A Room of One's Own

3. Lorainne Sim asks why it is that, within the field of everyday life studies, women writers and voices have such a marginal presence when it comes to the question of the everyday, even while the concept of the everyday is so often tied to femininity. How does Woolf help us begin an answer to this question? Give specific examples.

The simple answer to this would be how Woolf brings up the conditions of relative intellectual and economic poverty in which women were once raised. This had a clear negative effect on women's ability to output significant work in philosophy and scientific studies. Her story of Shakespeare's imaginary sister is an especially poignant example of how the mere fact of womanhood is detrimental to one's ability to produce great fiction. The way which she describes the relative poverty of Fernham and Oxbridge, and the apparent pressures which she places onto Mary Carmichael as she is reading, seems to indicate the perpetuation of those conditions in ways that are less visible but still guide the judgement of women's works to the present day.

I also felt that nearing the end of the essay, Woolf's writing became increasingly heteronormative. It seemed like her characterization of men and women as requiring a duality of manly-woman and womanly-man was just another way of perpetuating existing stereoptypes about femininity and masculinity, and how we "should" be involving the specialties of the "other" in order to produce works with integrity. Surely there are more influences that deserve to be drawn from beyond the simple generalizations of gender binaries?

Woolf

Woolf's piece was very interesting to me, the way in which she constructed and presented her piece makes more interested in actually reading it because she writes her ideas and concepts as they are in that moment rather than write in your typical academic language. She tells her essay in more of a story format and she also made her piece somewhat more personal which makes the readers more easily relatable to her through her work.
I personally thought that Woolf's message was very powerful and persuasive. She talked about the difficulties that women faced back in her time because women were typically not able to voice their own opinions because they did not have their own space for those thoughts nor were they able to be educated on the everyday. Though now, women have come a long way and now we see many successful women writers and Woolf's piece is one to look back at for women who are studying or writing about this field.

Separate but unequal

Woolf is writing in a fictional, novelist style, which I think is a way to express everyday aspects of female academic life in a universalized way. That is, the fact that the narrator is basically anonymous may make it simultaneously easier for readers to recognize the ordinariness of her experience, and more difficult to reject her experience as unique to Woolf (and therefore inapplicable to the wider female condition). This is a very supportive technique because I think she's trying to convey the way in which the everyday disadvantages of women's lives prevent their emergence in academia, literature, culture. Without 'a room of her own,' the narrator is subject to all the distractions and interruptions of thought that female were especially subjected to. Without money, the narrator can't escape from the role demands of her gender or the intellectually stifling environment (e.g. of a shitty college), both of which are recognizably everyday aspects of a woman's life and therefore of their intellectual repression.

Woolf

Woolf takes a completely different approach to academic writing when producing a Room of One’s Own. When calling out the expectations for a typical scholarly lecture she is also undermining them. In my eyes, when she does this it calls out the ridicule of a typical scholarly lecture. I think that she does this for that reason and also because by doing this it explains why her lecture will be so different and why she is doing what she is doing. Obviously this writing is very different then most, I kind of like to think of it as a journal.  The reason I believe this is because she is explaining her thought process and going over every tedious detail as one might do in a journal. I think that this gives the audience a more intimate look into Woolf’s mind and really emphasizes the need for a creative being to have space. Therefore, making this lecture extremely powerful and meaningful when looked at through an open mind.

Answer to #2

When referring needing a space to one's own and money, Woolf is referring to the fact that women have been kept from writing because of relative poverty. Financial freedom will give women the freedom to write essentially. The writing to states that having a room was "out of the question" unless a family was "rich and noble." Furthermore, Woolf's father believed only sons should be sent to college, ultimately ridding girls of knowledge. The thought of a girl being intelligent enough to write is fictitious in itself because of this.

I believe the term "space" is used literally and figuratively. It is literal in the fact that many families and women in particular did not have space to write in the is private and thought provoking. Also, society did not leave much space for women writers to evolve.More figuratively, women were shut off and limited space to men.

A Room of One's Own

Woolf begins her lecture by calling out the conventions and expectations for scholarly lectures, while simultaneously subverting them. How would you describe what Woolf is doing here? What kind of writing is this? And how does it differ from traditional academic discourse? Finally, what is the effect of the way she presents her ideas?
I think the way in which Woolf casually subverts the expectations for scholarly lectures makes her essay seem more sound, more relatable, and more personal to her. The way in which the essay is written like a "journal" like we discussed in class (casual yet powerful and effective), elevates her topic on women and fiction. Her metaphor in the first chapter about the fish (which represents an idea) only to be disturbed by a man, is really humorous - she makes casual metaphors like this throughout her essay to show how men have overpowered her.

