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| By Paula Canning Staff Writer HOLYOKE When the age restriction at the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside went into effect Sept. 9, Mall Manager William Rogalski wasn't sure what to expect. "Until you get past day one, you just don't know," he said. But more than a week has passed, and Rogalski said, "Traffic is up and noise level is down." The most noticeable difference, according to Rogalski is the decrease in noise. "It's a lot quieter and there are less of the large groups of kids that interrupt traffic flow," he said. He said that the new policy which calls for anyone under the age of 18 to be accompanied by someone over the age of 21 on weekend nights after 4 p.m has left a positive impact on sales and has increased the overall satisfaction of tenants and shoppers. He said that many of the tenants "couldn't compliment the new policy enough." "The first week went exceptionally well and we're very happy," he said. "It all went as expected." The mall's aggressive campaign to inform teens of the new policy prior t o it's implementation may be one of the reasons for the smooth transition, he said. There have been a handful of shoppers under the age of 18, however, that have attempted to bend the rules. "The guards had to turn a few people away, but not that many," Rogalski said. In one instance, a shopper who was later proved to be over the age of 18 entered into an altercation with one of the security guards after refusing to provide identification to confirm his age. "That was the only real incident we've have so far," he said. If the first week of implementing the policy is any indicator of future effects of the age restriction, Rogalski said that sales are headed for an upswing. "We think that over time, the increase will be dramatic," he said. But, a 17-year-old Westfield State College student disagrees. "They're going to lose money," said Matt Cerullo, holding up his two Best Buy shopping bags containing items he had just purchased moments before Reminder Publications stopped him for an interview. "We spend a lot of money here." Holding Best Buy bags containing multiple purchases, 18-year-old Dave Cavicchi, also a Westfield State student, said he also believes the policy will cause stores to lose business. "I mean, we've already spent $150 and we've only been here 10 minutes," he said. "And we're just getting started." What bothers Cerullo most about the policy is its potential to interfere with his social life. "If my 18 and older friends decide to go to the mall, then I am just stuck in my dorm room," he said. "That doesn't really seem fair to me." According to 17-year-old Samantha Tupper, however, the mall policy doesn't necessarily pose a problem for any college student under the age of 18 with a college i.d. "I think it's stupid, but I don't have to worry about it because I have my college i.d.," said Tupper, who just turned 17 years old this month. She explained that, although she has not tried using her American International College I.D. card to gain entrance into the mall after 4 p.m. on a weekend, a friend of hers was allowed to enter the mall simply by showing her college i.d. "Even if they said I couldn't come in, I would just get my aunt, who works in one of the stores to complain until they let me in," she said. Tupper added that she does understand the reasoning behind the policy, as some of the younger teens can be "really obnoxious." Fourteen-year-old Rachael Morin of Westfield who frequents the mall on a weekly basis to buy clothes and shoes, said she's "really bummed," about the regulations. "I don't think it's fair that on the only days we get off from school we can't come here," Morin said. Now that she can't hang out at the mall on Friday and Saturday nights, Morin sarcastically said, "I'll just go get in trouble instead." She added that she will probably find another place to hang out with her friends. |