at the moment...lol

i would & do refuse to pay a parking fee for shopping (or to go to the pictures) when you are using the parking to shop, meals etc at that facility, however if you parked at marion & caught the bus into town well yes you should pay.......working on jetty road at glenelg i can tell you for a fact that at least half of the traders complain that their business have suffered since the paid parking has started mainly saying ''well they can park at marion for free'' & also there is at least 10 empty shops on jetty road......coles at glenelg brought in a ticket machine for paid parking & coles promptly got rid of it when their turnover dropped off markedly...i wonder why this happened with coles mmmmmmmm

Up here in qld most of the problem is that the shopping centre are generally bus transit terminals means they are the main bus depot of the area, westfield got sick and tired of bus transit passengers parking at the shopping centres all day, westfield approached brisbane city council asking for transit parking be supplied, the council so far has refused and westfield have said ok well start charging people in an attempt to stop the transit parking....

A Mum wrote:There is a difference - but I just can't put it in words at the moment...lol

The difference is you are going to a shopping centre to spend money in shops - the least they can do if provide you with a free car park before they take all your cash.

I've suggested to my wife that she goes to Collonades from now on, it's about the same distance from our home.

Even Murray Bridge has a nice new shopping centre apparently, also only 45mins away from us.

Don't give me a free car park, I'll take my business elsewhere.

Yep - thems the words I was looking for

Centro must be rubbing their hands together..lol.

Frank Lowy is propping up the Socceroos with this car park money...

howthewestwaswon wrote:Frank Lowy is propping up the Socceroos with this car park money...

Yes he's just ticked of we didn't win the bid to host the world cup, which cost him millions of dollars, now he want everybody to pay for his losses.

Why is it people think it is fine to pay for parking when they shop in the city (with no free time) but not in the suburbs (and you get the first two hours free)?

Im sure they will allow extended parking to people who spend a certain amount of money or go to the cinemas. If I go to Marion, I get in and our as quick as possible.

In the last few months they are charging people to park their cars at the QEH. The first 2 hours are free, but imagine having to stay overnight when you didn't expect to or you are on dailysis for 4 hours or so.