Mall Drops $10 Parking Program In South Jersey After Backlash From Shoppers

DEPTFORD, NJ — A South Jersey mall dropped its short-lived effort to charge customers for up-close parking following public pushback.

Deptford Mall recently instituted "Premier Parking," charging $10 for parking spaces closest to the building's entrances. Each of the "premier" spaces had a sign with a QR code, which led to a website where shoppers could select a time slot, input their license-plate number and pay the fee.

Shoppers blasted the idea, so the mall has dropped the program, according to Macerich, the company that owns Deptford Mall.

"Deptford Mall greatly values the feedback of our shoppers, tenants, and community, and after thoughtful consideration, we’ve decided to phase out the Premier Parking program at this time," the company told Patch in a statement.

It's unclear when Deptford Mall instituted Premier Parking and when it was dropped, since the mall never made any formal announcements about the program.

But criticism from shoppers started bubbling up in late August. Here are a few from social media: