The History Of Shopping Malls

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The History of Shopping Malls
Before the creation of shopping malls was ever envisioned, there were shopping centers. “A group of commercial establishments planned, developed, owned, and managed as a unit related in location, size, and type of shops to the trade area the unit serves; it provides on-site parking in definite relationship to the types and sizes of stores” (Carlson 13). “Shopping centers were built to cater to families migrating to suburban areas” (Carlson 13). Although shopping centers accommodated local family needs, they lacked the ability to guarantee a "perfect" shopping day for customers. Not being able to deliver a "perfect" shopping day, every day sparked the thought and development of shopping malls. Shopping malls are …show more content…

Shopping malls were created to serve this purpose. The ability to purchase a variety of products in one place was considered to be "ideal" for consumers. For example, shopping all day at different retail stores built up an urgency of hunger. So, instead of having to leave the mall for nourishment, various food chains were available within the mall plus many forms of excitement such as merry-go-rounds and sling shots. Once exhausted from the different amenities the mall provided, shoppers wanted to go home. Besides shopping malls being convenient, shopping mall creators like Victor Gruen aimed for customers always to have a "perfect" shopping experience. They were able to provide consumers with a calm, comfortable setting while shopping. Meaning, security was always present to keep peace and the weather was always pleasant in this environment because it was indoors and never rainy, always sunny and the temperature was always set to everyone 's liking. "The concept proved wildly popular, and it demonstrated that climate controlled shopping arcades were likely to be more profitable than open-air shopping centers" (Jackson 1114). Since shopping malls were developed, shopping centers were seen as second best. Outdoor shopping centers can cause consumers to become irritated and just want to go home all because of the weather. As a result, they end up losing money, unlike shopping malls who do not have this issue which causes them to make more money than shopping

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