MBAH NU 12 NU 8 by CebPac -What pisses you off at the Mall

NU 8 - WHAT PISSES YOU OFF ATHE MALL? WHAT DO YOU SIGGEST?
                          By: CEBPAC

I like going to the mall after a busy day in the clinic and in the hospital.  I usually go to the mall to shop, just to roam around to find new things, to eat, and to pass time.

Once I'm in the mall,  the call of nature  could not be avoided.  I have to use the comfort room to feel comfortable.  What pisses me off in the mall is using the comfort room that is not clean and has offensive odor, and no hooks in the wall to hold my bag or shopping bags.  Its so awkward urinating with  my butt 6inches away from the rim of the bowl,  while  holding on to my bag and shopping bags and my nose nearly poking on the uncovered trash can.

The things that contribute to the dirty and offensive odor of the comfort room in the mall which really pisses me off.

        1. Uncovered trash cans --cause the offensive odor in the area, as if it serves as air freshener.  I can even see what is inside the trash can that is not good to see.
      2. Dirty and wet floors, lavatory, and toilet bowls--also contributes to the foul odor in the comfort room. 
      3. Defective flushing system-- makes the toilet bowl dirty causing offensive odor.
      4. No supplies of toilets paper and soap

The absence of wall hooks for the bags makes urinating uncomfortable because I am holding on to my bags while relieving myself.  It does not contribute to the uncleanliness and offensive odor of the toilet but its presence will truly make reliving me that easy.

What can be improved in the malls' comfort rooms?
A cleaning company that will see to it the cleaning of the comfort room round the clock.  It must always check the following:
1.  Trash cans must have covers with foot pedals to open it.  It  must  be emptied always and not to wait for the trash to pile up.

2. Clean and dry up the floors, lavatories, and toilet bowls with cleaning and refreshing solution.

3. Checking of faucets and flushing system regularly and  not to wait for the plumber only  for repair. Maintenance is a must.

4.  Soaps and toilet papers for sanitary purposes.

Installing of wall hooks for bags is a little thing but will make relieving in the comfort room conveniently comfortable.  Always check for these things.

It is not only the duty of the mall management to keep the toilet clean and having good smell, but the shoppers has also a role to do.  Be always considerate to the next user by flushing the toilet bowls, drying up the toilet seat and lavatory, and  covering up the trash cans.

It will surely make my day  in the mall enjoyable  by using a clean and  smelling good  comfort room. 




     

JO

NU12 - Jenny Liquete

Hi Sir,

This is to add to the previous NUs I have submitted last week. Thank you!

NU 8: What pisses you off at the mall? What do you suggest?

I'll have it my way

I go to the mall every weekend to enjoy and relax but I always get frustrated when I can't go to a store at my own pace. There a lot of times when groups of people occupy all lanes. There are also those in front of me who walk as if they have all the time in the world and they could not care any less if they are bothering the people behind them. These are the people who are busy texting, with children or couples. Even without any urgency or something to do, it still annoys me that the ignorance of others has caused me great inconvenience.

  

To prevent this, I suggest that the mall should implement a barrier or a divider for 'fast' and 'leisure' lanes. These lanes will be similar to those in the expressways. It will separate those who are not in a hurry and are not bothered being at the expense of others from those who need to get to a store at the least possible time or do not tolerate this kind of ignorance. This proposal will also prevent groups from occupying all of the lanes because they will be forced to occupy the given space only. With these lanes, both types of mall-goers will now be relaxed and happy during their mall visit.

  

These lanes will not only benefit the mall-goers but also the mall and the stores. Since the mall-goers are now efficient, they have more time to shop. Also, since the stress level of mall-goers has been greatly reduced by the new scheme, they will now have more energy and be in a better mood to shop – both factors leading to more purchases. These will all bring more revenues for the mall and the stores. 3

      NU 9: What pisses you off at the neighborhood? What do you suggest?

Decibel Sound Meters

Loud songs, endless discussions and roaring laughter from drunk groups are almost inevitable during house parties at our neighborhood. It has already been a common courtesy in our neighborhood to ignore the disturbance caused by a neighbor at the middle of the night. However, it still pisses me off especially since our house has a lot of windows. The neighbors sing their hearts out with their microphones and the noise just fills our house.

  

Our neighborhood's security watch should be equipped with decibel sound meters so that there will be an official and standard way to monitor the noise disturbance. The Homeowners Association should conduct a townhall meeting to formalize the use of decibel sound meters and its new rules. The neighborhood must agree and set an acceptable decibel level for parties and other house events and the amount for the penalty.

