Revamp Our Paradise

There has been substantiate amount of renovation and reconstruction going on, especially on the shopping belts, during the past five years. Ten years ago, I would not imagine an underground linking City Hall MRT to Suntec City. What this means is while Suntec City would probably remain a frequently-visited place due to its large retail space and highly-profiled exhibitions, fans have to bear with the dull walk across the war memorial park and bad weather on a lucky day. Now, look what we have today.... Citylink Mall, which not only link us to the faraway land of Suntec, but is itself, a shoppers' haven. Old kid on the block, Marina Square, has just completed its $120 million makeover.... and for a few times, the word 'makeover' is used with exceptional appropriateness. It seems like a whole new navigating experience when I walked around the mall recently. The question on my head is not how am I going to get around this place. The question is how did they do this. It is as if I have reached the 8th wonder of the world.

Considering that the average age of a shopping complex in the city is about 15 years old (not supported by official statistics, yet) and changes around the world is taking place at breakneck speed by the second, our obsession with revamping might not cease in the near future. And cease, it will not. We have another confirmation from The Straits Times that Orchard Road is going to be revamped and the specific, individual development are reported. Most notably, that of Far East Plaza and Crown Hotel. This is, more likely than not, in response to competition from major shopping belts that is going to emerge in City Hall and HarbourFront. Not to mention the Integrated Resorts, further South.

Looking at the big picture, we know that these are for the cause of attracting more tourists to our country. Looking at the same big picture again, I cannot help asking whether Singaporeans, in general, are ready and willing to take on this task of attracting more tourists. The physical aspect of redesigning our retail industry is addressed more than adequately, but what about other aspects which really matters: Customer services and the way we do things. Perhaps we can imagine a revamped shopping mall as a wife who has regain her beauty after a plastic surgery.

On customer service, I hardly find an impluse to write a complimentary letter for a service well-provided. More often than not, inspite of fearing for my own blood pressure, I find it very justified to remember poor attitude to customer services. Can anyone stand with a salesperson who greets you while looking the other way round because they thought you are going to ignore them? Can anyone stand with a salesperson whose head seems bigger because of the brand they are helping to enhance? Generally, frontline staffs do not understand the nature of their job and are simply not respecting their profession enough. They only seem to understand these when serving a expriate or tourists. Even so, they are not ranked highly on a recent customer service survey done on tourists worldwide. Why? I leave you to explain this. The same survey on the locals, the absolute sales supplier, would paint a worse picture. Just as a beautiful wife is not of much use if she finds even smiling at you a chore, there is no point making the malls beautiful when services are ugly.

Then it is the way we do things, especially the way we have to close our shops in the city before 10pm on weekdays. And it is not because we need to open our shops at 6am the next morning. A dating, working couple would find themselves going nowhere but home after a 45-minute dinner. Perhaps to watch a movie. That explains why there are lesser and lesser movie goers in other parts of the world, while there are more here. Today (25th June 2005, Saturday) is brutally honest when asking whether we have nothing better to do. Professionals who clock limitless overtime would find shopping a luxury, although they have the money. During the beginning of the Great Singapore Sale, I was embarassed when three shopping malls openly publicized their midnight shopping hours for one night each over the weekend to kickstart the festival. Our tourists, especially those from cities as modern as ours, must have had a good laugh at this. It seems that the bosses prefer their shops to close earlier, thus reducing operating overheads. It seems that the employees are not willing to work late hours. Come to a consensus, bosses and employees, you know the way to make Singapore a better place. In my opinion, the spirit of a city lies on its night's life. Perhaps that is why we still have people referring Orchard Road as town. There is little life after dark. I may suggest to the cut-cost committee to switch off alternate street lamps since night entertainment is so limited and there is really not much people and vehicles after midnight. Therefore, just as a beautiful wife is not of much use if she sleeps early and wakes up late, a revamped shopping belt would not be much attractive if it closes its door when customers are calling.

I am not protesting for the Government to do something. They have done enough. In some circumstances, their powers are limited. The onus is now significantly upon us to make this land we call home a more interesting place... everyday. A city which truly does not sleep. A place where the streets lamps are better utilised, with policemen who loves night duties in the city. Changes is excellent and that includes changes to intangibles which matter.... still have a long way to go to becoming a beautiful and good wife.