Woolf also presents herself as a fictional character to the reader as "Mary Beton, Mary Seton, Mary Carmichael...". This is humorous yet powerful because Mary is a common named that may often be forgotten, that's why Woolf insists to be called whatever the reader would like to call her. 

Woolf also writes in order to remind the reader that they are reading a piece of fiction - the reader will not be able to forget that they are reading fiction because it is mentioned by Woolf so often. In a traditionally written fictional work, you instantly forget what you're reading may be true or not, because the characters in the book do not remind you that the work is fictional.  

woolf

3. Lorainne Sim asks why it is that, within the field of everyday life studies, women writers and voices have such a marginal presence when it comes to the question of the everyday, even while the concept of the everyday is so often tied to femininity. How does Woolf help us begin an answer to this question? Give specific examples.

By taking readers step by step through the myriad of hurdles that interrupt her train of thought, Woolf intimately and tangibly voices her everyday doubts about the way society works, especially for women. As Woolf proves, women writers were physically unable to have a voice due to the social structures of her time period. In regards to the space that Woolf says is necessary, women literally could not become writers without a space to expand their thoughts. At the time, men dominated every space, especially educational ones, prohibiting women from learning/becoming educated.

Everyday life studies are only recently starting to see women in the field because that is how it has been for every field of study. Women were not allowed a proper education for a very long time, so it makes perfect sense that they would not be present in the educational realm; even more to be significant and notable in it. Everyday life is even more of a struggle for women to converse about because their position in society was completely defined for them.

She uses the example of the meals they received at lunchtime to show how money was significantly more sufficient for men rather than women. Compared to the men's college, the women's college was sub-par. Along with the noticeably pitiful meal, the women at the college were not offered wine; furthermore, they did not converse with one another, co-create ideas, or learn from each other.  

Everyday life changes, especially for women and minorities, when the rules of society change. It is baffling that we are still fighting for women's rights with our modern wave of feminism; however, we have come a long way from the times of Virginia Woolf.

A Room of One's Own

Question #2

Woolf shows the importance of money through her own personal experience and through talking about resources. Woolf's father didn't want to spend the money to put her through school to get her an education, so she understands the important of wealth when it comes to being a writer or an artist. On page 29, Woolf says that "in the first place, to have a room of her own, let alone a quiet room or a sound-proof room, was out of the question, unless her parents were exceptionally rich or very noble", and Woolf is showing the importance of money here by stating that without money, women wouldn't have the resources (like a quiet room of their own) to work in. Woolf, in my opinion, is saying that poverty has deprived women of being able to be writers, and if they are given wealth then they will be able to write. One's own room is where they think and where they can explore their own mind, where they can create what they are trying to create. Without money, women won't have this privilege.

A Room of One's Own

This piece felt similar to everything else we've read this semester, yet somehow completely different. It had the observations about everyday life, yet they weren't laid out perfectly clear like they are in the more scholarly articles. The evidence is there, but it is less obvious and feels more real than previous works. The audience arrives at the intended conclusion, but it takes more thought on their part.

I think that this style of writing about the everyday is easier to read because it is easier to understand as a human being. The conclusions reached from this type of writing are more rewarding, in my mind, because it requires some effort from the reader and not just a theory being shoved down their throat.

A Room of One's Own

(Responding to Question #4)

I find it interesting the ways in which "A Room of One's Own" really speaks to everything we have discussed thus far in class about the everyday and what it means to live in the realm of the everyday.  I think that Virginia Woolf is able to access the everyday in ways which other scholars which we have read leading up to now cannot.  I think, first and foremost, she is able to do this because she talks about the everyday experience by literally narrating an everyday experience of her own.  In class discussion we often come back to this idea that the everyday is the thing which escapes, that thing which cannot be qualified or classified, or else it becomes something of significance, an event, which then can no longer exist in the realm of the everyday.  By discussing her experiences in this type of stream of consciousness, it is almost as if we are transported into Woolf's everyday realm without distinguishing it as such, therefore keeping its status as an everyday escaping event.  With scholarship such as the works of Lefebvre, De Certeau, etc., the goal is to define or classify our everyday experiences in order to better understand them, but how can we understand them at all without first disregarding them as significant, memorable experiences in the first place?

