Arkaba Shopping Centre

I’m with Rani here, the Arkaba is a little — soulless??? It’s functional, it’s never too busy or crowded, there’s enough variety to the centre, but it just misses something.
Let’s look at that for a moment — I’m a Woolworths fan, although I did used to use it for the slightly different offering of the BiLo store that used to be there. The newsagency has a good range too, and I’m a sucker for a good newsagent — the café serves good, dependable food at a decent price and the bakery is downright cheap. I used to use the Post Office here ‘cos it was never too busy, the butcher gave great service and I really liked the Chemist, too, quick and efficient, great range. I’d go out of my way to recommend the photo kiosk — preferred that in his own store but the kiosk works these days. Even the shoe guy is dependable, good at what he does and priced very fairly.
There is plenty of parking, it’s easy to get to, there’s even some undercover parks — and the whole centre is air conditioned.
OK, I *do* miss Cheap as Chips — that was my favourite store in the Cheap as Chips network and a definite drawcard for shopping at the centre, but it’s not like I can’t live without that… it just doesn’t have something to draw me.
In fact, that’s it for me — it’s lacking a draw card — I could go there and get anything I need — but there’s lots of places I can get all that… what I don’t get, at the Arkaba, is something I can’t get anywhere else.

The Arkaba Shopping Centre is an unusual complex .
It really caters for all your weekly shopping needs, however, it lacks something I can’t put my finger on.
It offers a full-​size Woolworths, Australia Post, newsagent, café, chemist, hairdresser, butcher, fruit & vege, bakery, shoe repairer/​key cutter, photo service and a Hearing Centre.
It could be that given it’s small size, there is no centre management. The new supermarket brings a greater number of customers to the centre, but it still feels under patronised.
The centre really struggled while Woolworths spent six months in 2010 renovating the old Bilo/​Coles site and extended into the Cheap as Chips store. It now has more parking and the interior has received a modern renovation.
This is walking distance from me, so I’m here quite a bit. Unfortunately, I have heard Woolworths intentionally undercut the fresh fruit and veg, bucher chair and bakery. I wonder how long these places can service with this practice in place.