Auto City Factory Outlet

Main Entrance to the Factory Outlet

Coordinates: N 05.20.205 E 100.25.696

I must say after all the hype it was rather disappointing, and it was not only me, there were many other visitors as well. All the Money spends, effort, wonderful ideas is wasted. Now I don’t like to put down any place but our disappointment is just too much.

Empty shelfs

I am referring to the Factory Outlet at Auto City Juru, Seberang Prai Selatan, Penang, There were many “advertisements” on TV promoting it as this is a spot for Locals, foreign tourist to visit. The spot advertisement is a series of shows to introduce what is available where, and my wife was talking all about this. Now we are beginning to wonder if all of it is just Hype

the only shop that open

Nice Interior like a department store in a tent

Interior lot of effort, Notice the Barrels as shelfs/table

Well Ok I said, let pay it a visit, so we cut our regular monthly shopping trip in Prai short, and headed over the Auto City at 6.30pm braving the traffic jam there. There were signboards at auto city that say it’s open every day from 5 to Midnight. When I arrive I saw a few cars and potential customer all making a bee line to the Factory Outlet, which is located where they hosted the Lanten Festival.

Exterior Nicely done up

When we walk in, there were practically nothing, not what we saw on TV, row and row of stalls pack to the brim with various goodies. A big disappointment for my wife. I said let’s try that big aircon tent. There seem to be people inside, there is also some merchandise. Yup, there were, workman still working. It was a letdown for us. Those people that came in, they just turn around and walk out. Maybe it was a bit too early I wonder.

Empty Stalls, too early?, wrong day?

I can see a lot of effort have been put in to the Air Con Tent, It may be a temporary building, but It has the feel of a regular store, glass walls, nice shelf, barrels use as shelf, nice landscaping, however the pricing is not what I would imagine a factory outlet is all about. Once I was in a factory outlet in Italy, My leather Jacket cost me at that time SFR 100 = RM100, (at that time RM is equivalent to SFR) that is a factory outlet. Not here.

Landscape

In the area there are 2 thing I would like to mention, a Thai Cafe (within the factory outlet area) which look interesting and a shop call “Log” sells all types of furniture that is made from wooden “logs”, Now Log is a worthwhile place to visit, if you have spare cash and need to fill up you house with conversation pieces. That frankly makes up for my visit there. In all we just spend around 20 min before driving off.

"Log" a shop that sell log furnitures and fittings

Side view of the Thai Cafe
Thai Cafe

For now I will give this place a miss if it’s on a weekdays, for the weekends it may be hopefully a different story, however driving into Autocity on a week end night is not something I would like to do.

200% of effort, may take time to jive properly, we may be too early or because it was not on a week end, best wishers hopefully it will turn out well in the long run.