Creative Writing: Stripping Down Smith Haven Mall
Stripping Down Smith Haven Mall “Honey! Honey! Smile pretty while this nice lady takes your picture! Would you please stop fidgeting?” shrieks a frustrated mother as she runs to adjust her three-year-old daughter on Santa Claus’s lap. Its Christmas time at the Smith Haven Mall and the line to take a picture with a not-so jolly Saint Nick is wrapped around the cheerfully decorated, plaza. The plaza is the center of the mall and when standing directly in the middle, one can see straight down the four corridors leading away from it. Each corridor is lined with a surplus of stores, with genres ranging from Abercrombie and Fitch to Gadgets and Gizmos. No matter how old you are or where you come from, you can always find what you’re looking for at this mall. Each corridor ends with a big attraction, all except one
…show more content…
being huge department stores like Macys or Bloomingdales. The one corridor that doesn’t end with a cheesy department store leads to the glorious and always crowded food court. The food court offers many fine dining establishments including Wendy’s, Nathan’s, Holy Guacamole and about four Chinese food restaurants all serving the same questionable cuisine, which some have referred to as dog meat, though never proven. After you pick up your delicious dog meat, don’t go expecting to find an open table anywhere because the large areas set up with tables and chairs is always completely occupied. All over the food court you see people darting across the area to get that table that some family just gave up. People push past each, jumping over chairs to steal a seat. It’s always a competition to find a table and it’s rare to win the race. Better grab a spot against the wall! After you’re finished eating your gourmet meal, you can walk back towards the center of the mall and try to avoid eye contact with the beauty consultant, with the cart set up in the middle of the walkway, who swear that their brand of hand cream is better than the carts on the other side of the mall. The Smith Haven Mall is your everyday, average mall, but be careful going there at Christmas time because you might get ran over by some mother who has just got to get to the big sale at Bloomingdales. So what is it about these crowded corridors and over-populated food courts that attract so many consumers every day? The obvious assumption about shopping malls is that people go there to shop. Clearly it is meant for shopping, being that the mall offers more than one hundred and forty stores to browse through. (www.simon.com) While a lot of purchases do take place at the mall, that is not the sole purpose why people navigate the crowded parking lot for a spot that doesn’t exist. Teenagers are attracted to the mall because it’s a free place where they can gather to just “hang out.” Teenagers are kicked out of nearly every place they go and the Smith Haven Mall has little to no exclusion so they are free to stay for as long as they like as long as they don’t cause a disturbance. Even if they were to cause a ruckus, I don’t believe much would be done because there is not an overwhelming presence of authority. When I visited the Smith Haven Mall a day after Black Friday, the busiest and most hectic shopping day of the year, I only observed one security guard the entire two hours that I was there. There is a misconception about mall security guards, better known as “mall cops,” that they possess little power and are made out to be jokes. Mall security guards in some ways have more power than a police officer. The police may enforce the law, but that is where their authority ends. The security guard, on the other hand, may enforce the law, any rule or regulation of the property, and may even make up rules as he goes along. Guards can in fact arrest someone if they feel that you are causing a disturbance in their realm of control. (www.copblock.org). With this being so you’d think that teens would be running in the opposite direction but, teenagers still congregate in malls simply because it’s an easy place for everyone to get to. There are always buses running with stops at the mall and most teenagers observed hanging out at the mall had their driver’s license. Teens are attracted to the mall because of its many couches and corners to hide without being bothered by parents. As a teenage girl, I know from experience that even with the many seating areas, I also make my fair share of purchases. But aside from swanky retail stores, the mall offers teens a place to meet new people. While visiting Smith Haven Mall, young people have a chance to interact with other youth from all around Suffolk County. I’ve made several friends at the mall from all different area codes. Teens are excited by the thought of social interaction, especially when it comes to interaction with the opposite sex. The mall is a great place for boys to scout out some new ladies and possibly collect some digits. Along