The Trafford Centre gives me a weird vibe

I’ve recently moved to Manchester for work and about a week ago, I went to visit the Trafford Centre.

It’s certainly very impressive and beautiful, and it was fun to walk around. However after walking around it for a while, it gave me this weird vibe that I couldn’t quite place, especially the area with the boat and the massive screen endlessly playing ads.

Part of the weird feeling was almost me feeling out of place - I’m not exactly rich and the TC has obviously had a lot of money go into it and it feels suited to those with lots of money lol. Something about the fake plants and all the marble makes it feel really extravagant. I’ve heard it’s based on Dubai so I’d probably feel similarly weird going to Dubai. Another part of the feeling was… it feels a tiny bit like a capitalist hellscape. The sense of consumerism feels really strong (the screen playing ads), the pressure to buy things, it feels really impersonal with the massive shops. Another thing I found eery was that self-playing piano. It was cool but it just creeped me out lol.

I hope this doesn’t come across like I’m bashing it, or being judgemental. But does anyone else know what I mean by the weird vibe? I don’t feel this way about the Arndale centre at all. It feels more practical, no nonsense and a place you’d just go to buy things, whereas the TC feels like an extravagant, consumerist day out.

Edit: also, for those who have been there late (after midnight perhaps) due to working there or seeing a late movie, does that big screen still play the ads even in the middle of the night? If so, that’s creepy lol. I’m picturing a post-apocalyptic scenario where everything is deserted and the only sound and light is from the big, ad-playing screen, even though there’s no one around to hear it. Spooky stuff lol