Mall Secretly Rooting For Online… Or So It Seems
Written by Evan SchumanNoticed a statement issued today from a major East Coast mall and initially thought it was actually a promotion from some consortium of E-Commerce sites poking at the ways malls think. But, no, a mall was indeed behind it, suggesting that they had perhaps downed one eggnog too many.
The King of Prussia mall in PA announced that it would be giving away 1,000 Black Friday Survival Kits that each contain “an ergonomic canvass backpack that includes a voucher for a free neck massage,” a Starbucks gift card, bottled water and a store directory.
What an effective way to remind people of the advantages of not shopping in a mall. Maybe they should have included aspirin, a walking stick and perhaps a “Get Into Debt Free” card. Why would a call purposely emphasize the negative things about brick-and-mortars? Why not stress (there’s a good word to avoid) the ability to try on clothes, try out electronics and inspect merchandise? Or the ability to walk out everything right away? Not trying to flack for malls, but come on, people. Give yourselves a fair shot.
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I have strong reservations about the 'individual' certification and posting of that information for merchants. Can you imagine the potential employee poaching that might occur? The implications when competitors can look up how many are certified with each of their competitors? 
-Christine
