Truth... About Malls

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townsquare1.jpg
Town Square v. Regular Mall

Don't Get Lost in the Atmosphere!!

 

The mall has the idea that by creating certain atmospherics it will make shopping more of an experience rather than buying a product. The experience is related to how much a person will buy. The ‘Gruen’ Transfer is the moment where one turns from a self-directed customer to an undirected impulse buyer. This is done because often people tend to get lost or lose track of time and continue to shop at the stores that are close and convenient to their location in the mall.

The mall purposely designs hexagonal floor plans, comfortable floor surfaces and anchor stores to serve the Gruen Transfer purpose. The mall also does not have any displays of clocks or windows that give any idea of the time of day. This allows the buyers to lose track of time and continue their shopping spree.

The atmospherics of the mall are related to senses. The sight of things such as architecture, mannequins and wide vs. narrow has an impact on the behavior of the buyer. Often time’s people are reeled in by the comfort level of the building and their interests in an eye-catching display. Other atmospherics are sounds and smells.  There usually is a light sound of music at the mall. This is intended to “sell productivity” also known as Musak.

Studies have shown that the beats per minute are related to a buyers purchasing behavior. Smells can be unconscious or conscious. Unconscious smells would be the hormonal extracts and conscious smells for example would be pizza. The smell of pizza can linger in the air around the food court. This all relates to the experience that the mall wants the purchasers to have.

The mall has a way of tricking or misleading the customer. The atmospherics that are present in the mall only serve the purpose to pull in the customers and keep them there so they will continue to buy their products. The experience that the customers are supposed to have while at the mall is not related to their enjoyment and fulfillment; it is aimed to pull in more money.

The mall is supposed to be similar to the Towns Square. This comparison is wrongfully assumed to be true.  A town's square is traditionally a place in the middle of town where people can come together to buy and sell goods, and exchange information and ideas.  This right is granted free of persecution.  However, even though the mall sells itself as a Town Square, this free speech and exchange is not granted to customers of malls.  Malls are private property, and any person who violates their strict design can and will be escorted from their premises.