  

New rules:

1^st warning: When the agreed limit is exceeded, security will call the house.

2^nd warning: Security will go to the house and warn them on the possible sanctions for the next warning.

3^rd warning: High sanctions/fees will be placed on the owner of the house. The fees/charges will be added to the budget of the homeowners association.

  

This will help maintain the peace in the neighborhood. If ever a neighbor still causes disturbance (goes beyond the limit), the neighborhood will be compensated by the fees. 3

NU 10: What pisses you off in your office? What do you think must be done?

Shhh please…

  

It is healthy to have fun in the office for once in a while because it promotes work-life balance and boosts the morale of the employees. DAILY loud non-work discussion inside the office during office hours is a different case. It is annoying because it already disrupts my concentration as well as those of other employees. It is also very frustrating that I am working out of my mind and there they are, being paid for idly chatting and laughing loudly. 

  

Our office layout is designed in such a way that you can have privacy but still talk to those in your 'area'. Each area contains four workstations designated for each employee (within the same department) and is separated from other areas by 5 ft. dividers. Because of this setup, it is inevitable that the employees in each area would chat with one another.

  

Our office should already take actions because it is negatively affecting other employees. The best way to do this is to install a "Shhh please…" button/tool on every laptop and desktop in the office so that when an employee is disturbed by loud non-work discussions from other workstations, he/she can click this button and a sign that shows "Shhh please..." will light up on every area. To prevent any feeling of disrespect/annoyance from the loud group, only a "Shhh please…" will be indicated instead of "SILENCE PLEASE". In addition, the indicators placed within the work areas, instead of a large single sign for the whole floor to see, will prevent the group from feeling ashamed.

  

This will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the affected employees while maintaining the positive attitude in the office. 4

NU 11: What pisses you off at the School? What must be done?

      Let the school  Help You

Currently, there is no way for students to check the pre-requisites of each course/elective unless they ask the registrar's office directly. It is very inconvenient for students to call or go to the registrar's office to check the pre-requisites of the courses they need to take. Either our time is limited, the school is far from our office/home, or the registrar's office is unavailable.

Because of these limitations and inability to know the pre-requisites immediately, I have already experienced (and several of my classmates also) being unable to register/enroll on a subject because of a pre-requisite I should have already taken. This adds more inconvenience to students because we were only able to take lesser courses than what we have planned. We either had to make up for it by enrolling in more courses in the coming term or lose the chance of graduating on time. It also prevented several students from enrolling in their desired electives because they were unable to take the pre-requisite of the elective. If they wait for the pre-requisite to be finished before they take the elective, they will risk their chance again of graduating on time.

To aid the students, AGSB should create an outline that will show the ideal/optimal flow of courses the students must take to graduate at the least time possible. This will remove the confusion of the students because they will know which course they will prioritize during enrollment. AGSB should also implement a real-time chart in the student's online AGSB page. This will be similar to the proposed outline that shows the ideal/optimal flow of courses but it will already be customized and personalized for each student. This real-time chart will color and label the courses that the student has already taken. This will give the student a clear picture on what subjects he/she still needs to take and which of these subjects he/she should prioritize to get his/her desired electives and more importantly, in order to graduate on time. 3

NU 12: New business opportunities you can think of or just think of whatever new things come into your mind.

-          Anti-spice: Never miss your favorite meal again!

How many times have you missed the opportunity to order a delicious spicy meal because someone from your group does not eat anything spicy? This is usually the case for families that have children with them because most children do not eat spicy food. I, for one, have low tolerance on spicy food and I do not want others to miss out the meals they would like to try because of me.

It is difficult for us too; food lovers like me who have low tolerance in spicy food, because there are countless enticing food in menus that look and sound scrumptious. However, due to our weakness in spice, we are too afraid to try them or enjoy them because we cannot control the level of spiciness even when requested to the restaurant.

These gave me the idea of an anti-spice product. By adding this anti-spice to the designated plate, groups can now order spicy food without worrying that one of them would not be able to eat and food lovers like me can now also order any spicy dish and adjust the spiciness through the amount of anti-spice we will put on our serving.

-          

      DIY bangs (haircut kit)

Bangs are very popular among girls. It is a staple hairstyle and will hardly go out of style. It may look like an easy fix, but the truth is, it is very hard to maintain. It is even harder to maintain than the normal haircut because it always has to be at the right length. If not maintained, it will give a different look. With this high-maintenance characteristic, girls need to spend time and money to go to the salon and have it maintained.

