Big yawn at Seberang Prai City Shopping Centre

Yes, it was a Big Yawn for me, all right! I made a detour to Province Wellesley's newest shopping complex and I came away with the impression that there's nothing I haven't seen before in the other shopping complexes in Penang. It was One Big Yawn, okay?

The whole complex was about, maybe, 70 percent tenant-occupied with Jaya Jusco being the anchor here. But it's a curiosity that this departmental store is separated into two areas within the building and they are not connected. Maybe that's their strategy because no matter where you turn - left or right - you can hardly avoid seeing the Jusco name. You'd think that the whole building revolves around them (and maybe you're right)!

I bet you've seen the inside of a Jusco store before, right?

But I'm not impressed. How to be impressed when apart from Popular Book Store, there's no other choice? No MPH, no Borders. How to be impressed when there's only one outlet selling DVDs and VCDs? No alternative choice for music lovers. How to be impressed when the other tenants there are just replicates of what's already available at the Sunway Carnival Mall or the Queensbay Mall?


Oh, of course, if you are only thinking about food, you won't be disappointed. There are enough choices for you: KFC, McD (opening soon), Starbucks, Old Town, Gloria Jeans, Nando's, Baskin Robbins, Pizza Hut, Secret Recipe, Laksa Shack, to name a few of them. Plus a food court too.


There's nothing really new. No excitement in the building's layout, in the shops, in the eateries. One walk around the block is enough for me to say that yes, my curiosity's satisfied. I've seen the inside of the Seberang Prai City Shopping Centre and there's nothing to shout about. Disappointed....