Shoppers Push Back on Premium Parking Fees

Deptford Mall in New Jersey has rolled out a “Premier Parking” option. It allows patrons to pay $10 to park closer to the mall entrances via QR-coded spaces. On its face, it’s a small experiment, roughly 40 of the mall’s 5,000 spots, less than 1%. The free lots remain, so this is optional, but as shoppers pointed out, the principle of paying for what’s always been free feels like a shift.

It’s not the first mall to try charging for parking, especially premium spaces. Cherry Creek Mall in Colorado faced backlash years ago when paid parking was introduced. Sales reportedly dropped and many said they simply stopped coming in. And in Deptford’s case, some of the premium spots are sitting empty, suggesting shoppers aren’t buying the value proposition yet. From what we’ve seen, the success of paid parking depends heavily on context: the density of competition, the walk from free lots, whether customers perceive the fee as reasonable for convenience, and local consumer sentiment...