  

Because of this need and high demand, a DIY haircut kit for bangs should be sold. This kit will include a pair of scissors specially designed to cut and style bangs and another tool (similar to a ruler but with an angle) that will be used as a pattern to provide the user a clear guide on the length of hair to cut on a certain area. This tool will also have a clip on its other side to hold the bangs when held up. I noticed that when my bangs are being maintained in the salon, the hairdresser chops it off while holding it up.

This haircut kit will come in 3 variants – 1 for full bangs, 1 for left-side bangs, and 1 for right-side bangs. Its convenience and cheaper price are the main benefits to the users. The interactive process is an additional perk to the users.

  

-           

      Boat engine-powered heated rail for towel and lifevest

The feeling of wind brushing through your skin and the splash of cold water are two of the most enjoyable feelings during island hopping. That is, if you and your clothes are still dry. The feeling is exactly the opposite when you are already on your way back. Your cold and wet clothes are already sticking to your skin and your towel and lifevest are also dripping because of your constant use. Making matters worse, your towel and life vest already have that certain odor when something does not get dried completely. The wind and the splash of water that once had given you pleasure are now making you shiver uncomfortably and hope that the trip back would already end.

What if you can keep your towel and lifevest dry and warm? This can be made possible through a boat engine-powered heated rail for towels and lifevests. It would only cost a little for the owner of the boat because although he has to set up the rail, the heat will come from its own engine. Towels and lifevests of the island hoppers will be placed on this rail when they are not being used – during swimming or tour on an island. This extra effort and innovation would totally improve the experience of the island hoppers. They might find this value-add innovation worthy of a big tip or better yet, they will hire this boat again on their next island hopping and recommend it to their friends and contacts.

 'Invisible' undercover gadgets (location tracker and audio transmitter)

Human beings have an innate need to know everything especially those that are hidden from them. Although this need has been answered by the creation of undercover gadgets, the risk of being discovered is still a greater threat for amateurs (anyone who is not affiliated with undercover jobs). This threat prevents those interested from using these gadgets.

To solve this problem, undercover gadgets should be designed in such a way that their end products will only be thin transparent films that can be glued anywhere like clothes, tables or cars. To ensure that these gadgets will not be discovered, they should be able to auto-dissolve in a given period. There should also be variants of the product depending on their time limit before they dissolve.

  

This kind of products may be very difficult and expensive to produce and to design but with the level of desperation of people, there would still be a market that would be willing to pay just to find answers or to confirm their suspicions.

It is important to note though that the sale of these products should be regulated and monitored by the business. These products can be very dangerous if they are sold to anyone who does not actually need the product (ex. stalkers, columnists, criminals). An investigation department should approve the request first before closing the deal with the buyer. 

---

From: Jennifer Liquete <jenniferliquete@yahoo.com>
To: "jorge.saguinsin.sentrep@blogger.com" <jorge.saguinsin.sentrep@blogger.com>
Cc: "cruz.athens@gmail.com" <cruz.athens@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 5, 2013 11:48 PM
Subject: NU 1 to 6

Hi Sir,

These are my NU submissions for topics 1 to 6. 

NU 1: New attitude / paradigm

The Green Pill

Whether it be for image, confidence, lovelife or health, there has been a great pressure amongst us to look great and feel great, in other words, to be fit and healthy.

 

Well, it's easy for someone who has great self-control and takes time to exercise. What about the majority of us who are easily tempted to eat and have no time to exercise or are lazy enough to do so? We eat a lot of unhealthy food for two sinful reasons: to cope with stress and to satisfy our cravings. After eating, we go back again to feeling bad and depressed because we were not able to suppress our appetite and it brings us further away from our goal.

 

Because of the intense pressure, the lifestyle of the people has also changed. Many have tried and are still trying multiple diet programs such as Atkins, General Motors, and South Beach. Many have also taken different kinds of diet pills and over-the-counter weight-loss pills. There are even those who are desperate enough to buy diet pills online because a friend of a friend who took the pill lost weight. The change in lifestyle can also be evident in the increase in demand for gym and yoga classes offered – from Zumba to Bikram yoga. It can also be seen in the increase in the number of participants who join marathons and other sports.

