A huge number of visitors come to the shopping malls, which are about 300 in Ukraine today. For example, Prospekt shopping mall meets more than 50 thousand guests every day. Someone comes alone, someone with their companies. Many come with their families.

In December, the family companies' number is always bigger even on weekdays, because everyone is preparing for the New Year holidays, choosing gifts for their relatives and spending leisure together. The Arricano team believes that shopping with the whole family is also excellent therapy, a wonderful way to «switch» after the fast working days into the «weekend mode».

Today, Arricano managers are not managers, but buyers in Prospekt shopping mall. We asked each family three questions about shopping malls:

1. How often do you visit the shopping mall and why? Who among you loves going to the shopping mall and who does not? Why?

2. Do you plan your purchases in advance or prefer spontaneous shopping?

3. Without what is it impossible for your family to imagine the visit to the shopping mall?

Mykhailo Merkulov, CEO / Anastasiia Merkulova answers:

1. The shopping mall can be compared to a black hole in the middle of the city: if people already get there, it will be a long time for them ... especially in discounts and sales season. Unfortunately, we can't always resist the temptation. As practice shows, most often the families are encouraged for shopping by moms. Encouraged is still a modest word. However, it is vice versa in our family. Although no, everything depends on what we are going to buy. If this is a new collection in Name's, then we'll soon lose our mother. If the new Xiaomi's model came out, then dad and brother can't be easily pulled out from the electronics store. And if the Art Mart has new brushes for painting, then you shouldn't think long where I can be.

2. It's not that we are exemplary buyers, but we always have a clear plan or a list of what we need to buy. However the pre-planned purchases are very often amended with something else, which you suddenly remember of or you find extremely necessary during shopping.

3. I could say that it's impossible without a credit card, but the truth is that it's quite feasible! After all, a shopping mall is not just a bunch of shops and bright signs about discounts. A shopping mall is a place, where you can have a great time with your family or friends. We sometimes come to the shopping mall for various festivals and events. It's always a great pleasure and a lot of positive emotions!

Tetiana Novitska, CFO:

1. We visit shopping malls quite often. On the one hand, it is the need to buy a sufficient amount of food and essentials for a week during weekends, but on the other (and, as for me, this is probably the main reason) - break out of everyday's life in a beautiful, comfortable place with the whole family, have fun, eat something delicious and often, not the most useful. For us, a trip to the shopping mall has for a long time been a trip to buy something, and sometimes there is no such goal at all. In our family everyone loves trips to the shopping mall.

2. I like spontaneous shopping. Pre-planned and, often, necessary purchases don't give such pleasure, and often, even tire me. Although, the husband, of course, doesn't always approve the spontaneity in shopping, as for the family budget the consequences are not predictable. He prefers planning purchases, and if it is provided with a detailed list, it would be even better.

3. Without a good mood of all family members, and especially the smallest ones, we can't imagine going to the shopping mall. We also like having enough time when we «do not rush». When we decide which shopping mall to choose, one of the most important reasons is the convenient and large parking availability, and a qualitative mother and child room availability in the shopping mall.

Svitlana Renkas, Director of the Legal Department (residents):

1. Who does not like visiting shopping malls? We like it very much. For our family, a trip to the shopping mall contains shopping, cinema, and entertainment. We often buy, once a month, and think it over in great details. Love and visiting shopping mall are things that are interconnected for our family. Thoughtful shopping mall's visiting is a pleasure and emotions. I love both shopping malls and shopping itself. Our child will only be pleased with shopping, when he's buying presents for him and his friends. My husband isn't very fond of shopping too.

2. Our family prefers planning purchases. As a woman I love spontaneous shopping. Sometimes, it's nice to see a beautiful dress and buy it right away, despite the fact that the plan was for perfume or lipstick. I have reserved a special place for flowers during shopping. I like it when the shopping malls' have such boutique islands. Emotion from a pleasant purchase is a pledge of longevity!

