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A TikTok user filmed the front of Cumberland Mall in Atlanta, panning across a vast stretch of empty parking spaces beside the entrance. Then the same user parked at the back of the mall instead. A sign explained why those front spots sat open. Shoppers across the country have been filming signs like it, and the dollar amounts involved are small. The reaction has still turned a routine errand into a national argument.
Willowbrook Mall in New Jersey Reserves 119 Front-Row Spaces for Drivers Who Pay by Text or QR Code
Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, New Jersey, has reserved 119 of its best parking spaces, the ones closest to the main entrances, for drivers who pay. Signs at the section tell shoppers to scan a QR code or text a five-digit number to start a session. One TikTok user asked when parking at Willowbrook started costing money. The answer comes with a price list posted right on the sign.
Willowbrook’s Front-Row Rate Starts at $2.45 for the First Hour and Tops Out at $10.45 a Day
The first hour costs $2.45, and each additional hour costs $2, with a daily cap of $10.45. A two-hour lunch trip adds up to $4.45, a price one diner told CBS News New York was worth paying because she and a friend were hungry and a little lazy. More than 7,770 other Willowbrook spaces cost nothing. The company that runs the mall has since said how many of its properties offer the same deal.
GGP Confirms 23 of Its 95-Plus Malls Sell Preferred Parking, Including Spots in Louisville, Bakersfield and Columbia
GGP, the Chicago-based operator behind Willowbrook, told USA Today that 23 of its more than 95 properties now offer preferred parking. Mall St. Matthews in Louisville, Valley Plaza Mall in Bakersfield, Northridge Fashion Center in Los Angeles and The Mall in Columbia are among them. Spokesperson Lindsay Kahn calls it a convenience for people who would rather not hunt for a space, and 10% of proceeds go to local charity. Shoppers have a different word for it.
Shoppers at Perimeter Mall and Christiana Mall Refuse to Pay, and One Commenter Points to Amazon
At Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody, Georgia, a shopper said in a TikTok video that the price was only $5 for two hours, yet she refused to pay on principle. At Christiana Mall in Newark, Delaware, another TikTok user crossed the lot on foot after declining to pay. One Facebook commenter on a CBS New York post suggested Amazon instead, noting the free parking. A South Jersey mall that tried a flat $10 fee met resistance that went well beyond comment sections.
Deptford Mall’s $10 “Premier Parking” Took 40 to 50 Spots Beside Spaces for Disabled Drivers and Veterans
Deptford Mall in Gloucester County, New Jersey, put QR code signs on roughly 40 to 50 spots nearest its main doors. Scanning one led to a website where shoppers entered a phone number, a time slot and a license plate, then paid $10. Those spots sat beside spaces reserved for disabled drivers, expectant mothers and combat-wounded veterans. Shoppers told CBS News Philadelphia they could not afford extra parking “in this economy,” and the township’s mayor complained too.
Macerich Calls Deptford’s Program an “Optional Convenience,” Then Phases It Out on Sept. 17, 2025
Deptford’s owner, Phoenix-based Macerich, first called Premier Parking an optional convenience, especially during the busy holiday season, and said free spaces for disabled drivers, expectant mothers and veterans were unaffected. On Sept. 17, 2025, the company said it would phase out the program after considering feedback from shoppers, tenants and the community. Macerich also owns Fashion Outlets of Chicago, where a much broader parking plan began about five months later.
Fashion Outlets of Chicago Charges Every Driver After the First Hour: $13 for Three Hours, $50 for a Day
In February, Fashion Outlets of Chicago in Rosemont, Illinois, began charging every driver instead of a small front-row section. The first hour stayed free, then rates jumped to $13 for one to three hours, $20 for three to 12 hours and $50 for a full day. The fees were meant to stop people from using the garage for O’Hare airport trips and nearby events. By May, Rosemont’s mayor had gone public with an objection, citing numbers from the mall itself.
Macerich Drops Rosemont Fees in August: Free Parking for Three Hours, No Purchase Required
The mayor had warned about lost sales tax revenue. Foot traffic fell and retail tenants complained, and in August Macerich reversed course. Parking became free for the first three hours for every guest, with no purchase or validation required. A Macerich spokesperson said the company had listened to the community and its retailers. Other malls still run paid front spaces, including Oakbrook Center near Chicago and a Las Vegas outlet center with 12 paid spots out of 2,500.
Kings Plaza’s Parking Fee Started at 50 Cents in the 1980s and Now Runs Up to $11 a Day
Kings Plaza Mall in Brooklyn faced protests in the 1980s over a 50-cent parking fee, and shoppers there now pay up to $11 a day. GlobalData Retail’s Neil Saunders says paid front-row spots bring extra revenue and serve shoppers who want convenience, while others think all parking should be free. The two reversals involved spots beside protected spaces and a fee on every driver. Most mall parking remains free, and the front row is the part that costs money.