Woolf is careful in her writing to display her experiences as this rambling stream of consciousness in order to draw attention to the fact that this is how they would present in real life.  When we are in the midst of an everyday experience we are unaware, just as Woolf shows in her description of the tail-less cat for example.  The experience is memorable to her because it leads to thoughts about life and truth but the actual event of spotting the cat is presented almost as an aside rather than a plot point.

It's refreshing, especially in a class which is centered around the everyday, to read scholarship which presents itself as a narration or story, as if inviting you to dive into the everyday experience rather than classify or categorize it.

Viginia Woolf Reaction

I think that Woolf's look into the everyday is fascinating because it is so different that the other people and works we have read. Woolf does not use an authoritative tone when talking about the issues of feminism and the everyday. She shies away from that tone as if she is trying to say that she is not the best person to speak about the issue. Instead, she writes in a way that is more personal and down-to-earth. It is a fictional narrative that she is telling while combining it with real issues. In doing this, she distorts the criticism of only showing her point of view because technically, she isn't. With talking about a fictional character, she is able to talk about the issues facing women more intently by talking herself out of the conversation.

We talked about the saying "fiction can show more of the truth than the facts." This is absolutely true. Fiction writers have always been using fictional worlds to comments about the issues facing our own. The book "If Beale Street Could Talk" is a perfect example. All of the characters are made up and the situations they go through did not technically happen, but the book gives fascinating insight into what African Americans had to go through during the 1950s. This is exactly what Woolf is saying. Fiction helps the reader understand the issue, at least in the author's perspective, by not having to deal with facts that could distort the truth.

Fictional Writing At Its Best--Virginia Woolf

“A Room of One’s Own” by Virginia Woolf

"A Room of One's Own" by Anais Woolf
http://www.artpistol.co.uk/art-gallery/room-ones-own

How is the everyday an important concern in Woolf’s work?  How does she provide access to the everyday in ways that differ or relate to works that we’ve read?

Virginia Woolf brilliantly explores the everyday life of women in the 1920s through a detailed and tedious account of her thought processes of the everyday that combines fictional storytelling with aspects of truth.  By approaching the topic of “women and fiction” in this manner, and I can only assume that the everyday life of women was not a subject that was highly accessible through the discourse of this time, Woolf manages to produce a persuasive means of communicating the truth behind the everyday sexist encounters and the oppression of women through a fictional character.  She makes it clear that the identity of the narrator is irrelevant, “call me Mary Beton, Mary Seton, Mary Carmichael or by any name you please--it is not a matter of any importance”, because her story is true and applicable to all women of her lifetime (Woolf 3).

Woolf’s poetic technique differs from other works we have read thus far because she does not give us philosophical writing, a literary analysis or a research study, but rather a stream of consciousness.  Fictional or not, the inequality within the thoughts she has and personal encounters she describes rings true for womankind in a way that many writers have not been able to access through alternative styles of writing.  Woolf writes with a certain directness and honesty, while recognizing the limitations of her individual perspective outright, that makes it incredibly difficult, nearly impossible, to refute or disagree with her argument in any way.  She states very explicitly that her ideas are conveyed strictly through opinion and personal sentiment and in no way is her writing developed from any sort of factual perspective, because “one can only show how one came to hold whatever opinion one does have” (Woolf 2).

An important connection is made regarding the relationship that women have with two distinct concepts: instinct and reason.  Although logic and reason would tell her that she should have the same rights as men and be allowed to walk on the turf, oppressive instincts overwhelm her thinking and send her walking on the gravel, where women belong.  How did it come to be that women instinctually feel inferior to men?  Is this still true today?

BLOG assignment for A Room of One's Own

Post by the morning of Thursday, December 3rd
Comment by the end of the day Frinday, December 4th


Please respond to one of the following questions about Woolf's A Room of One's Own. You may also write about any other aspect of the book, if you're so inclined.

1. Woolf begins her lecture by calling out the conventions and expectations for scholarly lectures, while simultaneously subverting them. How would you describe what Woolf is doing here? What kind of writing is this? And how does it differ from traditional academic discourse? Finally, what is the effect of the way she presents her ideas?

