The Mall of Mangalore

There were no malls in Mangalore when I first went to Saudi Arabia for employment.  I had seen them in Bangalore and Mumbai and was fascinated by the experience of visiting one. The glass exteriors, the wide hallways, the no. of shops within shops, the inevitable food court, cinema screens and the gaming area – an all in one entertainment experience! 

However what really drew me and many others like me from tier II cities to these malls was the centralized air-conditioning. I could spend hours together wandering the hallways, buying nothing, doing nothing, ogling  at the goods on offer, and the people milling around, trying to figure out their relationships, their attitudes and their financial status , off and on and just keeping my cool!

Then I went to Saudi Arabia, and while the mall experience was the same, the scale was treble. It is then that I really began to understand the Mall culture. Lulu’s especially,  and the Mall of Arabia, on the eastern coast of KSA, were built on huge open spaces, that could house maybe five football fields, and everything that anybody would need to survive, to live and to enjoy was available there, ranging from electronics to cooked food. 

I also began to see a phenomenon I was not used to, but got acclimatized to very soon.  I call it the WAF (Walk and fill) syndrome.  Walk in, push a trolley, much like a pram in front of you, glance to your left, glance to your right and  stop and pick up what you THINK you need, not what the next whole demands,  and fill your trolley. Motor on through the various sections, stopping at the food counter to pick up tandoori, rolls, biryani and whatever fancies your tongue and finally land up at the Check out counter, where you can buy now and pay later and then make a great escape with  laden bags in your left and bags in your right

Often the mall visitor, has a big car, a big family and brings them all along for the ride.Take a trolley, walk around and fill it to the brim,