My Mall Pilgrimage

  

       While this wasn't my first trip to Woodland Mall, it was the first time I was there just to hang out. I went with two friends and the vague goal of buying a dress for a formal event. As we stepped into the building, shivering and shaking the snow off our boots we were met immediately by a blast of warm air and a set of bright, polished stainless steel doors. Opening those, we walked into the picture above: a large plaza filled with trees and comfortable-looking chairs, naturally lit through skylights in the ceiling.

       People milled around happily. I saw couples and families enjoying the day together, groups of friends laughing. No one seemed to be on a mission. I was almost taken aback at how happy I felt right away. I'm not a big shopper at all, but the mall was bright and cheery and smelled like pretzels, I was with good friends and everything felt about right. It's staggering to realize how much of my mood lift was carefully manufactured by the mall to make me buy things. 

       My friends and I browsed casually through a few stores and I realized the truth of John Pahl's statement that: "malls disorient visitors. They do so quite intentionally, in order to reorient pilgrims toward the purveyors of commodities from whom shoppers might acquire an impulsively purchased 'bargain'." I doubt I would be able to draw any sort of map of the mall; it seemed to just keep on going. There were twists and turns and corridors: all crammed with stores. The stores themselves were often confusing as well. We got lost in Macy's as the women's clothing section seemed to push us into the more expensive cosmetics and jewelry. Finally we stopped in Forever 21, a store perhaps more suited to our budgets. 

       Immediately we were hailed with garish banners announcing sales. Perhaps it was a successful way to cut through the "clutter" of ads: one couldn't turn anywhere without seeing an encouragement to buy. Loud, upbeat music played and I realized that the demographic for this store was my age group. The cheery noise, bright signs and contemporary fashions were also supposed to prompt someone like me to buy something. The layout and feel was completely different from a store like Hot Topic, which lured the emo/punk crowd in with black lighting and rap music or Ann Taylor, which sought the business of a middle-age mother type.

       Bright, attention-grabbing banners throughout Forever 21 screamed prices. One sign said $2.50 in large numbers and then in small letters "and up, select items only". Essentially the sign said that some items in the display were $2.50, and the rest were more expensive. It was a sign that gave absolutely no information, but drew people over with promise of low prices.

       My friends and I met up at the jewelry section and looked through the cheap trinkets. People who saw the documentary Reel Injun might be interested to note that Native American designs seemed to be a popular trend. Below is a photo of some feathers, fringe, and "totem"-like designs that were featured prominently among the accessories. 

       One friend found a cute belt, another eyed a bracelet, while I found a necklace that looked like a small alarm clock. But even as we walked to the register we realized that we didn't need the items, we didn't even really want the items. We all just wanted to buy something, like the daughter in Pahl's chapter, some souvenir from our trip.We didn't end up purchasing anything, but I wonder if we hadn't been thinking consciously about what we were doing if we would have. 

        The mall has become one of the most popular places for people to hang out, and that's a very odd concept when you think about it. People will go to stores with no intention of buying anything and then feel like to complete their experience they have to purchase something-- to "give an offering" at the church of consumerism. I enjoyed my trip to the mall, but after everything I watched and read, I ended up making my one purchase of the day across the street at Plato's Closet, a resale store, where I found the dress I was looking for for $6. I'm glad that I'm becoming more aware of consumerism and advertising. I feel like it's much easier now for me to make a trip to the mall nothing more than a day out with friends, and not some sort of pilgrimage.