The Northfield Mall in Stapleton has certainly had its challenges when it comes to attracting Stapleton shoppers. Many shops have come and gone, or they simply aren’t a good fit for Stapleton shoppers. There are absolutely some great shops in Northfield, and Northfield continues to try to build a base to attract the valuable Stapleton shoppers. Of course, residents are always going to Target, or taking their kids to the movie theatre. But, Northfield is trying to expand beyond that. The new neighborhoods will likely help Northfield continue to grow into a Stapleton-friendly shopping environment. One thing the Northfield Mall does unnecessarily is make people think you have to pay for parking. There are meters placed all around the mall which accept money (I think. I have never looked closely at them. Maybe they are for decoration?). These meters are not Denver city meters, so there is really no consequence for not paying them. Furthermore, the mall cop is not instructed to hand out parking tickets knowing this will potentially cause customers to have a dissatisfactory experience while at the mall. Most Stapleton residents understand this, so on the occasions they are making purchases at the Northfield Shops, they skip paying for parking. Until recently. Andrea Walker was headed to Northfield to find a birthday present for an out of state niece. Although, she had never been shopping in Northfield, she figured she could find something. “I knew there was a Justice there, or used to be or something,” said Walker. “I figured they might have something cute for her, and maybe unique.” Walker has been to the Target and to the movie theater, and even Jim N Nicks but had never parked in an area which had the parking meters. “I saw the parking meters and was really confused,” said Walker. “Is there really that big of demand here that they need meters? My first thought was to ignore them, since I would only be a minute. But, I have always been a rule follower, so I thought I better pay the meter.” Walker put money in the meter not knowing the historic event she suddenly became involved in, becoming the first person from Stapleton to put money in the meter. “I guess eventually, someone was going to do it. Might as well be me,” said Walker. Asked if she would pay again, Walker said it was highly unlikely. “First off, I rarely do my shopping here. And secondly, now knowing there are no real consequences, I think I can choose to not follow rules in this once instance.”]]>