 

I completely understand these sentiments because no matter how much I try doing most of those things mentioned above, after all that, it is still how and what I eat. It takes a lot of self-control not to eat unhealthy food and most of the time, I just give in because of the two sinful reasons. Since it is more difficult to reduce stress and fight the cravings, I propose the "Green Pill".  It is the means to healthy eating because it will change the way unhealthy food tastes once in our mouths. Its unpleasantly bitter taste will be triggered once it detects a certain level of sugar, salt or oil in our mouths. This will be an effective health pill because it refrains us from eating unhealthy food and at the same time, it does not push us to drastic measures such as the diet programs and diet pills. It will also help us improve our lifestyle by reconditioning our thinking. We will no longer associate unhealthy food as the answer to our stress and there will no longer be a craving for unhealthy food because we will associate it with the unpleasantly bitter taste of the pill. Lastly, this pill will be in a form of a green translucent softgel to give an image that it is healthy and safe to take.

NU 2: New spending habits / routine

Omnisaver App

Let's face it, all of us want to track our expenses. But, with the possibility of having several credit card accounts and multiple cash withdrawals, it is difficult for us to track our expenses. With our limited time, it is hard for us to list one by one all of the credit card transactions and cash withdrawals we made. Since it is hard for us to track our expenses, most of us are not aware of how much we have already spent until we receive our credit card bills or we cannot withdraw any more money from our ATMs. Our lack of awareness can also result to illegal and incorrect charges made from our accounts.

For convenience, accuracy and security, I propose the "Omnisaver App". This app will be linked to the user's mobile or other web-enabled gadgets. We cannot go an hour without checking our phones or gadgets which makes them the most appropriate source for our tracker. Participation from accredited banks is needed because the user must enroll their bank accounts to this app.  The user's credit card spending and cash withdrawals, which will already be assumed as expense, will be tracked real-time by this app. Since it is synced to the gadget, the user is notified for all of his credit card transactions and withdrawals. He can also set a monthly limit for his expenses through this app so that it will trigger him if he is about to reach his maximum monthly expense. To enforce security, this app would also track the number of views made by the user every month. If it is below a certain frequency, the banks can have an automated system which will send an SMS to the user so that he will know that he is already at risk.

NU 3: Professionalism – new work, methods, practices

www.Mommies-Know-Best.com

www.Housewives-Know-Best.com

It is a little disappointing that there is a population of mothers and housewives who were successful in their youth but now, they do not have a work or even a business to run. Although many may have chosen not to work or have a business in the earlier years, it is still a huge loss of opportunity at their side and even greater at the nation's side. There are three major reasons why women choose to become unemployed. They need to take care of their children, do daily housework or they prefer not to work at all. However, the time will eventually come when their children will grow up or they want to experience something more.

It is even more disheartening when housewives arrive at this point and would like to start to work and find success but it is almost impossible for companies to hire them because of their lack of experience and their age. I believe that they can still find success by doing what they do best – be mothers and housewives, and provide assistance and advice to new mothers and housewives. Since their comfort zone is their own homes and it is the most convenient place for them to earn, I propose an online service business called "www.Mommies-Know-Best.com" and "www.Housewives-Know-Best.com".  Mothers and housewives will provide online assistance or on-call support for new mothers and housewives. This is best for emergencies where the new mothers or housewives do not have anyone else to ask or talk to. They can also have a one-on-one or group chat to discuss issues such as money, housekeeping, depression, problems with the family, husband, or children. Given the experiences of the mothers and the housewives, they will be able to appropriately address the issue based on their own experience and from others and give a wise advice for the caller. Customers will also find the online approach as an advantage for them because they can remain anonymous. They just need to register using any username and they will be charged monthly for their membership.

This proposal will provide the mothers and housewives an opportunity to be and feel successful and worthy again and, at the same time, provide a better future for the new mothers and housewives because they can already learn from the past.

NU 4: New processes at work and study

Installation of Efficiency Widget in PCs and Laptops

Social networking sites, websites for streaming series, and online games have become so prevalent since their existence that it has already caused great inefficiency from employees and students. Instead of working or studying, the employee or the student unconsciously spends most of his time to these distractions.

Because inefficiency can never be a good thing for companies and studies, I propose an installation of the "Efficiency Widget" in every computer and laptop being used in the office or by a student. This widget will track the time spent by the employee or the student on the sites and online games. Once the time limit has been reached, the widget will trigger the computer or the laptop to block the non-work/non-school programs. For employees, the company can set the limit to the number of minutes allotted for every employee to get a break. For students, the parents can set the limit. It will be reset again on the next working day for employees and in the morning for students. This widget will be a strong reinforcement for efficiency and it will also discipline the employees and students. It will also lessen the dependency and attachment of the employees and students to the time-consuming sites and games.

