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.