Standing room only: The bizarre absence of benches in Singapore’s glitzy malls

SINGAPORE: If you’ve ever strolled through an expansive shopping mall and pondered why your feet are sore and throbbing with no seats in sight, you’re not alone. One Redditor recently voiced a sentiment that many have felt but never articulated — why are there so few free seating options in shopping centres, particularly in a city-state with a large elderly population? Places like Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and Orchard Central in Singapore, the Redditor pointed out, appear predominantly bereft of places to relax without shelling out some dollars.

However, netizens were fast to highlight that the shortage of public seating isn’t a mistake — it’s a tactic. “Every sitting visitor is a wasted space and time in business terms,” one Redditor wrote candidly. The reasoning is simple — a buyer on her feet is more likely to spend than one sitting on a bench. In the eyes of mall operatives, every bench is a possible sale sliding away.

This viewpoint might sound greedy, but it’s ingrained in unemotional business maths. Another commenter noted that the seats are frequently taken by ageing patrons. From a profit perspective, this demographic, while socially significant, isn’t always the target customer, so malls give priority to foot traffic and income, not ease and comfort.

“Developers realised that free seats mean people sitting around not spending money,” another Redditor clarified. “So instead, they took away the seats and put in F&B. Now, when you sit, you’re obliged to spend money.”

It’s an intentional design choice, claimed those who know renter policies and understand customer experience (CX) development. Take MBS, for instance, which is identified as a luxury shopping and upscale dining destination. The setting is prudently arranged to inhibit casual strolling. Rather than benches, exhausted customers are pushed towards boutique coffee shops or restaurants, where relaxation comes with a price tag.

However, a few malls have kicked the trend. Funan, for example, has become a chosen location for those in search of a more accepting atmosphere. “There’s a load of seating areas, free-to-use power sockets, and fantastic amenities for cyclists,” a Redditor noted. Funan’s model implies that seating, when meticulously integrated, can boost the mall’s appeal without reducing profits.

However, they are the exception, not the rule. “In hyper-capitalist environments, doing things just for public good is rare,” another commenter bewailed. “That’s why legal minimums are required. Unless it benefits the bottom line, it doesn’t happen.”

Essentially, malls aren’t public spaces; they’re for business. While they may imitate the shared feeling of piazzas or town squares, their chief objective remains the generation of ROI. Seating, unless it serves that purpose, is usually viewed as a liability.

But as customer outlooks change and rivalry among malls surges, maybe more developers will begin to see that a contented and relaxed shopper just might become a loyal one.