Shopping Malls

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Shopping Malls

Since industrialization pulled off the farm into the factory, department stores were invented and advertisement emerged. This caused consumerism to become a fundamental base of our culture. If consumerism had become a religion, well its temple would probably be shopping malls. Malls turned out to be the central institution of our modern consumer culture. Its environment is full of advertisement and lures which takes the consumer¡¦s soul into the ¡§temptation to buy¡¨ world. The following essay will analyze the techniques that malls use in order to keep customers inside, the reason why different malls appeal to different people and the influence they have on the landscape of their community.

Shopping malls use many different techniques in order to attract consumers and make them buy their merchandise. Those techniques are very apparent while walking through the malls. The shopping experience can become so pleasurable when it happens in a "natural area." For that reason storekeepers set up malls like if they were parks with trees, flowers, fountains and benches. Shoppers then feel like they naturally belong there and have the desire to stay longer and socialize. Coffee shops, restaurants and snack bars are also included in the area and allow people not only to "hang out" but to consume even when taking a break from shopping and buying. Kindergartens and playgrounds are also provided so that parents can leave their young children and shop with a clear mind and maybe buy with more ease and no distraction. A well known example of a decorated mall is Carrefour Laval, where the scenes and backgrounds are constantly renewed depending on the season, on the current holiday and on the fashion trends.

Malls often t...

... middle of paper ...

... in the center of the city rather than if they are in the country suburbs. Malls exert a big influence on the landscape of their community since they bring in more people either to work or to shop. If the mall is a successful one because it makes a lot of sales and profit, it causes the society's economy and consumption to increase tremendously.

In conclusion, the consumerism movement is getting to much expansion in our daily lives. As we enter in a shopping mall we realize that all techniques that shopkeepers use in order to lure and keep us in work perfectly and we are not even conscious about it. Every aspect of the mall, from its location to its decoration, is so well-planned and is specifically designed in order to generate the maximum sales possible. People should pay more attention at what they see, because advertisement is not always perfectly true.

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