3. We can't imagine our trip to the shopping mall without money! And also without convenient parking, without a certain set of shops and, of course, without an atmosphere in the shopping mall. These components are easy to find in Prospekt and RayON shopping malls.

Nataliia Dmytrenko, CMO

1. Profdeformation takes its course - I quite often go to the shopping malls. Of course, I primarily go to Prospekt and RayON, if we are talking about Kyiv. We practically never visit the shopping mall with the family, unless we go to Multiplex. My husband, like most normal husbands, is indifferent to shopping, but he is always ready to go and try on what I saw the day before.

Our daughter is a very responsible shopper, at times she is more reasonable than me in matters of shopping, which, of course, pleases. She practically finds everything on the Internet, buys something there, and for something we visit shopping mall. She’s a complicated client, in a word. And it is unclear how marketing should affect her as a consumer. When she says «it's expensive, we'll wait for discounts» or «this purchase is not included in my plans for today» - it sounds for me like an anecdote about a man with a list against which marketing is powerless. It’s a full marketing blocking.

2. We're planning everything. Until we get to the NAMES'UA. This is some kind of enchanted place, where all plans are turned off and the «want» button is turned on.

3. I can't imagine going to the shopping mall without a coffee break and «tasting» something new in Brocard. Generally, coffee as the final ritual of getting rid of money in a shopping mall is a wonderful tradition. It allows you to turn shopping from the «vanity» category into a real pleasure. Gastronomic pleasures are eternal.

Hanna Chubotina, Director of the Retail Spaces Department:

1. We make family trips to the shopping mall for couple of times per month. Usually, we do this to watch a cartoon or go to a children's entertainment center. We rarely go shopping together. Most of all, my son likes to go to the shopping mall. These are exclusively positive emotions and gifts for him.

Andrii goes to shopping malls only in case of emergency. I am the most frequent shopping malls' visitor from the whole family to, in many respects, because it is directly related to my work. I try to quickly buy what I planned, drink coffee, go to the bookstore, watch the visitors, what they wear and which stores' packages do they have in their hands.

2. We prefer planning purchases in advance. Moreover, we separate visits by shopping for children and for ourselves. Shopping can turn into torture without a clear plan, especially with children. We've maximum of an hour and a half for purchasing with our son, which includes a toy store; that's why a rare trip to the shopping mall can't do without a small, but a toy car. Recently, our son refused to put on his shoes, as they fit too tightly for him - read «doesn't like». We realized that he isn’t indifferent to what he's wearing; he already wants to participate in the process.

As for my husband and me, we advise each other, especially if it concerns expensive purchases. My husband buys less than me, and rarely goes to the shopping malls. I am a frequent visitor - I combine a trip to a shopping mall with work tasks, I run to a store after a meeting in Prospekt shopping mall or in RayON shopping mall.

3. Since we have a very small daughter, it is very important that there was a mother and child room in the shopping mall, and there was an opportunity to leave clothes in the wardrobe in winter. It is vital to have gaming spaces in the restaurant, where the older child could keep himself busy under the animators' supervision. The opportunity to relax and enjoy the leisure time depends on the gaming room availability, pizza and a new toy.

Olena Obukhivska, PR Manager:

1. We visit the shopping mall quite often. That’s because it is necessary to buy something for the house, wardrobe or personal creative. We spend a lot of time with Yulia for creativity and development, so we always need something new. And we also want to «update» outfits, emotions, impressions.

2. I personally prefer fan-shopping. I plan the necessary, and enjoy from what I «want». My fourth new black dress gave both confidence and pleasure: turning into shopping hunter drives me.

3. As for me, a shopping mall is a place where you can feed your child with a favorite dish without wasting time on home cooking, tell each other secrets and discuss a new film, unexpectedly buy a child unplanned toys or make her a kind of surprise. We like going shopping together, discussing «what and why do we like more», learn more about the closest people preferences. And at home - unpacking purchases and getting pleasure from a good day. It brings together.