with teenagers, many other mall-goers use the premise for alternate uses other than shopping. The Smith Haven Mall offers free wifi, an obvious attraction to anyone with a smartphone. (www.simon.com). While walking through the mall, I noticed a middle-aged man in suit pants and a tucked in button down shirt with a tie, sitting on one of the couches with not only a cell phone in his hand but also an open laptop on his lap and headphones in his ears, quite the multi-tasker might I add. It appeared that the man had no shopping bags around him, so it’s assumed that he was not there to shop but maybe to get some work done outside of his office. But why might a middle-aged business man come to the crowded mall when he could just as easily get his work done in the quiet, peaceful setting of an office? It is possible that he had to chauffeur a young daughter or wife to the mall and did not wish to follow them around while they peruse Victoria’s Secret’s vast selection of panties. This seemed to be the case for another man I noticed standing alone outside of the popular teen girl store, Garage. He was also a middle-aged man holding several shopping bags from stores like Abercrombie, Hollister and soon to be Garage. I doubt that he is really interested in the distressed blue jeans with premade holes from Abercrombie, so it is likely that he was accompanying his daughter. The mall offers many different ways to utilize the public space. Only months before the 70s decade rolled in, the Smith Haven Mall opened its doors to the public. During that time many stores occupied the layout, that are no longer in business anymore. The Smith Haven mall offered small stores not owned by huge chain corporations. The corridors were filled with extravagant art sculptures. The mall included works of art by Larry Rivers, noted sculptor Alexander Calder and psychedelic artist, Peter Max. The many little stores that made up the mall were eventually replaced by the big chain stores that we all know today and those art sculptures no longer line the long corridors. (http://www.longisland70skid.com/). What caused the shut-down of the, once popular, locally owned knick-knack stores? It could be the increase in consumerism that has taken place since the mid-eighties. Maybe the small owned stores just couldn’t keep up supply with the influx of demand that shoppers were accumulating. The 1980’s were a time of big hair, loud music and of course outrageous clothing, so people had to buy those clothes somewhere. Because of the larger numbers of people going shopping, malls had to increase their store count and offer better stores for those customers to shop in. The locally owned stores just couldn’t compete with large department store like the retail giant Macy’s. In today 's consumer culture the mall is the center of the universe. (Feinburg). Consumer spending accounts for approximately 70% of U.S. gross domestic product and is the primary driver of the country’s economic wellbeing. (www.icsc.org). All of this may also be the reason that the presence of art is now near-extinction in the halls of the Smith Haven Mall; people are now more focused on breaking in their magic plastic card then they are on appreciating fine pieces sculptures by famous artists. Many people nowadays don’t have the time or patience to try to “understand” art or pick out its purpose. In the age of technology, we are so used to having constant gratification; we need to know what’s going on right away. I mean let’s be honest, who really needs to think and develop their brain when we have a little robot in our pocket that can do it for us? (sarcasm noted). There are no obvious signs of exclusion at the Smith Haven mall, most likely because it is a place of business and in these economic hard times, who in their right mind would turn away possible paying customers? Even with the teenagers who come to the mall to just hangout for free and don’t purchase anything, they still help advertise by telling friends and parents how they spent their day. This mall offers such a wide variety of diverse stores from Spencer’s and Wet Seal to the higher end stores like Michael Kors and BCBG. With the variety of stores come a large variety of people. Going to the mall one will see people of all shapes and sizes from fat people to skinny people, black, Hispanic and white and people of different religions. I saw a Spanish woman sleeping on a couch and a man with a turban seated next to her texting. With no exclusion, comes more money for the Simon Mall company, who owns the Smith Haven mall. People like stuff.
In the social hierarchy of America, the people with the most stuff are considered “the lucky ones.” Who wouldn’t want to be at the top of the food chain? That is why people are so drawn to shopping malls. It’s all about who has the nicest clothes and the fattest wallets. Society will never lose that competitive instinct to be the best, it’s the way we’re wired, and it’s the way we’ll stay.
