Storing bags is difficult, storing clothes is difficult, finding lockers is difficult; public storage services still need to be more attentive.

In public places such as parks, exhibition halls, and shopping malls, people often have the need to store their bags. Nowadays, various public venues are generally equipped with storage facilities, but issues such as unreasonable layout and insufficient adaptability still stand out: some are too far away or hidden, making them time-consuming and laborious to find; some focus only on conventional storage, neglecting the needs of fitness enthusiasts for temporary clothing storage. Storage services still need to be optimized, upgraded, detailed, and solidified to truly be convenient and considerate.

Near the south park of Aosen Park, many exercisers choose to pile their backpacks on the ground.

Park Ground Piled with Over a Hundred Backpacks

At 6 a.m. on the weekend, just as dawn breaks, the south gate of Aosen Park’s South Garden begins to gather many blind runners. Taking advantage of the weekend, they run together around the south and north gardens of Aosen for fitness. With the assistance of volunteer guides from the Blind Running Group, these blind runners will complete over 10 kilometers together. But for these special runners, storing clothes and backpacks is very inconvenient.

Around 7 a.m., outside the special running section at the south gate, many runners are warming up, with over a hundred backpacks stacked on the ground, layer upon layer. “When the wind blows, all the dust and leaves fall onto the bags; rain and snow can also dirty them. The main problem is that there are too many bags, and they’re too messy, making them hard to find,” said a runner helplessly.

Sun Hongfeng, a volunteer assisting the blind, said that the Blind Running Group comes to Aosen Park every week, with two to three hundred people each time, almost everyone carrying a bag containing a blind cane, guide rope, spare clothes, hats, and other items. “Most of our blind friends come by subway and can’t put their bags in the car. Compared to the high demand for storage, there are still relatively few places to store bags in the park, so most of them choose to put their bags on the ground, which is not very convenient.”

The reporter noticed that Aosen Park currently has some storage lockers, charging different rates by year or hour, but these lockers are often insufficient during peak times like weekends. Meanwhile, many runners interviewed are reluctant to pay for storage and choose to hang their bags or clothes on fences near the south gate or place them on park benches. “Everyone’s behavior is quite civilized now, but there’s still concern about theft or mistaken taking,” said runner Mr. Lang.

“We hope that places like Aosen Park and Chaoyang Park, where many running enthusiasts gather, can set up more useful storage lockers or shelves similar to parcel collection points, so runners’ bags won’t be exposed to sun and rain,” suggested Sun Hongfeng.

Inconvenient Bag Storage Inside Museums, Visitors Hold Clothes While Visiting

Museum Bag Storage is Inconvenient

Although the weather is warming, temperature fluctuations are still significant. Many citizens and tourists still wear heavy coats when going out, but once inside the venue, they have to take them off, yet there’s nowhere to put the clothes.

At the China Archaeological Museum, the reporter saw a row of self-service storage lockers outside the entrance, but they are about thirty to forty meters away from the main door. Inside the exhibition hall, the temperature is much higher, and visitors quickly feel stuffy. Many take off their coats, but there’s no place to store clothes inside, so some hold their coats in their arms, others tie them around their waists, and some drape them over their arms as they walk and look around. Inside the museum, many are family groups with children; adults not only carry their own bags but also hold children and their own coats, which looks quite exhausting.

When asked by the staff if there was a place to store clothes, the staff said only the lockers at the entrance are available. However, these lockers are some distance from the exhibition hall, so few people go back to store their clothes, and everyone just holds their coats while visiting.

This situation is not uncommon in some venues. For example, the Beijing Exhibition Hall’s self-service lockers are located at the west gate, and visitors who store their coats there still have to walk outside a bit before entering the hall. Not far from there, the Beijing Planetarium also has lockers about twenty to thirty meters from the entrance.

At Xizhimen CapitaMall, it’s common to see customers dragging luggage while shopping or dining.

Mall “Dragging Luggage and Holding Clothes Makes Shopping Difficult”

During the survey, many citizens and tourists also expressed hope that malls could add more reasonable storage facilities to make shopping more relaxed.

CapitaMall at Xizhimen directly connects to Beijing North Railway Station and Xizhimen Metro Station, so many travelers choose to shop and dine here. However, due to the lack of convenient storage facilities, they have to carry their luggage around the mall, which is very inconvenient.

“There are lockers at the train station, but I’ve already left the station; I can’t just leave my luggage there and come back to pick it up after eating, right? I’d rather carry it myself,” said a traveler dragging a large suitcase. They hope the mall could also have storage options.

During visits, the reporter found that some malls do have storage lockers, but they are hidden in remote locations and hard to find, making round-trip storage troublesome. One citizen said that the Century Golden Resources Shopping Center is huge; she wanted to store her coat while shopping but couldn’t find lockers after wandering for a while. After asking several staff members, she learned from a cleaner that there’s a row of lockers in a small corner outside the east gate of the mall. Without a reminder, it’s hard to notice that storage is available there. “That spot is outside the mall exit, and I don’t want to go through the trouble of running there just to store my things,” she said.

Case Study

National Museum Indoor and Outdoor Lockers Meet Different Needs

In terms of providing storage services, the National Museum’s approach is worth learning from. Previously, the museum’s self-service lockers were located outside, but many visitors found this inconvenient and suggested adding indoor storage facilities.

Later, the National Museum set up many lockers inside on the first and third floors. This allows out-of-town visitors to store large items like suitcases and backpacks outside, making it easier to enter the museum. Once inside, if they need to store coats, water bottles, or small bags, they can do so nearby indoors.

Source: Beijing Daily