NU 5: New products / product improvements

Huh? What Gum?!

Singapore is known for its gum laws, forbidding anyone from selling or consuming gum in the country. It may already be easy for those who have lived almost all of their lives in the country but what about those who transferred for work or education? For someone whose routine includes chewing a gum, it is very difficult to comply to their law. There have already been many cases wherein people were arrested because they have gums in their pockets. Even with the gum law, there is a demand for gums in Singapore, they are just prohibited.

The gum law of Singapore creates an opportunity for a special kind of gum, a water-soluble "gum". For this to be successful, the water-soluble "gum" should have the same consistency and texture as a normal gum but should be able to dissolve slowly when being chewed, similar to a candy. It would be classified as a candy but would be marketed as a gum-substitute.

NU 6: New business ideas

Water Lily of Life

Everytime I go to AGSB, I always pass by the Pasig river. The sight of the immense number of drifting water lilies never fails to amaze me. It is such a waste that that kind of volume is being ignored. Although water lilies are being used by Filipinos for making handicrafts, wouldn't it be better if they are used for more practical and beneficial causes?

My curiosity led me to different innovative uses of water lilies.

The most practical idea is a simple but delicious and healthy soup for the homeless and less fortunate. A feeding program can be tied up with the government or NGOs since it will benefit the nation – feed the hungry and maintain our river.

 

3 Steps for a Fast and Easy Water Lily Soup:

1. Stems of the water lilies will be boiled several times to make sure that these are already edible and to remove the bitter taste.

2. For the soup base, boil rice water with tamarind or kamias, fish sauce and onions.

3. Combine the clean, sliced water lily stems to the soup base

 

On the business side, the medicinal uses of water lilies can be developed and profited from. The market is still small for medicines that use water lilies. This can be the perfect opportunity to introduce a new medicine using an unconventional plant – one that has been ignored but present at all times.

Just some trivia… Did you know that water lilies (specifically Nymphaea odorata) can be used to treat diarrhea and inflamed tissues, gums, mouth and throat?  From this trivia already, various products can already be formed. Since it can treat inflamed gums, mouth and throat, a mouthwash that has water lily as its main ingredient can be developed. Water lilies will be boiled and mixed with mint flavoring. This can be sold at a cheap price to local dentists and small clinics. In partner with a pharmaceutical company, a medicine similar to Diatabs can also be developed to stop diarrhea.

Another product that can be developed is an herbal tea made out of water lily extracts. To make the herbal tea, the water lily will be dried and crushed. There is a market for herbal tea drinkers and a water lily has a natural bitter taste which can be associated with tea. It will have the same medicinal benefits as the water lily medicine but it will have a significantly lower concentration so that it can be consumed daily.

References:

• DeVries, L. (2010). Water Lily. Retrieved February 2013, from Medicinal Herb Info: http://medicinalherbinfo.org/herbs/WaterLily.html
• Tan, R. (2001). Water Lily. Retrieved February 2013, from Naturia: http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/water_lily.htm
• Water Lily. (2013). Retrieved February 2013, from Herbs 2000: http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_water_lily.htm
• Wild Rose College. (n.d.). Water Lily. Retrieved February 2013, from Wild Rose College of Natural Healing: https://www.wrc.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=141&Itemid=536

NU12#6 What pisses you off in the mall? - Nelle Canta

"WHAT PISSES YOU OFF IN THE MALL"

The 3-day sales in SM Malls are really tempting. I used to be super excited to run to the mall and be the first one to check on the sale items. However, the increasing population makes the shops look like there is a stampede going on. People just keep on entering the shops even if it's very packed already. I hate it more when people keeps on pushing you to move forward and not even say excuse me or say sorry when they have stepped on my foot.

Loud music during sales events is also irritating. They can catch the attention of the people but the music should not be almost on the highest level which can make your eardrums shake.

Another observation is the shop managers should establish a queuing system like a batch of 12 persons which will be given maximum of 20 minutes to look around and shop. Every shopper who will be finished earlier than the prescribed 20 minutes allotment can be replaced by a new shopper. With this system, the shoppers will have convenience in shopping and can avoid the massive crowd which causes hassle. Some shops are already doing this, but I have only noticed this in shops like Lacoste and Havaianas.

