$20 an hour is already considered expensive for parking fees. And that was way back in 1999, so for sure their fees may have increased by now. I'd rather commute than pay that much in parking fees.
I don't think that there is a difference between a paid parking lot as compared to the free ones. There might be added security, but this is not a guarantee that your car is fully secured. On my case, I scout the parking lot first. If I see that the place is well lit, and has a lot of cars or people moving in and out of the compound, I'd park my car there. Otherwise, I'll just go to the paid parking where my car can be secured under a CCTV supervised area.
Come to think of it, the only people that would really benefit from paid parking would be the owners of those luxury vehicles, because paid parking that is sheltered and has CCTV cams are indeed more secure. If your car isn't that expensive or it's even a very old and dilapidated model, then I think the free parking would do since it is less "interesting" to thieves..
Years ago, a local mall charged people that wanted to park in covered parking. During the summer, these spots usually filled up quickly. It is no fun getting into a car that's sat in the Arizona sun in July. The seat is almost impossible to sit on, and a hot steering wheel makes it extremely difficult to drive. Nowadays, I don't think any local mall charges for parking. I think they know that if they do, then we'll all just stay home and shop with our mouse.
I never knew that people ever had to pay to park at the mall. Every mall I've ever been to just has a run-of-the-mill standard parking lot.
I never pay for parking when I go to the mall. Thankfully, the malls around here don't really charge to park close to the mall. You can even park in the garage without a fee, which is nice. I know there is one mall on the high end side of town that has valet parking, but that's not something I think I'd ever pay for. A little exercise never hurt anyone!
The only malls that require a person pay for parking are in the downtown core. Out malls are underground and so is the parking. Obviously there is additional expense in making parking this way so I don't mind that they charge for it. Most people who shop downtown either live there or take transit into town so the parking lots are often not full. Other malls outside of the downtown core are free parking. I don't think that a mall in our city could charge for parking and expect customers. There are too many options available to park for free and most people would go elsewhere if they had to pay. Personally, I rarely shop downtown and I take transit if I go there. I would not want to pay to park to shop at stores that exist in every other local mall. Maybe I am cheap but it not only saves money for me to avoid these places, it saves time because driving in and out of the downtown core can be a slow and painful process.
Malls in the suburbs have lots and lots of free parking. If the mall is downtown, it's better to have a full day's worth of parking at a nearby parking lot rather than using the underground parking, because then you can go out to eat or walk around the city without having to worry about your car. Then again, I just take the bus or walk, so I don't have a lot of personal experience in this. It's much easier to not have to worry about where to park, when to pick up your car, etc.
We have at least three malls our family goes to. However, one of the malls we go to, it takes forever to find a parking spot. You end up circling the mall and it really gets annoying. Therefore, whenever we go to that particular mall, we head straight to valet to avoid wasting time looking for a spot. We have no trouble parking at the other malls.
I do pay for parking almost every time I go to the mall, unfortunately. The malls here usually have a free parking space too, but I just prefer to pay for parking and have my car parked indoors especially when the weather here gets way too hot. If I'm trying to save then I don't have much problems with the outdoor parking too, and I also often use it whenever I'll only be getting a few items and won't be staying long, but the problem there is that because it's free, a lot of people are fighting for the spaces and it's not always easy to find an available one.
I see. I guess you don't have to pay a large amount like $25 just to be able to park, right? Because I think paying for parking is justified when it's affordable because you will get some convenience as compared to choosing a free parking space.
In my country, most parking areas are charged. As you know, China is overcrowded anywhere anyway. space for parking is rare indeed. Fortunately, I have no car.
A lot of the malls here in Toronto don't require you to pay for parking, we have free parking lots for the customers (I'm guessing because they're hoping you'll spend in the mall). There is a mall downtown that will require you to pay, but if you spend over a limit in that mall, then your parking will be paid for you making it pretty much free as well.
