Shopping Mall as a Leisure Destnation

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

David Guterson’s, Enclosed. Encyclopedic. Endured: One Week at the Mall of America, offers a commentary revolving around modern American malls and their effects on society. Guterson claims that while American malls offer a look into American culture, they have altered society to become more shallow and materialistic through his observations of the Mall of America. Guterson also predicts that in future times, the traditional marketplace will be replaced by the desolate megamalls of tomorrow. Guterson asserts that while malls provide a window into American culture, what he observes is cause for alarm. Every year, Americans spend their hard earned money in malls. Sales for the Mall of America jumped from 650 million dollars in 1993, to 1 billion

To keep a local suburban regional shopping mall from reaching its decline, there are a few things that must be done to keep your mall relevant in today’s society. One must spend time and money during the maturity phase to keep with today’s trends. Getting more or newer department or anchor stores may help to draw in business. Then fill the other empty spaces with specialty stores, offering products that consumers can’t get anywhere else. Another option for managers is to find a niche in the community that will draw consumers in.

In “Enclosed. Encyclopedic. Endured: The Mall of America,” David Guterson’s description concerning the Mall of America researches into numerous surfaces that are entrenched throughout the mall both physically and psychologically. David Guterson claims that the Mall is a psychological impact on the applicants inside. He makes this claim through his portrayals of the shopping mall’s: exterior and interior environment, the people he interviews, and the malls many titles.

Kirn describes the shopping mall as an alternative to home because although it's a big building full of many different varieties of stores from fashion clothes to the home necessity to luxury. But it is a place where people use the shopping mall as a place to hang out with friends beside the home. It is also and a place to relieve stress and to relax. In further more the shopping mall is a place where you can be lost in times. Instead of going to the mall to socialize with friends and go window shopping and hang out.

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

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.

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.

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

According to the textbook, the retail life cycle consists of the introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. (Perreault, Jr., Cannon, & McCarthy, 2011) To keep a local suburban regional shopping mall from reaching its decline, one must spend time and money during the maturity phase to keep with today’s trends.

My original topic I chose was intended to be the study of the shopping differences between men and women, with other factors being taken into consideration. I had picked this topic because I know in today’s society, women are pictured as over-emotional and over-spending who can’t control themselves. I wanted to somehow prove this wrong. During my four hours researching, I found that no one was buying anything. I decided to switch my question into something that was more applicable: Are people still buying things at the mall? I would watch as groups of people walk past carrying nothing. If no one was buying, why are malls still being built?

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.

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.

In “Enclosed. Encyclopedic. Endured: The Mall of America” David Gueterson spoke about the idea behind the creation of the Mall and his journey as a reporter inside it. For instance, he talked about how the mall not only intended to attract Minnesotan, but also to appeal to tourist from everywhere. Because of it enormous size and diverse activities, the mall is like the mecca of shoppers. He also mentioned that, Some people got engaged and some even got their marriage ceremony at the mall. After all he described the mall as a success, and the companies behind the mall are even thinking about building similar malls around the world. (161-72). Such marketing strategies stated above are embodied in many businesses today, with the intention not only to bring people in, but also to make them spend money and come back again.

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.”