Willowbrook Mall's new paid parking option sparks debate among N.J. shoppers

A new parking option is turning into a shopping debate at a New Jersey mall.

At Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, the parking spots closest to mall entrances are now "Preferred Paid Parking" spots. Parking in those spots will cost shoppers $2.45 for the first hour and $2 per hour after that.

There are still plenty of free parking spots available in the lots.

According to signs posted in the parking lot, 10% of Willowbrook Mall's net proceeds from each Preferred Paid Parking payment will be donated to the charitable organization Child Focus, Inc.

CBS News New York reached out to Willowbrook Mall management for comment about the new paid spots and has not yet heard back.

Some who spoke to CBS News New York say the extra cost is worth the convenience. Crista Ardito was visiting the mall to go to a restaurant with a friend and said they were willing to pay $4.45 for two hours.

"We're both lazy, and we're both hungry," she said.

Others feel charging for the closest parking spaces sends the wrong message, arguing the mall is asking customers to pay even more after they've already come to spend money inside.

"It's ridiculous. Why should I have to pay to park?" one shopper said. "I'm going to use all the services in this mall, and they want me to pay more to park there? It's ridiculous."

"To pay for a parking spot just seems very odd. It's not like I'm getting my quarter back when I put the quarter in the cart," shopper Stephen Richards said.

"In this economy, you want people to pay extra? It's a lot," Wayne resident Jean Rocha said.

Some shoppers say it should be seasonal or come with a local discount.

"I feel it will probably help us out during the holiday season, but it should just be for the holiday season," one shopper said. "As for residents, I feel like, if they're going to keep it, at least for the holidays, like lower the prices just a little bit."