At Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, New Jersey, 119 of the best parking spaces — closest to the main entrances — are now reserved for shoppers willing to pay. Signs direct them to scan a QR code or text a five-digit number to pay $2.45 for the first hour, $2 for every hour after, up to a maximum of $10.45 a day, according to USA Today.
“Since when do you have to pay to park at the Willowbrook Mall?” a frustrated TikToker posted.
The answer, it turns out, is now — and Willowbrook isn’t alone. At least 23 of more than 95 properties operated by GGP, a Chicago-based mall operator, now offer some version of paid “preferred” parking. The program has also rolled out at Mall St. Matthews in Louisville, Valley Plaza Mall in Bakersfield, Northridge Fashion Center in Los Angeles and The Mall in Columbia in Maryland, USA Today reports.
GGP spokesperson Lindsay Kahn framed the program as a convenience amenity rather than a revenue grab. “Preferred Parking is intended for those who want the convenience to not look for a spot,” she told USA Today. “The vast majority of parking at our malls remains free.”
Why malls are doing this and why it matters financially
The parking monetization push is part of a broader effort by mall operators to extract additional revenue from their properties as they navigate a challenging retail environment.
Consumer spending is increasingly concentrated among top earners and convenience-oriented retail — smaller stores with access to goods closer to where people live — is outperforming traditional enclosed malls.
Against that backdrop, even modest incremental revenue from parking can matter, and the math shows it.
USA Today cites Chronicle of Higher Education data that shows that the median college loses nearly $400,000 annually on surface parking lots and over $1.2 million on garages per 1,000 spaces. That figure helps illustrate how costly “free” parking actually is for property operators who absorb those costs.
At malls, the strategy of charging for premium parking also carries a level of risk. Research cited by Wifitalents’ 2026 mall foot traffic report found that shoppers are 16% more likely to visit malls that offer free parking — a data point that suggests the “convenience” framing may understate the competitive gamble of charging for spots that were previously came at no additional cost.
Shoppers are fighting back and winning
The backlash has been loud, and in at least two cases, effective, as USA Today reported.