Works Cited
Feinburg, Richard A. "A Brief History of the Mall." By Richard A. Feinberg and Jennifer Meoli. N.p., 1991. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
"Mall Cop 's Fight Highlights Public Misinformation on Authority | Cop Block." Mall Cop 's Fight Highlights Public Misinformation on Authority | Cop Block. Copblock.org, 4 Sept. 2013. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
"Shopping Center Facts and Stats | ICSC: International Council of Shopping Centers." . . Shopping Center Facts and Stats | ICSC: International Council of Shopping Centers. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
"Smith Haven Mall." , a Simon Mall. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
"Smith Haven Mall." Long Island 70s Kid. N.p., 22 June 2013. Web. 19 Dec.
2013.
being huge department stores like Macys or Bloomingdales. The one corridor that doesn’t end with a cheesy department store leads to the glorious and always crowded food court. The food court offers many fine dining establishments including Wendy’s, Nathan’s, Holy Guacamole and about four Chinese food restaurants all serving the same questionable cuisine, which some have referred to as dog meat, though never proven. After you pick up your delicious dog meat, don’t go expecting to find an open table anywhere because the large areas set up with tables and chairs is always completely occupied. All over the food court you see people darting across the area to get that table that some family just gave up. People push past each, jumping over chairs to steal a seat. It’s always a competition to find a table and it’s rare to win the race. Better grab a spot against the wall! After you’re finished eating your gourmet meal, you can walk back towards the center of the mall and try to avoid eye contact with the beauty consultant, with the cart set up in the middle of the walkway, who swear that their brand of hand cream is better than the carts on the other side of the mall. The Smith Haven Mall is your everyday, average mall, but be careful going there at Christmas time because you might get ran over by some mother who has just got to get to the big sale at Bloomingdales. So what is it about these crowded corridors and over-populated food courts that attract so many consumers every day? The obvious assumption about shopping malls is that people go there to shop. Clearly it is meant for shopping, being that the mall offers more than one hundred and forty stores to browse through. (www.simon.com) While a lot of purchases do take place at the mall, that is not the sole purpose why people navigate the crowded parking lot for a spot that doesn’t exist. Teenagers are attracted to the mall because it’s a free place where they can gather to just “hang out.” Teenagers are kicked out of nearly every place they go and the Smith Haven Mall has little to no exclusion so they are free to stay for as long as they like as long as they don’t cause a disturbance. Even if they were to cause a ruckus, I don’t believe much would be done because there is not an overwhelming presence of authority. When I visited the Smith Haven Mall a day after Black Friday, the busiest and most hectic shopping day of the year, I only observed one security guard the entire two hours that I was there. There is a misconception about mall security guards, better known as “mall cops,” that they possess little power and are made out to be jokes. Mall security guards in some ways have more power than a police officer. The police may enforce the law, but that is where their authority ends. The security guard, on the other hand, may enforce the law, any rule or regulation of the property, and may even make up rules as he goes along. Guards can in fact arrest someone if they feel that you are causing a disturbance in their realm of control. (www.copblock.org). With this being so you’d think that teens would be running in the opposite direction but, teenagers still congregate in malls simply because it’s an easy place for everyone to get to. There are always buses running with stops at the mall and most teenagers observed hanging out at the mall had their driver’s license. Teens are attracted to the mall because of its many couches and corners to hide without being bothered by parents. As a teenage girl, I know from experience that even with the many seating areas, I also make my fair share of purchases. But aside from swanky retail stores, the mall offers teens a place to meet new people. While visiting Smith Haven Mall, young people have a chance to interact with other youth from all around Suffolk County. I’ve made several friends at the mall from all different area codes. Teens are excited by the thought of social interaction, especially when it comes to interaction with the opposite sex. The mall is a great place for boys to scout out some new ladies and possibly collect some digits. Along with teenagers, many other mall-goers use the premise for alternate uses other than shopping. The Smith Haven Mall offers free wifi, an obvious attraction to anyone with a smartphone. (www.simon.com). While walking through the mall, I noticed a middle-aged man in suit pants and a tucked in button down shirt with a tie, sitting on one of the couches with not only a cell phone in his hand but also an open laptop on his lap and headphones in his