Mall Culture

The socioeconomic significance of malls is seen through visual culture, where the mall has become a place to meet up with friends and family, on any day of the week – weekends being the busiest. Hence “the mall has become a centre of life, where the most memorable moments, holidays and birthdays are spent, dinners are held all under one roof” (Stokrocki 80). In Toronto the two largest malls I explored were the Toronto Eaton’s Centre and Yorkdale Mall – both of which included over 200 stores, eateries, rainforest cafés, and a movie theatre. However what was evident about these two malls apart from the rest included anti social behaviours despite families being grouped together. Although people were together, the sense of togetherness was plastic just like the manikins of store displays. It appeared as though families were shopping just as an excuse to go out as a “family” even though children, teens and adults would disperse into the stores of their choice and meet up at the end for a takeout meal, contacting each other through their phones. In addition to this observation included the fact that families shopping with other families or family friends were more of an exploitation of social and economic class. People being able to spend at stores like Michael Kors, Coach, Tory Burch, Abercrombie & Fitch, Lululemon, Kate Spade and many more, without worrying about going over budget meant being affluent. What really needs to be questioned is the idea that if these people spend at

Human needs in the past have been satisfied by marketplaces that are community driven. It is then he claims, that the lack of communal intention that makes the Mall of America, and other malls unhealthy and unnatural. Guterson writes that malls void of community, are not marketplaces, but are rather attractions set on profit. The marketing behind the Mall of America is aimed at growing tourism, and making the mall a symbol of America and American culture. This gimmick has proved to be successful as over 700,000 people from foreign countries visit the mall every year (Guterson, 284). The attention the mall is receiving from the rest of the globe suggests that as Guterson writes, “The concept of shopping in a frivolous atmosphere, concocted to loosen consumers’ wallets, is poised to proliferate globally” (Guterson, 284). As American malls continue to be lucrative, the science of controlling shoppers will only become more present around the world. Guterson claims that the fantasy environments that malls create are so powerful that they can inspire addiction to the excitability and pleasures that malls create (Guterson, 284). Guterson warns against the future of megamalls, pointing out the emptiness that they can create inside us. After standing on the roof of the Mall of America, Guterson understands that American culture is not the modern American mall. Rather, it is the fields and farms that

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:

From its vast security systems, to the indoor theme park, and over 520 stores the mall is like a city within itself; closed off from the rest of the world. Guterson writes that the quality and impressiveness of the mall is not comparable to any other. The mall is “the best of the best” and people visit it because of its modernism. The modernism of the mall is displayed through features like an arcade, the gardens, trees and flowers. The argument of the essay is reasonable in the way people go to spend in the mall. It is true that people are sometimes

All the more poignant, in fact, because the first US malls were not meant to have been sited miles from anywhere and reached only by big, air-conditioned automobiles with automatic transmission and power-everything. No, Viktor Grun, the ‘father of the shopping mall’ meant them to be the core around which new

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.

This presentation also aims to assist the various industry players in gaining an understanding of the industry perspective so that they are fully informed of the relevant issues in their consideration of the possible guidelines in shopping mall design.

In Anne Norton’s, "The Signs of Shopping", Anne Norton, a Political Science Professor at the University of Pennsylvania determines the ways in which malls, catalogs, and home shopping networks create our sense of “identity”. In the first part of her essay, “Shopping at the mall”, Anne analyzes the ways in which malls and catalogs “tell you who you are by selling you what they want.” Anne first states what she believes the mall was created to be; she believes it was created to be an impulsive gathering place and place of centralized public activity. Anne then goes on to state how she believes the mall has come to exploit the lifestyles and identities of people, especially those of young women. Anne makes the claim that the mall appears to be

The liminal pattern occurs through the actual act of shopping. Are they looking for business casual or a new phone case? The individual can browse through the stores looking for an item. After their time is up, a reincorporation occurs through using their purchases out into their own world. A shopping mall is seen in American culture, symbolizing different style of clothes, American food courts, and a socializing event. As we look into these observations of a shopping mall, we can understand the meaning behind this phenomenon.

Ever wonder what your favorite mall will look like if it was replaced by an empty lot? How would you feel? Approximately 60 years ago when shopping malls were first built, it was expected to be “the gleaming symbols of America’s future.” Shopping malls were created to lure customers from the city into the suburbs; thus allowing shopping be done under one roof.

The retail area observed for this assignment was situated in Erin Mills Town Centre, level two; between Hudson’s Bay and Dynamite, and between Kernels and Sears. By looking at the retail map above, it can be seen that this area of the mall offers a variety of products and services to consumers. The retail area was primarily dominated by retail chains with the exception of two department stores which were Hudson’s Bay and Sears. The stores themselves were sized reasonably and all of them were one-storey each. However, by looking at the retail map, it can be seen that some stores occupy more area in the mall than others. The retail area that was examined also has two escalators that are close to the department stores. In regards to store type and mix, the retail area was heavily dominated by aspects of fashion

In today 's lifestyle many people are obsessed with materials and spending. The convenient ways to get those spenders or materialist people, businesses usually choose to distinguish their business from others and get those consumers in. For example, in the Mall of America, it is clear that the builders tried to differentiate the mall from others, by making it bigger, close to an international airport and encompass diverse activities inside it, for the purpose of bringing more people in. Also, some feature of the mall is that, they made it with no windows or time clock, so people won 't notice or pay attention to how long they have been at the mall, which is a

According to Norton the malls, as well as catalogs and home shopping, are networks that helps to define one’s identity while enhancing social interaction and class distinction. Norton believes that due to shopping women can exert authority, which often it cannot be expressed in the domestic environment. It is an occasion to spend enjoyable time with friends out of sight, but even more by the judgment of husbands. In other words, shopping at the mall the women subvert the roles, which sees them somehow subjected to the desires or opinions of their husbands. Also, Norton describes malls as showcases used by companies to “sell you they want by telling you who you are.”

A change in appeal, architect, and uniqueness. As America becomes more modern, malls and corporations should become “modern, orderly, and spanking clean” (Dery, 2012, p. 1) in order to insure success. Mall creators should not continue creating the same layout and ideas that dead malls contain. Instead, there should be new unique and aesthetic characteristics in malls. The key to a successful mall is change. There should not be the same traits in all malls, because then it loses appeal. In order to reduce the amount of dead malls, malls have to be completely reconstructing into something new and

"The Advantages of Retail Outlets." Small Business. Chron. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. .]. Lastly, most competitors have stores in the malls. Since there are many people who go to malls everyday, They generate more sales if they have stalls in different malls. There are many types of consumers in the malls which they can attract to buy. Such as the impulse buyers who would buy a product when they like and also the seasonal buyer who may like the bags for the season. Though their rent may be costly but they could cover it due to high sales. Kipling and Jansport has their own store while Secosana, Heartstrings and Cose has stalls inside the department