A classic debate among techies, console fans, the PC crew as well as the general shopping public will be which one is better – the Plaza Low Yat or the Digital Mall? So which one actually takes the cake between the two? Let’s get them into Battle Royale and see who emerges as the all-round champion!
Digital Mall
Since its opening in 2006, Digital Mall in Petaling Jaya has been growing in popularity. Better known as the smaller version of Plaza Low Yat, Digital Mall has been consistently attracting visitors from all parts of the Klang Valley district. Here is what people love about it.
Best features of Digital Mall
1. Personalised experience
Digital Mall, with its 44 shops, may appear small compared to the 4-storey Plaza Low Yat which offer 600 plus shops, including an entire floor of IT hypermarket. However, what Digital Mall wins with is its more personalised shopping experience. The chance to establish a rapport with customers and reliability on the sales representatives usually keep familiar faces coming back to DM.
2. Reachability
Digital Mall has been known to be a friendly neighbourhood IT mall, appealing especially to residents from around the PJ area since its inception. Situated slightly off the Federal Highway connecting KL and Shah Alam and a short drive from PJ old town, Digital Mall makes for a convenient and spontaneous stop for you to make a quick purchase-to-go at a reasonable price.
3. Safe and family-centric environment
The leisurely pace of easy-going customers in Digital Mall is what sets it apart from Plaza Low Yat’s bustling noise and crowd, further appealing itself as a safe and family-centric IT mall. Digital Mall also has accessible ramps leading into the mall’s entrance and elevators making it more convenient for the disabled people.
4. Standard price range and attractive offers
When it comes to getting products with value for money , you don’t need to look any further. Digital Mall’s relatively small environment allows it to effectively look after price fluctuations. It also offers interesting deals and freebies to entice potential customers. For instance, a basic Asus laptop can be found at an affordable price tag of RM1500, while the price of the top-tier Alienware gaming laptop begins from RM5000. What’s more, you might even get generous merchandise offer from the supplier.
Though there are a lot of reasons to shop at Digital Mall, here are some areas where it needs to improve.
Problems you may face at Digital Mall
1. Parking and traffic woes
Parking is a hassle especially during the peak hours. As if it’s Malaysians’ second nature, double-parking is quite common here. However, the multi-level storey car park at the back of Digital Mall alleviates the problem to some extent. Traffic whilst slow-moving, is not as bad as finding yourself stuck along the stretches leading to Plaza Low Yat.
2. Less variety
Due to its limited shop count and space, it might not satiate the big appetite of some tech junkies. Avid game console buyers or those wanting to modify their own PCs from scratch may find Digital Mall quite passive with its offerings.
3. Lack of bargaining and budget-hunting
The limited shops may pose as a deterring factor for bargaining. The price points may not sway as easily as Plaza Low Yat, considering that price standardisation for items are more easily set. Once you find the item you are looking for, you might need to be a little flexible with your budget.
Plaza Low Yat
“If you can’t find the IT product you’re after at Plaza Low Yat, it probably doesn’t exist!” With that sort of tagline, it is hard to top this mall in terms of its goods and services. Here’s what’s good about Plaza Low Yat.
Best Features of Plaza Low Yat
1. Reputation
It is the ideal one-stop centre for all your digital needs! Being awarded by the Malaysia Book of Records as Malaysia’s Largest IT Lifestyle Mall in 2009, only cements its decade old legacy and serves to appeal not only to the locals, but tourists alike. With seven sprawling floors and a whopping 600 shops, it is the number one destination to shop for technological items, ranging from the common to the rarest of IT products. You name it and Plaza Low Yat has got it.
2. Accessibility
Situated in the heart of the city of Kuala Lumpur amidst the vibrant Bukit Bintang (BB) district, Plaza Low Yat witnesses thousands of customer walk-ins every day. It is surrounded by Sungei Wang Plaza, Times Square, Lot 10, Fahrenheit 88 as well as Starhill Gallery and Pavilion Shopping Mall.
To get to Plaza Low Yat, take the monorail from KL Sentral. You can either stop at Imbi Monorail Station and manoeuvre your way through the narrow walkways leading towards Plaza Low Yat, or hop off at the BB station and make your way from BB’s Golden Triangle past the crowd to the back of Sungei Wang Plaza. Plaza Low Yat is just a stone’s throw away from the station.
