MANAGEMENT of the Giftland Mall has announced that a fee of $3,000 will be charged to enter the mall during the holiday season, especially when there is a noticeable amount of loiterers.

The management of the complex had employed a similar strategy last year to reduce the level of loitering in the mall, to allow genuine shoppers to be comfortable and again this is their intention, said Owner of Giftland Mall, Roy Beepat, during a press conference on Monday.

Beepat explained that this decision was taken after customers requested them to institute the system they had last year to handle the shopping situation. Asked why the price was increased from $1,000 last year to the current price, Beepat said the project was successful, so they decided to increase the cost in order to further decrease the number of loiterers.

Although he said the days when the charge will be instituted is not fixed, persons who pay will be able to use the money to purchase items worth the fee on the same day. Persons who hold VIP cards are expected to be exempted from paying the fee.
In order to ensure that shoppers are safe, they will be working with the Guyana Police Force to have 30 additional officers in the mall and in the parking lot during the holiday season, said Beepat. “I don’t want people to feel that Giftland is against young people, but we have to do this to ensure that things do not get out of hand,” said the owner of the mall.

He added that they went as far as to ensure that persons get parking at the nearby Aquatic Centre, Arthur Chung Conference Centre and in front of the CARICOM Secretariat. Guyana Chronicle pitched the idea of the fee to customers who were in the mall on Monday. Although some were in support of the idea, others said it might be challenging for them, since most persons might be inclined to shop on a budget or even use the opportunity to pick a particular item that they intend to buy on another day.