Another thing that pisses me off is the little availability of clean restrooms. SM malls have fewer restrooms compared to Ayala malls. They should have a restroom for every alley or every strip. I think the malls should set a standard on the proximity of restrooms. And there should be a standard in the sanitation of the restrooms. Some of the restrooms do not have the trash can inside the urinal cubicle. Malls should have a budget for these trashcans since it is not that costly.

In parking, malls should follow SM's parking system in MOA and Southmall. It is very hard to look for a parking space especially if the parking space is very vast. The light parking space indicator is very helpful as it shows you where the available spaces are, and the taken ones. Green light means available while red light means it's occupied. Whoever invented the green and red light parking space locator is a genius. 3

NU12 'what pisses you off at the mall

What pisses you off at the mall?  What do you suggest?

"Malling" as we know it in the Philippines means sauntering inside a facility which encloses a variety of shops enticing people to enter and buy their goods or avail their services.  It has been a common way of life for the average Filipino.  Our family holds our bonding moments on Sundays and most of the time we visit different malls to try different restaurants and spend the day eating out and looking for things which might satisfy our cravings.  The one thing that pisses me off are the attitudes of some of the salesladies who are overzealous in selling their wares.   This event normally happens in the tiangges where stores are situated side by side and opposite each other leaving only an aisle small enough to make passers by take a side step so as not to bump an oncoming person.    I most hate it when they call me "maam, bili na po kayo, ano hanap nyo?"  Although this might not be bothersome to others, I simply want to ignore them more even if I see something of interest in their store.  I want to enjoy my window shopping without the nagging of these persons whom I know is just making a living. 

My only suggestion for this type of behavior is for them to wait until the customer asks them regarding their wares then and only then will they respond to entice the customer to purchase their goods.  Salesladies are there to make a "sale" however, they should understand that as potential buyers, we have different personalities which some of us are very hard to please. Giving the buyer space to decide their needs and at the same time, being available for them when the need arises is one that would help us decide otherwise.

JAN 19, 2013

NEW SPENDING HABITS/ROUTINE

During my undergraduate years, I was fortunate enough to be exposed to a life of dependence when it comes to money matters. I was even luckier enough to be given a credit card extension from my brother. Shopping and luxury was part of my life. I became out of control. I was a shopaholic. Payday would mean having time to go to the mall and squander although, maturity opened new ideas and perspective in life. As my previous motto was spend till you drop…. The new motto became why spend? I was more mindful with what I buy but still I see myself having a shopping spree.

When I started to have my family, my perception became more different. I was more conscious with the value of money. Buying was not for me alone but for the family. I mostly use my credit card to keep track of expenses and check on my statements every month to monitor my expenditure. For my income, I make it a point to place 25-30% of my savings in the bank or better still, have a separate account where I usually place my savings. I refrain from going to the mall not unless the need would arise. But then, the shopper in me would rise up once in a while like indulging myself in food. This I still have to work on… As I was listening in the radio where the topic was how to manage your finances, a new idea popped up. This would mean, placing my money or card in an envelope where logging in all expenses are to placed in the envelope. The speaker said it works. Well, this I still would have to find out. But hopefully, yes…. At least, I still have to discipline myself into doing these things… improving my spending habits.  <no author>

NU12 #1 by Ana G. Mendoza

WHAT PISSES YOU OFF AT THE MALL?

Malls are one of the places that the family would normally go to for bonding. It is where friends, acquaintances, lovers and even individuals go to for some quality time, shopping or simply to unwind. One can imagine how much profit the mall gets for every single person that goes in and out of it.

I am really pissed off with the way they handle security. Each time our car would enter the parking area, the guards would ask us to stop check the under the car for any sign of bombs or deadly weapons or ask us to open the compartment or the back of the car. How can mall only think of these? What if I hide the bomb inside the car or under the matting or the seats of the car? Will they be able to detect it? The owners and operators of the mall should realize that the safety of the people should come first. Without the people they will not have income. It is but fair to protect their safety and the mall as well.

Instead of these mirrors that I find so funny and stupid, why not invest in detectors that can check the car every time it passes or better yet put K9 dogs to assure the security of everybody. I know this will be a big money to shell out for the malls but what is money if the safety of your shoppers is at stake. They should realize that they would also lose a lot once worst situation such as bombing of a mall will happen.

