City Center Salmiya truly qualifies as the center of Salmiya given the location and all-in-one shopping experience. But lately the whole place has turned into a circus. To begin with, the first kick in the guts is the over-extended queues of cars waiting to get hold of a parking spot. The drivers tend to leave aside their sanity, and social etiquettes when they scramble for a parking spot, breaking the queues and cutting the lanes, parking on pavements. It seems everyone wants to get in first, shop around and exit stage right. Absolutely no such thing as courtesy.

Once you are able to get hold of a parking spot, you come face to face with the douchebags hanging around in corridors, smoking, spitting, shouting, eve-teasing every girl/woman passing by. These scumbags in their trademark skinned jeans, weird hairdo, upright collars, flashy chains/belts work their antics in a hound of 4-5. To make matters worse, the City Center management turns a blind eye to these, ignoring their behavior, by being absent from the mall.

Having gone past these…you come across some of the racist over the counter staff. Just today we came across a scene where the counter staff was asked for a large packing bag by an Asian customer because he had purchased a DVD player. The staff guy looked at the customer wryly and said they are out of stock. Next minute an arab came by the counter, and this staff guy beamed a bright smile, and handed a large packing bag over. The Asian customer asked why he was refused, and again the staff went on like they dont have any, getting into a harsher tone. At the same instant..another arab customer came by, and was handed a similar large bag. And just to make it a point, the staff guy called up security as if to say, you better watch out fella. Shameful.

The problem with City Center is absolute lack of management and sense of responsibility from authorities. I am done as far as shopping at City Center is concerned. Even though its a 5 minute drive from my place, I rather shop from Carrefour which even though is 30 minutes drive, it offers a much friendly, well managed, and secure social environment to shop in.