ears, quite the multi-tasker might I add. It appeared that the man had no shopping bags around him, so it’s assumed that he was not there to shop but maybe to get some work done outside of his office. But why might a middle-aged business man come to the crowded mall when he could just as easily get his work done in the quiet, peaceful setting of an office? It is possible that he had to chauffeur a young daughter or wife to the mall and did not wish to follow them around while they peruse Victoria’s Secret’s vast selection of panties. This seemed to be the case for another man I noticed standing alone outside of the popular teen girl store, Garage. He was also a middle-aged man holding several shopping bags from stores like Abercrombie, Hollister and soon to be Garage. I doubt that he is really interested in the distressed blue jeans with premade holes from Abercrombie, so it is likely that he was accompanying his daughter. The mall offers many different ways to utilize the public space. Only months before the 70s decade rolled in, the Smith Haven Mall opened its doors to the public. During that time many stores occupied the layout, that are no longer in business anymore. The Smith Haven mall offered small stores not owned by huge chain corporations. The corridors were filled with extravagant art sculptures. The mall included works of art by Larry Rivers, noted sculptor Alexander Calder and psychedelic artist, Peter Max. The many little stores that made up the mall were eventually replaced by the big chain stores that we all know today and those art sculptures no longer line the long corridors. (http://www.longisland70skid.com/). What caused the shut-down of the, once popular, locally owned knick-knack stores? It could be the increase in consumerism that has taken place since the mid-eighties. Maybe the small owned stores just couldn’t keep up supply with the influx of demand that shoppers were accumulating. The 1980’s were a time of big hair, loud music and of course outrageous clothing, so people had to buy those clothes somewhere. Because of the larger numbers of people going shopping, malls had to increase their store count and offer better stores for those customers to shop in. The locally owned stores just couldn’t compete with large department store like the retail giant Macy’s. In today 's consumer culture the mall is the center of the universe. (Feinburg). Consumer spending accounts for approximately 70% of U.S. gross domestic product and is the primary driver of the country’s economic wellbeing. (www.icsc.org). All of this may also be the reason that the presence of art is now near-extinction in the halls of the Smith Haven Mall; people are now more focused on breaking in their magic plastic card then they are on appreciating fine pieces sculptures by famous artists. Many people nowadays don’t have the time or patience to try to “understand” art or pick out its purpose. In the age of technology, we are so used to having constant gratification; we need to know what’s going on right away. I mean let’s be honest, who really needs to think and develop their brain when we have a little robot in our pocket that can do it for us? (sarcasm noted). There are no obvious signs of exclusion at the Smith Haven mall, most likely because it is a place of business and in these economic hard times, who in their right mind would turn away possible paying customers? Even with the teenagers who come to the mall to just hangout for free and don’t purchase anything, they still help advertise by telling friends and parents how they spent their day. This mall offers such a wide variety of diverse stores from Spencer’s and Wet Seal to the higher end stores like Michael Kors and BCBG. With the variety of stores come a large variety of people. Going to the mall one will see people of all shapes and sizes from fat people to skinny people, black, Hispanic and white and people of different religions. I saw a Spanish woman sleeping on a couch and a man with a turban seated next to her texting. With no exclusion, comes more money for the Simon Mall company, who owns the Smith Haven mall. People like stuff.
In the social hierarchy of America, the people with the most stuff are considered “the lucky ones.” Who wouldn’t want to be at the top of the food chain? That is why people are so drawn to shopping malls. It’s all about who has the nicest clothes and the fattest wallets. Society will never lose that competitive instinct to be the best, it’s the way we’re wired, and it’s the way we’ll stay.
Works Cited
Feinburg, Richard A. "A Brief History of the Mall." By Richard A. Feinberg and Jennifer Meoli. N.p., 1991. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
"Mall Cop 's Fight Highlights Public Misinformation on Authority | Cop Block." Mall Cop 's Fight Highlights Public Misinformation on Authority | Cop Block. Copblock.org, 4 Sept. 2013. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
"Shopping Center Facts and Stats | ICSC: International Council of Shopping Centers." . . Shopping Center Facts and Stats | ICSC: International Council of Shopping Centers. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
"Smith Haven Mall." , a Simon Mall. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.
"Smith Haven Mall." Long Island 70s Kid. N.p., 22 June 2013. Web. 19 Dec.
2013.