Another thing that pisses me off at the mall are the restrooms that require you to pay. Although comparing it in using a restroom that is free, the pay restroom is cleaner, with tissues, lotions and a nice and calming scent. Can one not get it for free since the mall charges their tenants high rentals? Powerplant since it caters to highend customers makes sure that their restrooms are very clean complete with hand soaps and tissues. I think Trinoma, since it is also a high end mall should do the same. It just pisses me off that Trinoma charges an extra 10 pesos for people who would want to use and clean and fragrant restroom. 3

Fwd: WHAT PISSES YOU OFF AT THE MALL? WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Blessie Miralles <blessmiralles@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, May 15, 2012 at 2:45 AM
Subject: WHAT PISSES YOU OFF AT THE MALL? WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST?
To: jorge.saguinsin.jorgeus@blogger.com

One thing that pisses me off at the mall is when there are a lot of people and there's no parking space available.  Malls should also have color coding or number scheme for its customers.  They should also charge people who goes to the mall and don't buy anything.  Since the trend in real estate is developing malls with condominiums, malls should offer free shuttle to those who reside in the same community to lessen the number of cars which have to park.

Another are comfort rooms.  Fortunately, some of the malls have attendants inside the comfort room who regularly checks if there are tissue papers, hand soap, etc.  All malls should have attendants in their wash room. 

Malls should also have green initiatives of recycling water, i.e, water used in hand washing or dish washing should be recycled and used for cleaning public areas or watering plants. 

Blessie S. Miralles

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One can live magnificently in this world if one knows how to work and how to love, to work for the person one loves and to love one's work.  -- Leo Tolstoy

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One can live magnificently in this world if one knows how to work and how to love, to work for the person one loves and to love one's work.  -- Leo Tolstoy

NU 12 - What pisses you off at the mall? What do you suggest? KC

Hi Sir,

Here is my 3rd blog entry for NU 12.

Thank you!

--Kathleen Crisostomo

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Crisostomo, Kathleen Lizette C.

ENTREP

NU 12: What pisses you off at the mall?  What do you suggest?

DISCLAIMER: I know nothing about mall operations.  I'm just a customer. J

The urban Filipino's pastime is going to the mall.  I work along Ayala Avenue and Greenbelt 5 is just at the back of our building.  Whenever I get stressed, I just take a stroll until I reach The Landmark, Glorietta or even SM Makati.  Window shopping has been painful during economic struggles but has kept me dreaming on what to do with the spare money I have when I receive my next paycheck.

Instead of focusing on how a mall looks like, I picked out a particular mall and focused on their department store unit: The Landmark Makati.  My wallet develops an increased spending power here compared to its posh neighbors and can even compete with prices of those in Divisoria.  This however does not come without a price.  I started to wonder, is customer service indirectly proportional to prices in the mall?

An expatriate friend from the UK told me that whenever she buys shoes at the Landmark and asks for another size, she needs to wait for 30 minutes before she receives a response.  "There is a bigger chance you will not see the sales person ever again.  It's like they are just waiting for you to get tired of waiting and to leave", she said.  True enough, it does take long for us to wait to get some feedback considering the number of sales personnel.  If you make a follow-up with other sales personnel, they will tell you it is not under their jurisdiction and you should just wait for the one who looked for your pair of shoes.  This happened to me several times already and is the main reason why I don't buy shoes there no matter how dirt cheap they are.

With the number of trinkets being sold and left as is within the department store, it is very easy to shoplift in The Landmark.  Just to clarify-- no, I did not shoplift and I do not intend to.  I'm just wondering why only the south sea pearls are kept in glass shelves while the hair accessories and jewelries are displayed as is with few sales personnel monitoring the number of customers who try them on.  Unnoticed theft of these small items could probably sum up to the worth of the south sea pearls.  It made me wonder about their security system since it is easy to step out of the mall and move to the next establishment.  To get feedback from another mall, I have spoken with a saleslady from SM.  She told me that their branch's strategy to combat shoplifting is to hire tall sales personnel.  I was astounded.

The sales people need some serious customer service training.  Yes, the job is tiring and repetitive and they will need to encounter customer complaints.  I understand that the market being catered at The Landmark is not the same market being catered in Rustan's, and I also do not expect them to act posh.  However, they are still the front liners in the mall and this mall is still in Makati CBD.

