More Ways to Be You...?

Drawing 40 million visitors annually, the Mall of America has become a junction for locals, tourists, and businesses. Naturally, its status as the largest mall in the country makes it a popular tourist destination as well as a national symbol. It houses an indoor amusement park, aquarium, movie cinema, and will soon have a hotel. Because of its uniqueness, there emerges a sort of MOA subculture. If you’ve ever inside the mall after hours, you can nearly feel it, like a city sleeping. However, one vital aspect of this community is the fact that is based nearly off consumerism.

MOA and other malls position us to be more prone to spending money. The actual layout of these buildings plays a huge part in keeping shoppers inside for longer. One surprising characteristic of malls is the rarity of clocks. Especially with such extensive dining options at MOA, the absence of clocks makes it easy to lose track of time and spend an entire afternoon at the mall. Long, meandering aisles of malls are often alienating with harsh lighting and reflective floors, causing us to subconsciously seek refuge in the more human ambience of a store. And because the main department stores are normally placed on opposite ends, we are more likely to stop by smaller stores along the way.

As if we weren’t already spellbound by the huge ads from each of the stores, MOA itself advertises to attract even more shoppers. One memorable slogan Mall of America has had in the past is “More Ways to Be You,” highlighting the wide variety of attractions and stores and the notion that there is something to suit every taste at the Mall of America. And yeah, it’s probably safe to say that the mall cares more about our wallets than how many ways we can express ourselves. But it’s interesting to think of just how much we are being affected by the layout of the space to act with a more consumption-based mindset.