Finally a mall has arrived in real terms at Jabalpur. Samdareeya mall, with its customer friendly location at center of Jabalpur, and with an imposing structural presence in the staid neighbourhood, is a nice place to spend some time shopping and wandering. The good thing here is ambiance, and accessibility (in the sense that it is at center of city).
What one would get here is the variety of different stores catering to different shopping habits. What one would not get here is grocery ! So, it is upmarket !
It has a multiplex, which if showing a good movie is always a crowd puller, but also a coffee shop (Brewberrys), branded retail stores like Westside, Reliance Footprints, Club City among various others. Restaurants are also being opened in the mall.
The other mall – the South Avenue Mall, which is at some distance from the main city on the Narmada road, – the star attractions are Multiplex and Big Bazaar. However, the other shops there are mostly shops at Jabalpur that has opened a branch there or relocated there. (I have as such found the atmosphere in the South Avenue Mall more relaxed and customer friendly)
The Samdareeya Mall has variety of brand stores, much of which is going to be shoppers delight. At least it would add variety to buyers choice. But the atmosphere at Samdareeya Mall despite its ambience does not seem to be customer friendly (read below… the flip side).
It will have to be seen how it compares with another upcoming mall Treasure Island. Even though, Treasure Island promises greater variety, it is at a further distance on the Narmada Road. So, in some ways, location would always work in favour of Samdareeya Mall – though for a day out, one may prefer visiting the malls on the Narmada Road.
But…The Flip Side at Samdareeya Mall
The flip side is parking space. Particularly the basement parking is cramped, and the pathway incline is pretty dangerous! And add to that – the employees of the mall wearing red shirts do not allow parking near or around the mall. In a way, the Mall has encroached for itself the municipal area around it. In addition I find that vehicles with orange or red lights (ie. those belonging to Administration, Judges, Police, etc – not on any official duty, but on ‘family’ duty) are allowed such parking just in front of the mall – which is not allowed to the others.
This is pretty bad for the mall and also for its customers. On one occasion, we decided to go there to the restaurant in the mall – but due to this parking thing – even when the parking space was available – these red shirt wearing people came around to say that I could not park our car there. So instead of going to the mall, we went to another restaurant.
Update: Nov 2010: We recently visited the mall again, and the good thing now I find is that the space on the sides of the mall has been turned into parking space. One doesn’t bother about paying Rs 15 for the parking – till it is convenient – and I guess the mall is becoming customer friendly at last.
mera ko mall jana hai…………………..
now we have some quality place in jabalpur…….!
do u people call this a mall … it is just a multi-level shopping complex…People who call it a mall should visit a mall first .