The Hilltop Mall : A Mall Center

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

Just like before, malls are and will continue to be an entertaining shopping experience. As entertainment changes - so do the entertainment requirements in a mall or outdoor shopping area. Adding more and better forms of entertainment and updating them regularly can keep the shopping experience relevant, and keep shoppers coming back to see what’s new.

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.

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.

In Nightingale Square, a small run down ‘mom & pop’ grocery store, a newly updated/built Downtown Store. I noticed many vehicles parked on the streets and residents walking the streets.

For this project, I chose Target’s department store because, one, I am an employee there and most importantly I felt that it showed different types of people in multiple ways through its products. For my first observation my goal was to examine how the store was arranged, the products that

Located in the northeast section of downtown Boynton Beach, Renaissance Commons is known for its diverse neighborhood attractions and amenities. The neighborhood features a wide range of shopping and dining options that include upscale shopping centers and malls. As a popular place to find almost anything money can buy, residents on the west side of the community prefer to explore the Boynton Beach Target Center and Catalina Center. Those living closer to the South side of the neighborhood spend their shopping and entertainment dollars at places like the Boynton Beach Mall, Paz Plaza and Oakwood Square.

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

Once we have succeeded in our mission to promote shopping locally even more, “for rent/sale” signs and vacant buildings will be a scarcity. In their places will be store fronts with friendly faces there to greet you at the door and help you find just what you were looking for, whether it be for yourself or someone you love. Main Street will be buzzing with activity. Shoppers will be carrying around their purchases in colorful bags, enjoying a conversation with their close friends and family, and experiencing just what Pratt was missing; the feeling of community. And with all of the fun and exciting events, they will remember the joys of shopping rather than the hassle it can cause.

Community stores tend to be small, whereas malls are quite large. A commonly known neighborhood store like Fiesta covers only 100,000 square feet not counting the parking lot (About Fiesta). While a shopping complex like The Woodlands Mall covers 1,338,628 square footage without counting the 5,800 parking spots, and is two stories high (The Woodlands Mall). Even without knowing the square footage of both establishment. Just hearing the word “mall” one could conclude the mall is definitely the largest of the two. However, the difference is obvious, Fiesta is about 1/13 of size of The Woodlands Mall. Figuratively, Fiesta and its parking lot probably would take up only one section of the many parking

I decided to go the Southlands Mall in Centennial, to observe people interactions. I choose to head over to the mall around 11 am on Friday, September 15th. This was a great time for me because my son was in school and I knew I needed at least two hours where I could just sit and observe people without any distractions. When I was observing, I was looking for norms of behavior and American values.

There was a time Laredo’s sister city was very dangerous to be at or even near because of the surprise shootings that sometimes occurred even across countries. This mall, in present time, is still standing but not in use. There are rumors of getting it running again. There have also been leaked blue prints of the remodeling it will undergo as well as the rebuilding of the whole downtown area. Laredo’s downtown area is not one like Austin’s or San Antonio’s. It’s different and not very appealing. Slowly, the area is starting to gain its’ people

Rue 21 is one of the many retailers that are geared towards teens, however what set them apart from the rest is their affordability. This company strives to keep all of its merchandise under 35 dollars. Rue 21 has locations in various strip malls with 52 percent, regional mall 31 percent and outlet centers 17 there are pros and cons that affect the company for each of them (Berman, 2009). Having this store in a strip center can be a really great thing for consumers put not such a positive thing for the company as a whole. The positive to a strip mall is that it is easily accessible for customers to find and shop at the location. Strip malls have less congestion when it comes to parking, which makes for a more pleasurable for shoppers like

On Saturday, November 14th of 2015 I visited the Maine Mall from around 2:50 pm to 4:30 pm to make observations of adolescents from another culture. I chose to visit the Maine Mall because it is a place where adolescents frequently visit to socialize with friends in a public place. The place that seemed most obvious to observe was clearly the food court. The food court gathers people of all ethnicities and ages to sit down and be themselves while enjoying a meal. I found a comfortable table on the outskirts of the food court where I was able to be the eyes and ears of the whole place. This place was essential because I had perfect view of three different groups of teenagers sitting in groups of three or four.