The Magic of the Mall

Cultural Context of the Mall the mall takes advantage of present cultural attitudes of
people to entice them to buy
a) Materialism in Society through capitalism, love for material goods became popular
b) Hidden Origins of Commodities (through Advertising) advertisers hide the processes
by which materials are made (such as workers being exploited) so shoppers will not
feel guilty. This also leads to interesting situations (like a worker in a garment factory
buying a shirt, not realizing his own hands helped in its manufacture)
c) Appearance > Function at the same time, advertisers tend to emphasize beauty
(bright colors, romantic attraction) than actual use
The Goal of the Mall
a) Malls only goal is PROFIT malls are private ventures and every actions goal is
about producing more money
b) Malls as a Pseudoplace but due to the guilt usually associated with love of material
goods, malls advertise themselves as places of beauty (see below) and not by its true
function
c) The Illusion therefore, malls try to keep people for as long as possible, where they
will be eventually tempted to buy products without feeling guilt (because they came
to the mall to have fun, they associated shopping as fun, too)
The Magic of the Mall the different themes that malls use in advertising themselves as
places of beauty
1) Malls as Civic Spaces
i) Promotion of Public Functions the mall promotes public events in its vicinity such
as religious and government services, educational exhibits, and cultural events
(such as recitals and films) and transforms itself as a reconstruction of the
traditional plaza
ii) Exclusion of Negative Functions the mall presents itself as an idealized civic
space, so ugly yet public aspects, like political demonstrations, rowdy teenagers
and street people are discouraged through the use of extensive security. Some
public services like drinking fountains are also not included since they can lessen
profit
2) Malls as Liminal Spaces image of the mall as places associated with transition, (like
marketplaces, harbors and carnivals). This leads the public to associate the mall with
the unexpected or the idea of letting yourself go thus promoting shopping mania
3) Malls as Transactional Spaces although compared to the traditional marketplace,
retail transactions in malls appear impersonal. Malls solve this problem by including
gimmicks like retail staff dressing up in themes, and extreme subservience to the
customer.
4) Malls are Instrumental Spaces through this illusions, however, some aspects of
malls betray the fact that they are instrumental in the true goal of the mall (earning
profit). The inconvenient design of escalators and the difficulty of finding restrooms
show that malls are privately owned and not truly for the public.
The Usage of Spatial Techniques by the Mall

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a) Controlling Customer Flow the mall injects subtle environmental changes that
controls where people should go. For example, some areas contain expensive
products only (separating the poor and rich), and areas typically associated with
typical groups are close together (toy stores near amusement rides, clothing stores
clump together)
b) Psychological effect of Spaces careful use of elements (lighting, foreground music,
comfortable temperature and shiny surfaces) to facilitate the correct mood for
shopping
c) A Utopian Labyrinth malls use techniques to trap the people for as long as possible,
like the absence of clocks, lack of windows, almost hidden exits, strong central
features and no signs for people to orient themselves within except the
establishments, This makes the people forget the outside world and view the malls
perfection as above reality.
d) Movement the mall is designed to make people move, so as to expose them to as
many shops as possible. Thus rest stops are very few, and people are forced to eat in
establishments just to have time to rest. Most malls are also designed to be explored
in a single day, so customers will not be too tired and go home.
System of Signification in the Mall
a) Natural Environment natural elements like water imply freshness and cleanliness
b) Nostalgia for the Past exploit public nostalgia
c) The Carousel symbol of innocence and beauty, has fantastical elements
d) Art symbolizes a noncommercialized aesthetic, used to fill empty spaces
e) Television spaces in the mall are treated like TV channels, as an example of
esacapism and are meant to be browsed or surfed by customers
Customer Strategies for Reclaiming the Mall
a) Consumer Activists they expose the tactics of malls and show the people their
materialistic tendencies
b) Resistance to the Mall itself some people hold protests against the existence of
malls
c) Treating the Mall as a truly Public Space opening the mall to all public functions,
even ones that can affect profit
d) Tactical occupation of spaces - many people, usually teenagers, rebel against the
controlling nature imposed by the mall by acts like vandalism and theft
e) Reinterpretation of the Malls symbols many people are already aware of the tactics
used by malls and thus able to use the malls techniques against itself(like freely
using all facilities without buying anything)
Reference:
Goss, J. (March 1993). The "Magic of the Mall": An Analysis of Form, Function, and Meaning in
the Contemporary Retail Built Environment. Annals of the Association of American
Geographers, Vol. 83, No. 1, pp. 18-47
Presented by Group 2:

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De Guzman, Ace Bryan

Del Rosario, Aiko Love
Jimenez, Esther

Luna, Joseph Daniel

Madarang, Joshua Lorenzo
Resuello, Matt

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