And that's when we realised how some malls can be so user-unfriendly for senior citizens.
It makes good sense - both social and business - to cater to what these folks need.
You have to wonder why some mall owners like SM Cebu cannot provide seats benches with backs for the elderly.
I posted the need for SM full back seating over a year ago and nothing has changed. (see my older posting that follows this),
You wonder if SM only wants a
sterile environment unclutted with the elderly or a photo perfect mall with their boxes for seats that their designers wanted or they don't want people in their malls waiting...with no benches with backs for the elderly. Update: As of Sunday, July 13, 2014, Ayala Cebu joins the unfriendly mall seating for elderly as they took out most of the benches with backs in the public areas except the parking area. Formerly they had a number of benches for shoppers to rest while waiting for others shopping. They still have more than SM Cebu but it shows a bad trend of having a sterile mall that looks beautiful but is not people friendly for resting except if go to a restaurant. I think it is a bad trend and shows a lack of needs of people sadly. Now there is less choice since they also joined the ranks of few benches for weary shoppers. Ayala has some of the terrible seats with no backs that look pretty but are not friendly for relaxing. Is anybody listening to elderly shoppers needs?
For now, my mum has decided to curtail her visits to bigger malls and opt for outings within the neighbourhood. Older people are largely overlooked in what remains a youth-obsessed consumer marketplace.
In a study on older adults, over two thirds indicated that some malls do not have enough public seating. Reference:
http://www.open.ac.uk/hsc/__assets/dh4bwtxdy7tqjqvhe2.pdf
Many older adults in the study found unfriendly spaces encourage older people to get what they need to do as quickly as possible and then get home with no lingering at the mall.
They ask why isn't the mall interested in their money?
Most restaurants have seats with backs but the mall mostly has stools as if it is doesn't want the older clients who probably have the most money?
And few stools even. There are lots of empty spaces where formerly benches used to be provided in the main hall public space on all floors but no more at SM Cebu. Picture perfect but no comfort for seniors.
SM fails to recognize that many older people have real needs just like the young and seem to be interested in design not comfort and meeting the needs of the elderly in seating in public places.
The resulting sense of alienation leads people to withdraw from the marketplace as they grown older.
I find Ayala Mall still has many benches in the main mall and most of the time many people rest waiting for friends who are shopping as not everyone finishes shopping at the same time.
I was even amazed at Ayala Makati that they had installed a bunch of old fashioned rocking chairs reserved for the elderly wow so thoughtful.
Why has SM Cebu become elderly unfriendly by removing all the benches and no sitting spaces in the main hall for people that wait but must stand at the railings while friends finish their shopping?
Parking area: Does SM think that customers must wait in their cars while waiting for relatives or friends to finish their shopping? Why not provide comfortable benches inside the air conditioned areas for customers or drivers to wait like other malls do? It alienates the richest consumers who idle by standing at the doorway in the air conditioning until everyone is ready. Such inconsideration of SM designers.
Ayala Cebu has lots of benches in the air conditioned part of their mall in the parking area in the lower levels. Convenient for those in cars waiting the rest of their family and meeting place.
keywords: benches for the elderly in malls, unfriendly malls philippines, seniors rights, malls for people, SM malls and seniors