2. The central argument Woolf makes is that a writer, artist, or thinker needs a room of one’s own and money. Why is this her answer to the prompt “Women and Fiction?” How does Woolf defend this statement throughout her narrative? How does she evidence the importance of space? How does she show the importance of money?

3. Lorainne Sim asks why it is that, within the field of everyday life studies, women writers and voices have such a marginal presence when it comes to the question of the everyday, even while the concept of the everyday is so often tied to femininity. How does Woolf help us begin an answer to this question? Give specific examples.

4. Given your thoughts above, how is the everyday an important concern in Woolf’s work? How does she provide access to the everyday in ways that differ from or relate to works that we’ve read?

Eden Prairie Mall, Eden Prairie, MN, United States of America

Driving towards the Eden Prairie mall, where I have gone countless times throughout my life, I found it strange to enter the building with a new critical and observational mindset.

The mall is already decorated head to toe for Christmas, the big tree and Santa included. There is garland wrapped on every surface imaginable, obviously topped with lights and a plentiful array of ornaments. It gives the ordinarily dreary florescent space a rather homey touch. Usually, this mall is pretty deserted; however, this Monday night, it is rather busy. My sister accompanied me in this people watching venture and we are sitting at a tiny table on the lower level of the two level building, doing our homework. Surrounding us are two families eating ice cream and popcorn from the adjacent SubZero frozen yogurt shop and the Doc Popcorn shop. The first family consists of one Asian mother, a White father, three male children, and one female child. The second family consists of an Italian father, a White mother, and two male children. As I swivel my head from left to right, I see a Caribou Coffee, the elevator, American Eagle Outfitters, Buckle, Justice, Scheels, and Teavana. People are darting around and I cannot see them longer than a few seconds because they either enter a store or quickly go to the other end of the mall. Most people are toting shopping bags. There is quite a variety of people, however, the majority are White middle-aged couples slowly browsing and window shopping. There are a lot of high school girls with their mothers. The only boys are either very young children or adults. As I have been observing, I barely noticed the kiosk workers because they are so stoic. The woman working at the Go! Games counter is watching a little boy like a hawk making sure he doesn't snag one of the toys. Another man has his headphones in and is playing on his phone; it is very apparent that he rarely gets business. A lot of people are walking while texting. Near the elevators are unoccupied wheelchairs and motorized scooters for the mall guests. My sister and I were going to take the escalator near the entrance we came in, but it was closed so we were forced to take the elevator, a strange maneuver in this small building. For some people, this is a social place. There are two pairs of women who are chatting and laughing and walking around. There are a lot of adult men shopping by themselves, some of whom seem totally comfortable and some who seem very confused. A woman brought her Great Dane to take a picture with Santa Claus.

I could go on with this forever but my eyes hurt from the florescent lights and Everytime We Touch by Cascada is blaring on the radio. I feel stressed out and want to leave.

7:30 p.m. Hold up, one more thing: a miniature train just started driving around the mall. It has compartments for the kids to sit in. There is also a children's play area, which used to be out in the middle of the hallway, but now has been put behind glass inside a store. This place is like an amusement park.

Mall experience

My experience of the mall essentially draws on my experience of it when I was younger, and for a suburban kid it was to me a kind of wonderland.  The people, the smells, the sights, the sounds, the fun at Camp Snoopy.  There were countless and diverse possibilities and experiences to be observed, and it was being an observer that characterizes my experience of it.  Reflecting on it now seems reminiscent of the flaneur talked about in a kind of observational ethnography.  In this way, I enjoyed being at the mall for the same reasons I enjoyed being in a city - being caught up in and simultaneously observing activities and sensations with much greater diversity and at a much faster pace than I could have experienced in the suburbs. Almost all of my visits were school events to the amusement park or visits with family from out of town, both of which constituted almost full-day and certainly remarkably rare and fun events, like vacations.  On the other hand, going into a store (reluctantly following my parents) that was an almost opposite experience, where "shopping" was much more boring and uninteresting than the people watching and activity of walking in the mall proper.

