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197th out of 917 books
—
287 voters
Call of the Mall: The Geography of Shopping
Paco Underhill, the Margaret Mead of shopping and author of the huge international bestseller Why We Buy, now takes us to the mall, a place every American has experienced and has an opinion about. The result is a bright, ironic, funny, and shrewd portrait of the mall -- America's gift to personal consumption, its most powerful icon of global commercial muscle, the once new...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
December 21st 2004
by Simon & Schuster
(first published February 2nd 2004)
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A patchy history, critique and explanation of the shopping mall. The book suffers quite a bit from its structure with the author very informally narrating a journey to, and through, a mall. Despite the stated pedigree of the writer (he's been involved in a commercial consultancy firm advising retailers for the past 25-odd years) there is a profound lack of hard data. This, along with the aforementioned structure, in which he journeys along and converses with a cast of typical shoppers, employees...more
Feb 21, 2010
Jenn
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
nobody
Shelves:
2010
I was hoping this book have some insight like the chapter on malls in Douglas Rushkoff's Coercion or Naomi Klein's discussion of malls as private vs public space in No Logo. No such luck. The author makes some good observations about the development of malls and people's behavior in them, but doesn't seem interested in thoughtful discussion. Instead he uses his data to make sweeping generalizations based on gender, age, and income. I found his tone to be completely condescending, especially in h...more
This is a pretty neat book. The guy who wrote it is a professional who observes people in malls and then develops marketing strategies. It was more about sociology, about how people act in malls, than it was about evil marketing strategies. It was very interesting to see all that goes into malls and the psychological reactions people have. The chapters are short and easy to read, not too science-y.
I saw Paco Underhill speak at a symposium at NYPL; looking forward to this book. . . . Quick, interesting read. I picked up some ideas I can use at the library. For example, having baskets available for patrons to use could increase borrowing. Good idea! Another tip, have comfortable seating available for people waiting on a family member who is browsing. We do have comfortable seating, but I might rearrange and make the seating area more welcoming.
Even if you are not looking for marketing idea...more
Even if you are not looking for marketing idea...more
Paco Underhill does it again. He has a way of making you look at how you buy and where you buy in a whole new way. If you are in any form of business that sells anything or that advertises anything you must read this book and Why We Buy.
This book, although a little "Self Promoting" takes the reader through a tour of a mall and points out different things that should interest anyone who is in a retail business. There is a great deal of repeat information from the book Why We Buy and that is a lit...more
This book, although a little "Self Promoting" takes the reader through a tour of a mall and points out different things that should interest anyone who is in a retail business. There is a great deal of repeat information from the book Why We Buy and that is a lit...more
Few people have spent more time thinking about malls than Paco Underhill. And I mean that as a compliment! Underhill is clearly a very knowledgeable and thoughtful marketing professional and the book is very accessible. At the same time, there's not *that* much to it. Definitely some great insights and fun anecdotes, but a lot more filler. Not sure who I'd recommend this to - not people serious about studying marketing, for it's too superficial. Maybe somebody with a casual interest in shopping...more
I want to work for Paco Underhill for just one week; I fell in love with his work after Why We Buy, now I'm totally sold. Underhill and his operatives see things that no one else does and explain them in the simplest of terms. In Call of the Mall, the founder of Envirosell turns his attentions to everything about the shopping mall, and his observations are stunning.
"On a city street," he writes, "men walk faster than women; in a mall the positions are reversed, since men tend to wander malls lik...more
"On a city street," he writes, "men walk faster than women; in a mall the positions are reversed, since men tend to wander malls lik...more
Jul 25, 2011
Tori
added it
2004- Paco Underhill takes an entertaining and interesting look about a place we all go to- the mall. In each chapter, a different part of the mall is taken on, from the décor to the food to the bathrooms! I loved how he also looked at malls in other countries in comparison to the American mall. Not only did I feel like I learned a lot, but I never felt like Underhill was talking down to me, which I find extremely irritating in a book. I think I will pick up his book before this, ""Why We Buy""...more
Given to me by my boss at a customer experience consulting firm. Underhill has some great, if not obvious, insights. He writes well and knows how to tell a story which, for an academic/consultant, is not always a given. I read the book all the way through and agreed with most of it, though I bristled with some of the generalizations (mostly those having to do with gender). A good read for anyone who is iterested in malls as public spaces.