On normal circumstances in the mall, the price of an item is indicated on a sticker/tag along with its bar code.  When you reach the counter, the cashier scans the barcode and the item details flash on the screen.  If there is a problem, the cashier requests assistance from someone who can get a similar item, looks for the item personally, or contacts her supervisor.  My biggest problem with The Landmark occurs just when I am about to pay for the item.  The manual encoding system of purchases has become a headache.  You cannot just get an item and pay in the nearest counter.  The sales person in charge needs to give you first a purchase slip which you have to present to the counter before you can pay for the item, or worse, before you retrieve your item from the sales person.  The sales transaction will not occur without this piece of paper.  The price is then encoded manually.  I bought a ribbon from the ground floor once but had to buy a lot of other items in the fourth floor.  When I reached the counter, they would not process the payment because I need to go back to the ground floor and to get the purchase slip from a missing sales person.  In the end, I no longer purchased the ribbon even if that was the reason why I went to the mall in the first place.

Proposed Solutions:

My biggest problem in Landmark is the easiest one I can find a solution to.  They just need to upgrade their POS (point of sale) system.  Similar to how manufacturing companies work, if they are able to scan the barcode of an item then it should automatically be deducted from the number of supplies listed.  This will make inventory management easier for all their vendors and will make the payment transaction process more efficient.  In a world turning paperless, the company should void away from using handwritten purchase slips.  If a purchase slip is still needed, it can be done electronically while cashiers receive the alert in their system.  POS systems maybe expensive but would add value in the long run.

In line with the POS system, with a more efficient DBMS (database management system), sales personnel should be able to check if there are still available stocks in the inventory.  This will cause them not to spend 30 minutes looking for a size 7 pair of black Janylin pointed pumps while another customer is requesting for a size 9 of the same product in green.

I trust that The Landmark's security system is better than what I have initially thought of but they do have to work on securing their items.  People shop like crazy at The Landmark weeks before the Christmas party season because of several items which can be used as gifts and all those pens, magnets, keychains and figurines are just spread out in a table.  They don't need to keep these items on a glass case like the south sea pearls but some form of rearrangement will do.

The biggest thing to change will be the intangible problems, such as culture.  As I learned in HUMRES, in order for you to change the culture, you have to change the artifacts.  The front liners should definitely be trained for better customer service orientation.  Now that The Landmark is going through renovation, this is a good time to also renovate the culture of their people.  This will make them more competitive as they will have low cost items with better service.

I have to admit that I have visited The Landmark Trinoma just once and realized it was quite different from the one in Makati.  I hope the culture there infects the renovation of their Makati branch. 4 < you can now run a dept store>

Nu6 What Pisses me off at the Mall

NU 6 PAPER – WHAT PISSES ME OFF AT THE MALL

ENTREPRENEURSHIP by Mr. Jorge Saguinsin

4^th NU6 Submission

Submitted by R110083

October 30, 2011

By and large, going to the mall ought to be a pleasant experience;  one that would always entice me to keep going back. Unfortunately, lately, something has annoyed me in the malling experience as to make me think twice of going unless necessary so. 

The one thing that I find annoying lately is the noise.  The pervasive pollution created by in-house music, coupled with noise from establishments particularly from amusement centers and restaurants is too much as to prevent me from thinking clearly.  The atmosphere within the department store has gotten so noisy as to suggest an ambiance of being in the marketplace. This makes me rush to accomplish the errand I was there for and have me head for the exit at the soonest possible time.

What this means for the mall management, I hope they realize, is diminished customer traffic because of reduced customer contact and therefore results to lower revenue.

What may I suggest to address this concern:

To the extent that I can control my circumstance, here are MY COURSES OF ACTION:

·      Delegate the errand to another so as to avoid the unpleasantness altogether.

·      Arrange meetings and socialization away from the mall scene.

·      Choose malls which have considerably addressed this concern and have kept the noise level to a tolerable minimum.

COURSES OF ACTION FOR THE MALL MANAGEMENT:

·      Provide specific areas where comfortable silence may be enjoyed… quiet pleasant shopping experience may be provided.  Designate these areas with signs that clearly suggest customers may enjoy more quiet and peace. Background Music may be supplied but a decidedly lower volume and with emphasis on background and not overwhelm conversation.

·      Seek and install noise reduction technology… employ Green architectural designs that will eliminate noise pollution.

·      Offer head or ear gear of some sort for free or rent for those who want to protect their ears from the assault that comes with certain areas of the mall.

By addressing these concern, mall management will gain favor with customers like myself and I am not in the minority.  They will be able to increase revenue and customer loyalty from customers who have the power to impact their bottomline.

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