The new Nike Orchard Road store has impressed shoppers so much that they really left an impression

By Lester Fang

When I walked in, I was really shocked. This was not the swanky new store I had imagined it to be. Sure, I expected Nike Orchard Road, as I approached it from Bideford Road, to be crowded, but not this 乱七八糟 (luanqi bazao) or disordered. It was a Saturday afternoon, the second weekend after the swanky flagship opened. I envisaged what my mother would call a “new toilet” situation, but this was really rather worse. I thought I had entered an indoor pasar malam (night market)—the place was teeming. It was not just the very many shoppers; it was also those not shopping. Facing the entrance of the three-level store was a glass and lit display island on which six mannequins stood in various yoga poses. On the perimeter of this raised platform, there were many who—for some reason not entranced by the store and could not be bothered to browse—sat waiting for others or just enjoying the air-conditioned interior (I could not tell), unconcerned that they were spoiling the visual display.

Many of them, as I noted, were women, who presumably were not into the category of merchandise Nike was offering. The irony of this is that Nike’s latest retail space is trying to appeal to women. In an article in The Straits Times less than two weeks ago, it was noted that Nike Orchard Road is “ a sports hub catering to athletes and fitness enthusiasts of all ages, with a focus on girls and women. It boasts an extensive collection of bras, leggings, footwear and lifestyle apparel, reflecting Nike’s commitment to inclusivity and empowerment in sport”. Curiously, it was quiet in that part of the store (right to the entrance), where women were supposed to throng, but I spotted only two! Sure, it was really busy at the women’s footwear zone at the rear of the space. But, it looked to me that either it was too crowded there, or that the store was so large and exploring it on foot was an extremely energy-draining affair. And Nike did not, as far as I saw, provide resting areas for tired feet.

The store was also busy with many who did not concern themselves with returning merchandise from were they picked them up, neatly. It was shocking to me how the products, garments especially, on shelves and display units were left in a messy heap. Or spilling from the edges of shelves, like unwanted items at a thrift shop. Sure, it was not Mustafa on a frighteningly busy day, but neither was it more compelling than the Nike outlet store in Changi City Point. I was on the topmost floor of Nike Orchard Road, looking down into the valley of an atrium when I caught sight of three chaps to my right, rummaging through a pile of clothes on a display unit on the second storey. One fellow lifted a grey top from under a stack and, after giving it a once-over, tossed it into a waiting pile. He and his happy friends moved on, not bothered by the mess that they had added to the already disconcerting jumble, unaware that their behaviour was downright inconsiderate to other shoppers. It didn’t help that the Nike flagships was visibly understaffed. There was no one to pick up after those who approached retail orderliness with a tidak apa (doesn’t matter) attitude.

On every of the three floors that I explored, I was not sure that I saw “athletes and fitness enthusiasts”—Nike’s purported target audience. I believe they teach discipline in sports, but it was not at all discernible this day. The many shoppers’ delirious response to this massive Nike store indicates that they were mostly in survival-of-the-fittest mode: As long as they could aquire what they desired, it did not matter what unsightly jumble they left behind. Instead of finding merchandise appealingly displayed to tempt me, I gravitated towards what come be most inane. At a rear passageway that led to the back of the building, a clever optical effect on ceiling, floor, and two walls spelled a four-line text/maxim that read, “ FIND YOUR GREAT NESS (yes spelled as two words).” But, for a quick moment, I thought I saw find your great mess.

Photos: Lester Fang