It 8:00 AM and I just woke up to start a new day. I think to myself, “What am I going to do today?” I had so many options, after all it is summer break. I could go to the gym, the park, the lake, hell I could even go to the mall. So many options to choose from, but which one will I pick? Hold on, do you guys even know who I am? I am Rosco C. Calhoun, a teenage boy who doesn’t like school and only likes to have fun. I don’t like school because it is boring, it’s the same thing day in and day out. Nothing ever changes. “Ahah!” I shouted in my mind. I knew exactly what I wanted to do today. I was going to go to the mall. Now the real question is, what am I going to do at the mall? There were many things that I could do. I could watch people at the mall, I could go ice skating, I could go shopping. My mind tells me to do something fun and adventurous, so I am going to go and explore the mall to see what I can find.
I sit down right in the middle of the food court inside of Coralridge Mall. Immediately people start passing by. It is only the largest mall within a 100-mile radius. Right in front of me is the ice rink; off to about 1:00 position is Panera Bread. Of course, it’s packed with people like normal. Behind me are fast food restaurants like Chick-Fil-A, Sarku Japan, a Philly Cheesesteak shop, and probably most famous of all, the Zombie Burger. Straight ahead of me is the ice-skating rink. Only a few people skate by during open skate. A woman is training with a little girl. They are practicing tricks and techniques like twirling, bending, and spinning. How do they not get dizzy? A little boy zooms around the rink like he’s a pro. He’s wearing bright red skates with white blades. He flies towards the closest end and quickly turns the skates in steps. Shards of ice shoot into the wall. Amazing! He looks like he’s been doing this for a while.
At my 1 o’clock position is Panera bread, well-known restaurant. It is packed like normal. People of all races, color, and dissent are squeezed into the small restaurant. People are ordering things from coffee to actual food. One woman ordered a salad with croutons and tomatoes in many kinds of greens in it. One could tell it wasn’t her first time either. She
A vivid depiction about the mall’s ……………. around it gives the audience the impression of already visiting the mall. The press kit contained a array of details concerning the mall:
During this second observation at Coastal Grand Mall in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, I learned many things. I went to this location on a Saturday night, where it was full of young people. The weather outside was warm, but rainy, so I believe this caused even more people to look for indoor fun, so the mall was packed on this Saturday night.
The North Hanover Mall is an average shopping center with various stores and small attractions. Typically, the mall is not over-crowded; however, during the evenings and weekends it is well-traveled. There are the average chain stores such as JCPenny’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Hallmark, and Bath and Body Works. Likewise, there are some smaller, lesser known stores, for example, a few nail and hair salons, cafes, a pizza shop, and a sports apparel store. In general, there is a diverse mix of people shopping, from ethnicity to ages and group sizes. The night I choose to do my social observation the mall was much busier than I had anticipated. There was a Halloween event and an antique car show; both circumstances brought more individuals than usual into the shopping complex.
“The mall was really busy, there were a lot of crowds there. They were buying all this stuff, like the inflatable houses for their kids, and the dog massagers, and the tooth extensions that people were wearing,”
The mall in this book is much larger than the mall in my town. “From there it was a quick jog around the central fountain to the elevators up to the third floor, which contains a multiplex theater, giant bookstore, bowling alley, ice-skating rink, and sit-down
From the moment one enters the mall doors it becomes a mission. A mission to spend money in a selfish manner in attempt to feel better about oneself. In a crowd full of people all with the same intention, many malls have conquered our mindsets into believing we’re a community by coming together with no purpose. The mall is in fact a beast with attracting qualities. From the Stores, and food to the shiny floors and fancy designs.
April 10, 2013 I seated myself in a booth with my back faced to the wall. It was here that I had an ominous view of the Galleria food court. With pencil in hand, and notebook ready, I began taking notes on the many observations I noticed in the three hour window that I sat and “people watched”.
Schlosser?s myth-shattering survey takes students to the California subdivisions where the business was born to the industrial corridor along the New Jersey Turnpike where many of fast food?s flavors are concocted. Schlosser suggests that in search of a better, more efficient way to serve customers, fast food has infused its way into the American culture. The evil lies not in the concept of speedy service and a homogenous food experience, it's the byproducts of such an industry that erases the concept of the individual. While he admits that fast food is not the sole source of grief for postmodern America, mentioning the shopping mall and suburban sprawl, Schlosser accurately points out that the actual cost of a Happy Meal is in how it manipulates the average person.
To Begin, let me give you a visual of the mall. The Southlands mall is a large outdoor mall that’s filled with shops, diners and entertainment. I thought I would sit near Town Square which is in the center of the mall. I could see majority of the store from here. There were a lot of mothers out watching their children play in the water fountain and at the park.
I noticed the fluorescent green of the leaves of 16th street mall turned to a vomit yellow as my friends and I shopped. Malls have never really been my place to hangout the the obligation that I usually have to speak to people I don’t know very well. Nevertheless, my friends dragged me along for an adventure into the depths of sales at Kohl 's and Macy 's (because who would want to miss out on that, right?). As we sat at the drinking hole known as “the food court”, I saw something I will never
The rest of the day goes by fairly quickly and i decided to go to the football field bleachers and read so wouldn't have to go home to my mother.
I arrived home and started planning my grand vacation. I only had tomorrow to wait before it was finally here and I could not wait any longer. I took out a sheet of paper and started to jot down things I would need to have for our trip during this break.
After reading the article called “The McDonaldization of Society” by George Ritzer I wholeheartedly agree that in today's society people simply want pretty much everything in a fast, efficient way. Everyone is guilty of falling into the McDonaldization of society, whether is from shopping online to the way they obtain food. For example, when I wake up late for work or when I’m seriously not in the mood to cook I would either call Domino's or go to the nearest fast food place. However, when I’m able to prepare food for myself I make meals like tofu with brown rice, green bell peppers and orange sauce. Or make a vegan pizza out of cauliflower topped with sundried tomatoes and vegan cheese. I also agree with the article when it says, “Another dehumanizing aspect of fast-food restaurants is that they minimize contact among human beings (Ritzer 5).” I believe this is somewhat true when it concerns with customers since I actually know some people who are currently working as a cashier at McDonald’s. Though whenever I’m there it’s hard to really speak to them since there are usually people nearby who want to order as well. So, usually I only talk to them briefly.
Pointing and sprinting from store to store, bags in hand and wallet held tight. The sounds of screaming, laughing, and talking fill the space. Cash registers beaming and cards being swiped. There’s just no other place like this; a shopping mall. Today, buying clothes or items of interest is highly popular. All of one’s favorite stores feet away from each other, this ritual is composed of elements that might not seem very evident without looking close enough. At the International Plaza in beautiful Tampa Florida, I conducted observations and my own experiences as well to analysis this ritual as a cultural phenomenon. Through this research, we can understand the true meaning of a shopping mall.
It’s 7:30am, I step outside onto my apartment balcony. Cars are zooming down the over crowded streets, staunch buildings towering over me blocking the greeny lush hills far away. People rapidly walking down the sidewalk. In front of my eyes are shimmery silver and navy colours reflecting from the sky high buildings, they stand out more than the joyous light blue sky itself. Sounding in my ears are cars angrily roaring every 5 seconds, people barking at taxis to stop, an earth shaking sound that’s mixed with sound of a hurricane that’s just the aeroplane taking off from the city airport. The mouth watering smell of the local bakery down the road lingers through my nose, I can taste those freshly baked scones in my mouth from here.