Inna Sotnikova, Director of Prospekt shopping mall, and RayON shopping mall:

1. In our family shopping malls' visiting depends on the time of the year. For example, in winter, we visit the shopping malls more often and stay there for much longer time than in summer. The decision to visit the shopping mall is taken collectively. The presence of a children's entertainment center (CRC), a good restaurant with delicious food and a coffee shop, plays a decisive role in visiting a specific shopping mall. Also, this decision is influenced by a certain occasion: birthday, meeting with friends, film premiere, event in the shopping mall, etc.

2. The planning is done in advance, we select the things we like or need, we estimate their costs in online stores, compare them, wait for interesting offers, and we go shopping with ready solutions. We plan our staying in the shopping mall in advance: CRC alongside with grocery shopping, delicious food, movies, etc. Spontaneous purchases in our family include gifts, books, hosiery, services, etc.

3. Shopping malls without a children's entertainment center, cinema and delicious restaurant are not considered by our family for visiting.

Oleksandr Nemer, IT Director:

1. We visit the shopping mall once in two weeks. Oksana loves shopping the most, and as for daddy, he is attracted by new audio and video equipment stores, and innovations in the shopping mall, cinema - I love the novelties in the film industry and a good sound! Milana is captured by gaming zones, music, balloons and, of course, shops with children's toys. The whole family likes having a snack or just drinking coffee in a cozy family cafe or restaurant. Our family appreciates a comfortable atmosphere and safety in the shopping mall.

2. More often our family plans purchasing in advance, I always insist on the list, but my wife likes also spontaneous purchases. When Oksana goes shopping alone, that's when the spontaneous purchases happen. And can she do without them?

3. We can't imagine visiting shopping mall without balloons for our daughter and delicious coffee for us.

Maya Antonova, the Head of the Administrative Department:

1. We all like visiting the shopping mall, but we come here about 2-3 times a month. Most of all our child likes going in the shopping mall and he remains satisfied, as he always leaves with a new toy. As for me and my husband, we are always entering the shopping mall in good mood, but we leave it exhausted. Apparently, this skill needs training.

2. In 90% of cases we leave the shopping mall with completely different purchases than they're planned. As practice shows, if we need buying shoes, we wouldn't like any on that day, but we'll buy a pretty dress, which feats me much.

3. As our shopping largely depends on our child's mood (we spend a good half of a day here), a children's room, a shop with toys and a cafe with a children's area are mandatory in the shopping mall. For example, when we visit Prospekt, Matvii enters the shopping mall and goes straight to the second floor after the toys. After receiving a new toy, the kid pulls us to Fly Park and, no matter how we try to bypass the children's zone, he'll still find the way there. When Matvii is tired of running there, he quietly leaves, dresses, picks up his eyes and says, while rubbing his stomach: «Mommy, I think I'm hungry. Shall we go and eat?» And we have no choice but going to the cafe - our son commands the shopping and we obey.

Mykola Yakymenko, the Head of Development and Operations Departments:

1. My family goes to the shopping mall almost every weekend. I like going to the shopping mall least of all, and my wife and daughters like it most of all. They like going to the shopping mall on the slightest occasion and without, mostly for shopping. For me, going to a shopping mall can be fun, only if it's connected with entertainment. If a shopping mall's visiting involves shopping, then this is another mood, this is a task that needs to be done.

2. I'm planning purchases in advance, and my wife and daughters, in the majority cases, make purchases spontaneously. I sometimes get the impression that the female half of my family goes to the shopping mall more for the mood than for shopping. They can get to the shopping mall simply to stroll, eat something tasty, try on a favorite thing, and watch a movie. This can be a complete spontaneity for girls.

3. We aren't going to the shopping mall without a good mood and a sufficient amount of money. Our family loves shopping malls, where everything is in one place - entertainment, cafes and shopping, which are clean, cozy and you've a positive mood. And it should have a convenient parking.

Source: http://mallsclub.com/komanda-arricano-vsej-semej-v-torgovyj-tsentr/