SM: 40 and beyond

I love going to the malls to do my daily walking exercise, combining window shopping, people watching and eating out.

- MARIANNE GO

Fortunately, I live right beside an SM Mall. My neighborhood SM Mall is convenient for my daily grocery and department store shopping — as well as for other boutique shopping, restaurants and movie theaters — and more importantly, I am able to conveniently do my payment chores for PLDT, Meralco, etc.

However, I still prefer to go to the bigger SM Malls, particularly the Mall of Asia Complex and Megamall because I am able to easily log in a walk of anywhere from three to four kilometers. Walking around the SM MOA on several occasions, I have seen Hans Sy doing what his father, Henry Sy Sr. used to do — which is being physically present at their stores to show the people who work and visit that they are there to oversee and ensure that their services are up to par and that they care for their customers.

I have also seen Tessie Sy-Coson on one occasion at their SM Makati store and it really impressed me that they are continuing the tradition that their father started, which is being part of the communities where their families' stores/malls are. In my younger days, I had seen Henry Sy Sr. visiting their SM department store in Quiapo, and later on in other SM stores, simply walking and inspecting with one lone body guard.

Their quiet presence is a reassurance that they truly care for the business. I like walking in other malls too, but unfortunately, I have never had the opportunity to see other mall owners inspect their properties. In fact, I am even dismayed that some malls are showing signs of neglect that their owners seem to have no knowledge of.