A Brief Summery of my Travels

Growing up in Wisconsin, this was actually the first time I'd been at the Mall of America. I took the lightrail, as I don't have a car. The voice over the intercom said, "Now arriving at the Mall of America" in its prerecorded tone. I was confused. Out my window was just a few buildings, nothing that looked like the fabled Mall. Then I had the sense to turn around. Oh, my. There it was. It was enormous. Not height wise, but the sheer volume was overwhelming. I entered. The tide of people rushed around me. It seemed like mostly families or groups of young teenagers for the most part. Having forgotten to eat breakfast, I was quite hungry at this time. I prowled around, looking for a tasty meal. The stores were mostly clothing and shoes, and I wasn't quite that hungry, so I found an escalator. Finally, a restaurant! It was some generic hamburger place though. Next to it was a Long John Silvers. Sorry hamburgers, you just can't compete. The complete stranger next to me decided to start a conversation regarding the menu. I was taken aback at first, but was able to put forth a decent conversation. It seems the Mall presents a sort of camaraderie. Friend, stranger, relative.. all are fellow MallGoers. After my meal (chicken and fish strips in tartar sauce) I rounded the corner. No. No, it couldn't be. I had entered a food court. Panda Express, Qdoba, Buffalo Wild Wings. But alas, I was full, having already dined on the Long John Silvers. Deeply saddened by this turn of events, I bought some candy for later and left. This Mall had offered my Panda Express and I hadn't even noticed until it was much too late. I couldn't bear to be in its presence anymore.    

Of MoA and MVM

"On Sunday we went to the mall." So begins the diary entries of thousands of teenage girls. My first trip to the Mall of America, and to any American mall in general. Even without expectations of buying anything (I ended up getting a H&M hoodie nonetheless), I was super excited to immerse myself in the American browsing/shopping culture. Given that it's the biggest mall in America by numerous measures, I'd had some high expectations.

Unfortunately I was disappointed. The activity in the Mall of America was just about equivalent to my experiences back in Malaysia; perhaps even less because of its high status compared to the malls I visited with such frequency (sometimes two, three times a week?) at home. Maybe this was due to it being a relatively warm Sunday afternoon in fall (I hear they didn't use to exist?), so perhaps families had decided to spend their time in the actual outdoors.

In many ways the people I encountered were similar to the ones I saw in Malaysia. Tired parents chasing after children in the theme park. Groups of teenagers and young adults just hanging out, usually around food or drinks. Smaller proprietor stalls set up in the middle of the wider walkways. Chinese tourists snapping pictures of every little detail. Strollers were being pushed around everywhere. Most people only carried one or two smaller bags.

Maybe because of the nature of the Mall of America, there were quite a few differences. I hardly saw any people walking alone. Only a select few were wearing business formal, and they looked incredibly out of place. Groups identifiable as families tended to have only one or two adults, rarely more. Most curiously, not many people appeared to browsing the stores; if someone entered a store, they would generally move immediately towards a specific area and pick up an item; people didn't often seem to walk out of stores empty-handed.

In comparison to the Mall of America, I raise the Mid Valley Megamall, one of the malls I frequented most in Malaysia. The two are comparable in terms of size - MoA has 4.87 million square feet of space, while MVM has 4.5 million. Mid Valley is also easily accessible by rail. However, the Mall of America has major attractions in the Sea Life Aquarium (that's the name ">.<) and Nickelodeon Universe; Mid Valley has neither of these, nor is it advertised as the largest mall in Malaysia, as that accolade would go to several others first. These would seem to provide a greater diversity of shoppers in the Mall of America, yet the demographics do tend to similarity. Regardless, there are some sizeable differences.

Malaysian society is generally quite communal. As such, families are about the same size as American ones, but they go out alone less often; it is quite often the norm to invite extended family (aunts and uncles, grandparents, not-so-distant cousins) when going on trips to the mall. This means multiple sets of parents and children are often found together, in bigger groups than I witnessed at the Mall of America. Malaysian malls are also often integrated with corporate buildings; Mid Valley is no exception, being adjacent to a number of business hotels and the fancier Gardens mall. Business people are a common sight in Mid Valley, whether in the restaurants or just business-walking their way through the mall between the corporate offices littered throughout. A third point - Malaysians, and Malaysian Chinese in general, have a tendency to be incredibly calculative. It's incredibly common (maybe even to the point of negativity) to see shoppers going between multiple outlets and comparing prices, searching for the best deals. This kind of mentality pervades Malaysian shopping society regardless of race or age.

