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Malls—Where Business and Pleasure Mix

BY AWAKE! WRITER IN AUSTRALIA

SHOPPING—people seem either to love it or hate it. For many, however, this once dreary chore has been considerably brightened by the advent of the shopping mall.

The concept of the shopping mall is not new. In many ways it resembles the bazaar—a center of both trade and gossip. In 1859 the French merchant Aristide Boucicaut helped adapt the concept of the bazaar by opening a department store. There, a number of commodities could be sold. Department stores spread rapidly throughout Europe and the United States.

Among those who capitalized on the idea was Frank Woolworth. By March of 1912, nearly 600 stores bore his name. In time, the idea of putting department stores and specialty shops under one roof developed into the now famous shopping mall. Generally speaking, shopping malls have proved to be good business for retailers, with one mall boasting an annual turnover of $200 million.

A major focus of mall planning is comfort for shoppers. One way to achieve this is to cater to their stomachs. Restaurants and fast-food outlets ensure that happy, satisfied customers will be more likely to linger. Another basic psychology of consumerism is to appeal to people’s wants rather than their needs. One newspaper stated that a shopping mall is a place “where a suburban housewife can become a voyeur of luxury in an air conditioned, neon lit, ‘through the looking glass’ world where literally millions of dollars worth of goods lie spread before her—the princely smorgasbord of the consumer society.”

The next step, of course, is to convert wanting into buying. A proven way to do this is to make buying a pleasure! Advertisers try not to be gender specific. Yet, as indicated above, women constitute a primary target. From the beginning, shopping-mall managers and advertisers have been vying for women’s patronage, including mothers with children. Indeed, child-care facilities, youth entertainment, cinemas, and gaming parlors make it possible for customers not only to shop but also to chat and congregate at malls. And coffee shops provide a relaxed atmosphere for meeting and resting. For sports-minded patrons, one Australian mall maintains an ice-skating rink, while another features a bowling alley.

Malls also seem to have a strong attraction for young people. “I’ve got a lot of friends who come here,” says one youth. “Every time I come here, I can run into somebody I know. . . . This is our place, at this table.” But many elderly ones also enjoy regular visits to shopping malls. “I come here for the friendship,” says a woman of 86 years. “This is the friendliest place I know. . . . My life would be miserable without it.”

On the other hand, many shoppers believe that the mall fits the description given it in the book Shelf Life—a “selling machine.” The Humanist journal goes even further and describes shopping malls as “that portion of our culture that accords human beings no more value than the contents of their wallets.” Of course, in such an atmosphere, balance has to be maintained so that one does not become ensnared by materialism.—Matthew 6:19-21.

Shopping Snares

Some avoid malls because they find crowds in a confined space to be daunting. And there is no question that some shopping malls do get very congested, especially on weekends. For example, visitors to one shopping mall in Sydney, Australia, total almost 19 million per year—equivalent to the entire population of Australia. Crowds, however, frustrate more than just shoppers. And problems with shoplifting seem to increase when malls are frequented by large numbers of youths. Thus, SundayLife! magazine states: “One of the most significant social dilemmas of mall culture is how to deal with the huge numbers of young people who gather there.”

Another dilemma for some shopkeepers is how to cope with the constantly escalating cost of rent. “This is making some businesses go broke,” lamented one such tenant. Forbes magazine puts it this way: “Malls can gussy up their look and bring in snazzier tenants. But that isn’t cheap.” The article even forecasts a possible slowing down of the mall retail business in America—troubling news for that land’s 1,900 regional malls. “Their customers are a dwindling breed,” the article states.

What does the future hold for these shopping giants? As with so many aspects of life, this remains to be seen. But one thing seems certain: People will always enjoy finding a place where they can mix business with pleasure!