Nice book about malls and how different people behave in the malls. there are so many issues which have been discussed in the book regarding window shopping, window displays, car parking, conversion rates, price differences. overall its a good book which tells us how malls have changed our lives and how we are changing the establishments of new malls.
good book to read to know about mall culture
good book to read to know about mall culture
If you've ever wondered why the shoes are usually across from cosmetics in a department store or or why no one ever stops at the shops nearest the mall entrance or what percentage of people leave the concession line in a theater without buying anything, this is the book for you. Interesting statistics, observations and opinions.
Aug 27, 2011
Sandy D.
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
anthropology,
history,
illinois,
midwest-u-s,
non-fiction,
new-england,
united-states,
western-u-s
A fun non-fiction look at malls and what's wrong with them, how they influence our lives, how they're different in other countries, and how the stores in them try to get us to buy stuff. Also some interesting historical stuff on their development and markets in general.
Paco thinks the heyday of the mall is over.
Paco thinks the heyday of the mall is over.
I couldn't finish this book. While there are plenty of tidbits that are interesting, it is so drawn out it takes forever to get to them ("Let's park our car... okay lets walk in the door.. blah blah"). However, you might glean some helpful information if you are in the retail industry.
A surprisingly good book. I got this one from the shelf at work. It is an entirely merciless review of everything done right and wrong by malls - American and worldwide - from the retailing point of view. Quick, well written, and full of lines to make you smile.
Easy to read, insightful, etc. The only line that struck me was this: "store design functions as a narrative device, drawing you deeper into the story."
I wish I'd read this the day before Black Friday, instead of the day after. It might have made my shopping experience more interesting.
I wish I'd read this the day before Black Friday, instead of the day after. It might have made my shopping experience more interesting.
Liked it almost as much as Why We Buy. Very interesting non-fiction niche read; slightly more boring less humorous than Why We Buy. This book is just on the dynamics of malls; or I should more accurately say, the static-ness, the geography, even the architecture of malls. Because I shopped them a lot as a girl, I felt like I was looking back through a window in time to the factors I was unaware of when I shopped malls more frequently. While it initially may not sound very interesting, I think th...more
May 29, 2010
Anita
is currently reading it
This book explains the typology of the mall as an architype and the hidden patterns of design. Great definition of mall walkers, who seem to be getting younger and younger, and continue to irritate me at any age.
It's been a long time since I was in a regular suburban mall, but the one I went to most often as a teenager sure sounded like it had been used as one of the models in this book. Plus ca change . . .
This book is awesome! It's a mix of 3 of my favorite things--urban planning, marketing, and psychology! Get it if you like any of those things, if you enjoy light non-fiction, or if you have ever stepped foot in a mall.
Opened my eyes to a building type I've overlooked all my life, the enclosed mall. Very readable, and interesting insights into how marketing and architecture merge in these retail meccas.
The central message of this book that malls should be designed by retailers rather than real-estate developers comes across quite clearly. I would have appreciated more about the role of the mall in restructuring urban and suburban geographic patterns; that is, the outside effects of the mall, it's actual geographic impact.
Again, part of my year researching why my hoarding clients buy when they say they want a less cluttered lifestyle ~ I love the science behind understanding marketing.
REALLY interesting inside look at malls, their importance in our lives as mini-communities, the tricks of retailers, etc. I'm about to read his first one, "Why We Buy."
Interesting, but can't say I really learnt a lot from it. Some of the authors ideas about what would work are not the best either!
Loved it and since then made me a keen observer of why i pick up items and how i feel after buying! Good read this.
I totally agree: malls are not designed for customer convenience. Mall builders absolutely need to read this book.
This book is very readable, interesting and humorous. I found it fascinating to see how developers and designers lure you into their retail trap! I will never shop again in quite the same way again. I'll never go a museum, library, amusement park or any other venue with the same naivete that I posessed before reading this book! Great read!
This book was pretty lightweight, as cultural studies go. But entertaining.
The mall is dead, long live the mall in some other form that looks more like Disneyland.
Awesome. It is a great tool for any person in retail or customer service.
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Underhill has spent more than 25 years conducting research on the different aspects of shopping behavior, earning his status as a leading expert and pioneer in the field. Paco helps companies understand what motivates the behaviors of today’s consumer. His research shows how today’s retail world is ruled by factors such as gender, “trial and touch” and human anatomy. He is an insightful and captiv...more
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Feb 19, 2011 05:51am