One thing to note is that Malaysia is HOT out. Malls provide a refuge from the heat all year round, and especially in the city there are few to no alternatives for outside space. This brings people desperate to escape the stifling heat from their homes in hordes on the weekends. Mid Valley is also unique in that the basement floor is almost entirely dedicated to food outlets, primarily fast food and middle-class-family-oriented restaurants. Because of the sheer number of cultures intermingling over generations, Malaysian foodies have an immensely extended palate, and malls must also be similarly accomodating. I've had numerous trips there with my family for the sole purpose of food, simply because the options are so diverse and accessible. Furthermore, the cinema in Mid Valley is one of the most established in the area, and the ticket queue can easily snake for up to half an hour on weekends.

The general shopping culture in Malaysia might also play a role. Because much of the Malaysian economy relies on tourism, the malls must be able to attract not only locals but also foreigners from various countries.This is to a great degree accomplished by providing varied shopping experiences that draw the attention of people from numerous cultures, nationalities and ethnicities, each of which have their own expectations and desires. Maybe a great diversity of customers and experiences is to be expected from malls in such places. Mid Valley is certainly not very different from the Mall of America in that regard.

Ethnography of Cub Foods

I did not have any extra time to get out to go to a shopping mall so i am going to discuss my ethnography on Cub Foods over in St. Paul.  Upon first arriving and parking in the parking lot you can see how full the store is almost right away.  The second you walked into the store it was almost like a huge burst of colors, different fonts, different signs advertising this deal or that and at first it is all very overwhelming  because you aren't sure where to start.  After I started walking I instantly notice how my cart is squeaking and how it veer's to the left without me shoving it back straight due to the bum wheel on the front left.  As I started walking down the aisles I noticed the different  all the different people;  Older men trying to decide what eggs they want like it is Who Wants to be a Millionaire, kids running up and down the aisles as if it were a playground, and the stockers stocking all the different foods into the coolers and shelves.  Regardless of all the distractions I keep moving from aisle to aisle picking up some ingredients here and there until I come upon one of the store's favorite selling techniques, the vibrant "its a sale!" sign.  Covered in all different colors to make it POP out to everyone, I begin to notice the sheer amount of sale signs in each aisle as I progress.  As I start to come to the end my ears become flooded with this extremely high pitched noise coming from all the registers, I pick a line and wait in turn for my items to be checked out.  While waiting I seem to notice every little detail about this register and the cashier such as; gum is on sale, his side of the register is extremely cluttered with coupons and old receipts, and also how each time he moves the belt he swipes his fingers over the sensor.  Needless to say my trip to Cub Foods was more than exhiliarating and still worked out well for this assignment.

Ethnogrophy

First of all I should say that I did not have a chance to go to a mall since our last class, so instead I will be writing about an experience that I had over the summer.

The experience I had was on a Saturday. I worked in the morning, but was home alone in the afternoon in my aunt's house that I had not stayed in for very long. I decided to go to the Maplewood mall with two goals in mind: buy a belt and kill some time. When I walked in I immediately noticed that the primary target of this mall was not for people like me. Many of the stores that I found there were targeted at teens or preteens. The mall was filled with stores like Aeropostle, American Eagle, Journeys and Hot Topic, stores that are of no interest to me.

The other thing I noticed about this mall was that it had plenty of places for children to have fun. There was a big carousel on the bottom floor, a special play area, a train that ran throughout the mall that kids could ride, and an arcade. I think this a smart strategy adapted by many malls. It lets parents know that they don't have to worry about bringing their kids with them because there are activities to keep them busy.

Northing in this mall was targeted at the early 20s male crowd that I belong to. I spent five minutes walking around, ten minutes looking in Barnes and Noble then left. Also my mom told me that there was an employee discount day coming up at the store she worked in and that she would buy me a belt on that day for a cheaper price. I completed 0 of 2 goals.

Ethnography of Skyway

The skyway system in downtown Minneapolis is an intricate and interesting maze that connects many buildings together so people can cross the area away from the normal humdrum that can be seen on the streets along with creating its own culture.

It is completely unorthodox. The system is not a mall per say but includes all the stereotypes of what we see a mall needs: many smaller stores, restaurants, and large department stores like Target and Macys. Although, every now and then you will walk into a building that is "off limits." You enter the business friendly museum and baking system in the Wells Fargo tower. You suddenly feel as if you don't belong walking by offices and exhibits.

