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Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Mañacap: Mall day
By Mae Mañacap
Mallrover
Sunday routine. Gone are the days when boring Sundays are spent at home. Today, with malls taking over dying parks in the entertainment mecca list, family day spells 'mall day'.
The routine is almost hypnotic. Kids, all-too-excited to slip into their Sunday's best, tag along with parents who are more than happy to break free for a moment or two from a pile up of paperwork, laundry and never-ending list of house chores.
But those with older kids are luckier. They can always bribe their way to a little, private moment in airconditioned theaters by sending kids to gaming zones.
Sunday trips turned into a habit when malls began to accommodate hourly worships. With early morning mass (9 a.m. at Gaisano Country Mall and 10 a.m. at Ayala Center Cebu) held in cinema houses, some kick off the day with a mall trip to hear mass.
Forget those with lame reasons of somehow preferring the malls for their many comforts—cushioned seats and aircondition system—, but masses here, thanks to widescreens that encourage worshippers to participate, are felt celebrations.
And for the mall management, religiosity consequently translates to good business. These throng of worshippers who are also willing spenders either linger on to lunch out in the malls' long list of fastfoods and restos, stop over in favorite shops or fill up the grocery cart.
The added convenience of not having to go far after a weekly dose of spiritual replenishment is turning the Sunday routine into a weekend affair for most city-dwelling families whose busy lifestyle welcomes any convenience thrown their way.
Weekend trip. Those like me who need a fireman's alarm to drag themselves out of bed may still fulfill their Christian obligation and scour the 'on sale' racks soon after.
As expected, failing to make it to the Ayala's early morning worship, I rushed to it's 4.30 p.m. mass. With Sunday incomplete without a short trip around the shops, I headed for Giordano after the mass, where I shuffled piled up tees, knits and pants pegged at up to 70% off, a prelude to the mall's upcoming mallwide sale.
Shoe stores like New Shoes, Leaveland and Janylyn are slashing off selected items at up to half-the-price this early on. It pays to check the shelves ahead of the wild crowd of bargain-hunters who are sure to show up this weekend.
After all, if there's anything certain next to taxes, the mall is going to be spewing with eager spenders this weekend. And don't count out the family bunch. For when it comes to mall day, it's one hard habit to break.
(September 27, 2005 issue)
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