Anyone who’s ever shopped at a shopping mall during the holiday season knows that the shopping isn’t the most difficult part of the excursion.

Many more headaches are caused by the journey to the mall – and the attempt to find a parking space.

It’s concerns like those that have prompted Kitchener’s busiest mall to try out something new.

Since Friday, Fairview Park Mall has set aside 20 parking spots – all of them nice and close to an entrance – for valet parking.

For an $8 fee, shoppers can leave their cars at the valet stand and enter the mall without worrying about what happens next.

“Your car will be parked for you, and it will be ready and warm and waiting for you when you’re finished your day,” mall spokesperson Leah Landriault said in an interview.

Although the program is currently only planned to last through the holiday season, mall officials will be soliciting feedback to determine whether it should become a permanent feature of the mall.