Call of the Mall
Paco Underhill explains the mall.
I recently read his Call of the Mall and found it amusing and full of “yeah, I’d noticed that, but never thought about why it was like that” insights. For example, why are perfume counters always near the main entrance in department stores? He asserts that it’s a hold-over from the days when it covered the smell of horse manure wafting in from the street. (I’m not sure I buy that explanation; it smacks a little too much of the sort of folk-etymology explanations of word origins that wind up being too good to be true.)
Other observations he makes are on firmer ground, however. Why are mall entrance hallways always full of such low-value stores? Where did all those kiosks come from? Why aren’t there any stores men care to visit in most malls? (The CambridgeSide Galleria is an exception, having a Sears, a Best Buy, a Borders, an Apple Store, and Cambridge Soundworks; it also has the usual round of mall stores like Victoria’s Secret, Pac-Sun, Abercrombie & Fitch, Benetton, and Ann Taylor.) What possessed the architects and designers to make such an incredibly bleak exterior? Underhill explains it all.
I’ve requested his earlier book Why We Buy from the library; if it’s even half as funny and interesting as Call of the Mall I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.
Underhill will be appearing at the Harvard Book Store in Cambridge (MA) on Wednesday. I’ll probably be there.
February 25th, 2004 at 18:33
Drat, read your announcement of his appearance too late. But if you want to read Why we buy and can’t get it quickly from your library network, I’ve got a copy I’d be willing to lend…
February 25th, 2004 at 23:37
Thanks for the offer; the one I requested is already on the hold shelf at Cambridge Main, though. (Online request, email confirmation. Wonderful.)
As it turned out, I didn’t make it to the appearance either; a combination of time spent getting out of work, stuff to take care of at home, and dinner meant that I would have left the house well after the time I would have needed to make it there on time, and I didn’t want to be stuck sneaking into standing room at the back.
But, y’know, if you’d have put my blog in your blogroll, you’d have seen the Updated! tag on it when I posted that Monday….