Then you walk across the street in one of the fourth floor sky tunnels and you are back to normal buzz. There's this odd mix of people who are treating the skyways as a shopping area and slowly roam around and people who use it as just a walkway and quickly go to where they need to be.

Its this environment where its not a mall but is. On one had the skyway connects large malls and stores in different buildings together without making people use the street, but it also more. There are stores that are only accessible through the skyways. Stores that rely on people who actively go there to shop and not just trying to get form the convention center to the Target Center without having to deal with traffic.

Ethnography of shopping mall

I took a visit to mall of america to do this ethonography. I usually don't go to mall of america unless I'm under a situation that in badly need of adding clothes to my closet, or go there seeing a newest movie, for the reason that it takes so long of traffic to get there since I don't have a car, always feeling tired, boring and waste of time going there.

But in the recent week,it's the third time I went there. I got something really serious happened to my laptop, and I have to go to apple store in MOA to ask their engineer to fix it for me. All three times I went there alone. Most of the times I go to the mall on weekend with friends, but this time it was myself and I have to go there from school while I still have class after. So on the light rail to mall suddenly looks much longer than usual. And when I finally reached there I was definitely exhausted especially mentally. For the first visit to mall on weekday, one thing I noticed first it's noisy as usually there are still large crowds of people hanging around there, aren't they supposed to be at work?It is 1:30 in the afternoon on Wednesday!

Anyway I don't have time to think about this deeply, so I went directly to apple store. Then I found my self cannot tell the direction! That's crazy and ridiculous because every time I went there I was literally a total blank in my head and follow my friends unconsciously. This time I have to find out myself like I'm there for the first time. Wandering for half a circle on the first floor, I noticed that there are almost no customers going inside to the store, except for the amusement park and the lego store, while apple and microsoft store is full of people with kids and their families as always.

So I guess the noise I heard when I entered mall was mostly from kids and that kind of justify one of the opinions last class, that mall is not that great for shopping but a perfect place for kids to go to.

Different Types of Malls

For my mall observation I analyzed the atmosphere from both the perspective of a worker and a consumer. Also, the difference between retail stores that are in a mall and outside of a mall. I have worked at both and been a consumer at both.

The atmosphere of a mall for me has not always been the same. When I was young the mall was a place my friends and I would hang out and walk around. When I went to the Mall of America I noticed younger kids doing just this. It seemed silly to me now but I understand the logic because I once did the same thing. Now that I am older, the mall is a place for the sole purpose of shopping. Even though MOA offers movies, restaurants, and a theme park I only go for shopping. I save all of the other attraction to outside sources. As a retail worker in the mall I got a different perspective. I got really annoyed at kids walking around my store and not buying anything. They were just an annoyance and did not offer anything to me. I would much rather prefer actual buyers and people that are in a store for a purpose.

This brings up the difference between mall retail stores and outside retail stores. In a retail outside of the mall people come in with the intent to buy things. People do not just stop into "target stores" to look around for the most part. The mall offers the convenience of simply meandering into random stores just to take a peak. Most people do not drive out of there way to a stand alone store to simply look around. As a worker I like the outside stores much more for this purpose and serious consumers like outside stores more because they want to buy.

In my ethnography I will be looking at the mall from both the standpoint of a consumer and as a worker. I work at Herberger’s at the Blaine Northtown. This is a smaller mall that is going downhill rather quickly.

Coming into a day of work we start off with a take 5 meeting. This meeting entails reminding us to smile, greet every customer, the amount we are expected to sell, and how many credit applications we are expected to open. It seems that the only purpose of our mangers is to walk around and give the associates candy bars for each credit application that they open. Which is actually a rather frustrating situation as the mangers seem so insensitive to who we are and only care about our performance. There are also typically people at the door handing out coupons trying to get the costumers to stop and shop at Herberger’s before entering into the mall.

                  However, entering the mall for the purpose of a consumer the experience is completely different. For me after having the experience of also working in the mall it is frustrating to see the insincere greetings. I can tell how annoyed the workers are even with the fake smiles on their faces, as very few people truly enjoy standing for 8 hours waiting on peoples every needs. I personally do enjoy going to the mall, however after staying at the mall for more than an hour I tend to get very frustrated and just want to leave.

                  Overall, I think that malls are designed and set up specifically with the idea to sell more goods. Without even realizing it, the placement of every item and even every worker is designed to sell you goods easier.