3. Unlimited service centres
All the service centres of the major PC suppliers such as Dell, HP, Toshiba, Acer, Samsung and Lenovo are stationed within this mall, from the ground floor all the way to the sixth floor. Small repair shops that offer discounts for repair and servicing are also available.
4. Hardware and gamer’s heaven
Remember Plaza Low Yat’s timeless tagline? Plaza Low Yat has the best of the gizmos, in addition to the ones that you might have not even have heard of!
Game consoles such as the PS4 priced from RM1799 as well as the much pricier Xbox One which is rumoured to arrive in September 2014 are all the more reasons to go to PLY dedicated to this purpose. As an added plus the many game stores enable gamers to score the best deals on their purchases.
5. Combined experience
Plaza Low Yat servicemen are polished with years of experience and knowledge. So even if you leave empty-handed, the amount of technical knowledge you glean from them will definitely help you to make a good purchase on your subsequent trips.
6. It’s more than a tech mall
Plaza Low Yat is a lifestyle mall. There is more to it than just gadgets and tech products; it often showcases properties and car exhibitions on its ground floor’s Grand Atrium. It has among others the Kwik Barber shop which as the name suggests specialises in stylish haircuts at a very reasonable price of RM13. The House of Leather can be your spot if you love dressing up in pure leather. Apart from that, Plaza Low Yat has a myriad of food shops from countries all over the world right down to the vegetarian joint, Excellent Vege on its lower ground level for all your culinary delights.
Plaza Low Yat too has its share of flaws. Here is a look at them.
What’s not-so-good about Plaza Low Yat?
1. Parking and traffic
As with nearly every place in KL, parking problems coupled with rush hour traffic can deter anyone from venturing into the capital city of Malaysia. However, Plaza Low Yat does have ample parking lots and if that fails, there are other shopping malls and parking bays around the IT mall to park your vehicle before walking a little under the hot sun to get to Plaza Low Yat.
2. Confusing number of shops
For a newbie or the general public your first step into Plaza Low Yat can be quite daunting. There are just too many shops and you will be overwhelmed by the various deals and offers. If you are at a loss for direction, the strategic placements of directories and the customer desk located at the ground floor will help to alleviate the confusion.
3. ‘Conning’ complaints
Keep your guard up! There had been some complaints of unscrupulous dealers charging exorbitantly for less-than-desirable quality of products. So clarify your requirements when making a deal and stick to your objectives. If it helps at all, know your products beforehand to avoid making bad purchases.
4. Crowded environment
Compared to Digital Mall’s comfortable and leisurely setting, heading into Plaza Low Yat could pose quite a threat to first-timers and families with children in tow. It can get very crowded and confusing at times, especially during the public holidays.
5. Less disabled-friendly
Granted there are ample elevators stationed at every corner of the mall to connect to every floor, it could be made more disabled-friendly by installing accessible ramps and handrails. Narrow path-walks between the shops can also be widened.
Final Thoughts
As it can be seen from the analysis of both Plaza Low Yat and Digital Mall, each has its respective ups and downs in terms of the features they offer to Malaysia’s diverse group of consumers.
Customer service seems to be the heart of Digital Mall, whose primary focus is to render service to its customers with nothing short of hospitable treatment.
Plaza Low Yat, on the other hand, comes across as a mega-mall fit for the adventurous and wandering tech junkies ready to take on a discovery field trip around the IT bazaar.
The choice all depends on what you are looking for and your budget. Both the malls cater to different crowds and location plays a deciding factor as well.
To sum it all, if you are a serial modifier and are looking for variety, Plaza Low Yat is (no questions asked) for you! Whereas, if you are a practical IT user whose main concern is to get value for money tech products in a hassle-free manner, Digital Mall can look after your requirements well.
At the end of the day, both malls are great at fulfilling the public’s need for tech gadgets.
Verdict: It’s like comparing apples and oranges. You decide which one you like the best.
Which mall do you prefer?
Vote and share a comment below.
RELATED:
- Digital Mall: The Place for Gadgets and IT Needs in PJ
- Low Yat Plaza: Is This IT Mall in KL for You?
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Photo credit: the measure of mike / Foter / CC BY-ND
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wth? why is the language weirder than usual? sentences such as “are all the more reasons to covet PLY dedicated to this purpose” totally threw me off… what happened? stuff here used to be written well…
totally agree
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Richard Simmons(?). However, I do think the story gives some good insights.
A great editorial! Keep it up!