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A TikTok video by @moniquemark7 is sparking debate after claiming that Trinidad has too many plazas, leading to a “sense of sameness” in shopping and contributing to price increases. The video, which has been viewed widely, argues that the saturation of plazas relative to the population has reached a point of “disequilibrium.”
The creator says that plazas and malls now tend to have the same stores, making the shopping experience repetitive. She recalls that West Mall was once known for shoe stores, Twin City for clothes, and Gov City for food. Now, she says, those distinctions have blurred. “Everything is all samey,” she states, adding that even the decor is similar.
The video also links the construction of these plazas to rising prices, pointing to Pennywise as an example. She notes that a generic, non-branded hair oil she used to buy for around $50 now costs over $100. “I don’t think it’s just inflation,” she says. “I really think it’s because they are increasing prices because they want to build all these plazas.”
She is careful to clarify that this is not an attack on Pennywise, but rather a general commentary on the proliferation of malls and plazas. She argues that widespread franchising is making stores less special and pricing out smaller companies. She cites Home Store as an example, saying it was good in Barataria for years but became too widespread with locations in Sea Tree, West Mall, East Gate, and Shogornas, leading to falling quality and rising prices.
The creator calls for fewer plazas and more unique boutique stores with reasonable prices, reminding businesses that people have access to online shopping. “I don’t know how to fix it,” she says, “but it needs to be fixed.”
Article and image source: tiktok.com
