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.
Joey ~
ReplyDeleteI also noticed the extreme focus on children entertainment and agree that it is a very smart move by mall designers. In doing this, the space kills two birds with one stone. It let's the parents not feel guilty for dragging their kids along while they shop. Do you think most 20 year old males avoid the mall because of the stigma that it is girly to shop?