Have anyone here worked in Shopping Mall?

not a lot of difference

lot of shops, expensive and crowded on saturday. so no shopping malls are all the same:)

Demographics are very different, thus there are many differences, from the displaying of product lines to customer services.

For me, when I was at Vincom and Parkson in Saigon, a lot of department stores carry products that cost the same in Canada, which explains why I see so many people just simply browsing stuff, but not really buying, because not many Vietnamese can afford Canadian priced stuff.  I kinda hoped in Vietnam, I could buy authentic Western products like Nike shoes for lower price, but either they're fake, or they cost the same in Canada, in which case I'd rather just go buy in Canada.  It sucks a lot of people can't afford to buy the stuff inside these stores, they're not even uber luxury goods, just stuff like Nike, Tommy Hilfiger, modestly priced in Canada, but costs a week or two pay for Vietnamese.

So I think in Canada, almost everyone who goes inside a shopping mall, actually buys stuff, but in Vietnam, a majority of people just simply browse, eat at food court, or play arcade games.

Or just to escape the heat...

Wild_1 wrote:

Or just to escape the heat...

Yeah that too maybe haha

They're a great place to take a girl on a date too!

But to answer the OP's inquiry on whether there's any difference in a VietNam-based-Shopping Mall with other countries or not, I'd say Americans malls are a LOT bigger; we have roller coasters, water parks, aquariums, giant IMAX movie theaters...oh yes, and the overpriced Nike shoe shops too.

One thing I did notice that was a little different in Vietnam was that the different stores or shops shared a common checkout cashier. This was not true everywhere but I did see it in a couple different places.
I think it was that way inside Diamond plaza, we bought several things from different stores on level 3 but had to go to the same cashier each time to pay for them.

There is a huge difference between working in a shopping mall in America and working at one in Vietnam.
1. Workers in US are very visible and easy to find, they are usually waiting for you when you step inside the store. In Vietnam they tend to hide in corners and talk and text on their phone unless you ask them for help.

2. Workers in the US usually only work 6 or 8 hour shifts, in Vietnam it is common for them to work from open to close and only make what their US counterpart did in 1 hour.

3. US workers will head to the food court for lunch, VN workers will bring something from home or pick up some street foods, and if lucky take a short nap

And you learn very fast not to go shopping between 12  and 1.30, but you might get lucky and a helpful security might serve you, ( but they can't handle any money transactions ). Why don't they rotate their lunch breaks?

Also in Canada, just like in US too I'm sure, the employees will normally greet you, and ask you if you need help, but if you say no, and just browse around, they will leave you alone.  But in Vietnam, they always follow you around everywhere you go, I really hate that.  If I need your help I will ask you!!!!

Thanks for your all opinions, i gave this question because my friends have a Shopping Mall in Ha Noi. It's not doing well so they said that they need a Managing Director who has experience in this industry. They asked me help them to find out this person, but i don't know where i can look for. Can anyone recommend me one candidate.
Thank you.

Anna_ Nguyen wrote:

Thanks for your all opinions, i gave this question because my friends have a Shopping Mall in Ha Noi. It's not doing well so they said that they need a Managing Director who has experience in this industry. They asked me help them to find out this person, but i don't know where i can look for. Can anyone recommend me one candidate.
Thank you.

You have to look overseas for a person who understands how to draw attention to the mall and bring various people of all ages.
Make the mall a place where people feel safe to shop or just stop for a cup of coffee.
The easiest crowd puller are events to celebrate different festive seasons where the public are ready to spend. In Vietnam, this is mainly, Tet and Christmas.

What about business networking platforms like linkedin. i dont know whether many vietnamese use it but I was often contacted for jobs.

However why does ur friend not advertise the position online or in newpaper. I think there are several qualified expats here who can do the job:)

Thanks for your advice. I'm trying to look for via LinkedIn now. I hope I can find out this person soon.

Thanks for your idea. Can you help me recommend someone from your friends? Because I know in Malaysia, Shopping Mall has developed on this Industry more than in Viet Nam so I think there will be a lot of people having experience in managing, handling business running well.