My Mall Experience

Growing up in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, malls have always seemed rather unnatural to me. The closest American mall was three hours away making mall trips difficult. Not that it mattered; I had no intentions of going shopping anyway. As I arrived with friends this past Saturday at Woodlawn mall, I was filled with a kind of sick awe. I felt like there were hundreds and hundreds of cars lining the parking lot. It took my friends and me a good five minutes just to find a parking spot. Walking inside the doors of this temple of commerce I wondered to myself, “What do so many people need to buy?”

As I strolled through the bustling palace of human desire, I realized that I had asked the wrong question. Being the rather pragmatic person that I am, I had miscalculated in reasoning that people go to the mall to accomplish the tangible goal of buying specific items they require/desire. From my perspective, malls were counterparts to supermarkets. I thought both had the same idea behind them, with differences involving only the essentialness of the items being sold at each. Instead, I realized that people go to malls for the experience of being there. The ideas we had discussed in class were finally starting to fit into place.

As I glanced around shops, I saw friends and families enjoying a Saturday afternoon. People looked relaxed and seemed to be enjoying taking in all of what the mall had to offer. It was strange to see. Perhaps part of this mall experience is the perceived fulfillment of spending what one has earned. I think that individuals go to the mall on the weekend and think, “Hey, I worked hard all week. I deserve a chance to relax and enjoy the result of my hard work.” This leads me to wonder if in the present climate, individuals are less satisfied by the direct results of their work and more interested in using their jobs as a means to an end. After all, in today’s job market, many people view just about any available job as one worth taking. Instead of finding a job that gives a sense of fulfillment to the individual, people are separating job and fulfillment, using a job to go out and find a sense of fulfillment somewhere else. An interesting thought to ponder, true or not.

As my friends and I departed, I was both amused and disturbed when both of my friends asked where we had to leave the mall in order to find our car. They had both been disoriented as the makers of the mall intended. This was the last piece of evidence I needed to believe everything that the article “The Shopping Mall as ‘Stairway to Heaven,’ Leading Nowhere.” Pointing my friends in the right direction and finally departing, I knew more than ever that I hate shopping.

Mall Post

1) Stock Up Sale at JC Penney: Shows the consumerist idea that we always need more things in out life, we need to "Stock Up" because we don't have enough stuff already.

2) Our Goal is To Make You Happy Realtor ad: This ad hits on all the hot words in sales. The goal of their business is not to make a profit, no not at all, it's to make me happy. They also provide friendly services, quality product, and a great shopping experience. They create a world where looking for a house is so much more than just a business transaction.

3) GNC Live Well: This line is posted under the name of their brand. They have created a world in which you must fill your body with supplements in order to somehow live the good life or "Live Well" as they put it.

4) A Little Starbucks makes the Shopping go Better: Starbucks knows that shopping is a kind of worship experience and they propose that they can make that experience even better. The ad says, "treat yourself we're right here in the mall." Starbucks managed to stake out their spot on the sacred ground of the mall in order to better the "experience" of the shoppers/worshippers that enter.

5) Give Gift Freedom: This is an ad from the mall itself. It is a gift card that works for any store in the mall and they propose that this gives the buyer "freedom". They are hitting on one of the empire words that lures us in. They create an illusion of freedom in order to sell their product.

6) Mall Layout: The mall layout has a cross layout which is both efficient and worshipful. This layout helps people get to all the stores they want to quickly and it is reminiscent of the tradition cross cathedral layout. In the middle of the X there is a grand open area with a welcome center and 4 towering pillars holding up the roof that makes you both feel welcomed and awed.

7) Apple Store: The Apple Store proposes that they can provide us with the "Ultimate Upgrade" by giving us a new computer. They claim that they will somehow make our life better by selling us their product. They also advertise using all the iPhone apps in the window to show all of the crap that we might be able to have if we buy the product. The upgrade is linked to an exponential increase in the amount of crap in your life.

The Mall: my life, my happiness and my self- confidence

"This is the Carden of Eden without the fall; the resurrection without the cross; spring and summer without fall or winter" (The Shoping Mall as "Stairway to Heaven", Leading Nowhere).

Every shop has its own 'climat', atmosphere, design.... It is unique, as each of us. If you wanna feel more womanly and cherished you just go to Victoria secret shop and buy super sexy underwear, if you wanna be an exclusive and eye- catching person, you just buy some bright jewelry at Claires and enjoy it ( they even do free ear piercing for free!). Every person is an individuality with individual preferences: the fragrance of scent is one of the things that every one want to find. Bath & Body Wash shop can help you to "discover" your hiden desires. The world of advertising is a fake but it is beautiful and super rememberable! Behind every shop there are wise and sensible people who know how to make business.

I noticed that almost every shop has is own music: Shops for teenagers play teen music,music that want you to be independent and freestanding; shops selling rock clothing play rock music make you' rebel' and dark side in yourself seeker( Hot Topic shop); but when you come in a mall you 'sink' into calm and unflurried world, "shopping mall as a sacred plase". Why? You need to realize that you are in a right place and then just go with the crowd!

Also, trees....they are everywhere! The mall is not a stony cave, this a place where the life is. You sit on a bench, breath 'clean air' , 'socialize' and then make your life 'happier' doing shopping.

"Light ...is our primary experience of energy"(The Shopping Mall as "Staitway to Heaven", Leading Nowhere). Every shop has is own illumination, but it is interesting to notice that the whole mall, halls are naturally lightened. Now i see why the author of "The Shopping Mall ..." tells us that the light makes a mall the place of "vitality and energy". For me it was funny to see that there is enough light...to see...there is nothing to hide or fog. Do they want to show consumers that they play the game? Interesting!

I think that the most powerful thing to attract consumers attention is sales. Sure, the experience of water, light, trees, and music works, but when people see the opportunity to buy something cheaper , it works two-fold. That's why all sale signs are so huge.

So, there is no need to tell that the mall makes us feel like " lacking something", "disoriented"and addicted; it was absolutely clear after my thought today at the mall: " Wow, it is so cool...I will buy it...probably...it is a pretty good deal...I will buy it!" I guess we will never be satisfied with our lives and everything we have to do is to 'feed' our insatiability and ego.

*References: Discovering God, The Shopping Mall as "Stairway to Heaven", Leading Nowhere by Jon Pahl