SIGHTS
People carrying branded store bags and sipping on to-go coffees, bright store signs, glass doors and windows, well-tended public restrooms, food courts with a central dining area, benches with people resting or checking their phones, specialty item kiosks, display windows with giant sale signs, tile floors, potted plants, escalators and stairways, glass-sided elevators, cash machines, sales staff, parents pushing baby strollers, retail stores specializing in a variety of products (clothing, housewares, cigars, coffee, furniture, books, purses and luggage, artwork, electronics and music, games and toys, jewelry, health food, maternity wares, baby items, knickknacks, makeup), banks, travel stores, lines of people waiting at checkout counters, changing rooms piled with clothing that was tried on and discarded, colorful clothing racks, shelves brimming with merchandise, garbage cans, sculptures and artwork, water fountains, exit signs, vending machines, an information desk, lounge areas (with comfortable chairs, TVs, and electronic device charging stations), bright lighting, skylights, glass and brass railings, receipts dropped on the floor, employees doing product demos, maintenance staff changing out garbage bags, special events in open areas (charity raffles, fashion shows), teens sitting and texting, people walking and talking on their cells, kids dragging parents into stores and toward displays, coin machines that carry items catering to children (gum balls, small cheap toys in plastic bubbles, costume jewelry, tattoos), large parking lots or garages
SOUNDS
Boots and shoes on the tile floor, people talking and laughing, echoes, a mishmash of voices, people calling out to friends spotted in the crowd, cell phones ringing, cash registers printing receipts, the crackle of a security radio, plastic bags crinkling, zippers on purses and jackets being pulled, someone slurping through a straw, kids asking questions and begging for purchases, store music, air conditioning and exchangers, store security alarms going off, customer announcements in stores (regarding specials, demo locations, or lost children), cashiers calling over the store speakers for a manager, scanners bleeping as they pick up bar codes, the click and clack of hangers rubbing against each other, the swoosh of fabric, the crinkle of shrink-wrapped boxes, elevator doors dinging, running children, a half-full coffee dropping into a trash can with a soft thud, crinkling sounds as someone rummages through a shopping bag, parents calling to children, a fountain’s splashing, soothing background music floating out of mall speakers
SMELLS
Food from the food court (meat grilling, grease, the yeasty smell of fresh bread products, cinnamon, salt, spicy foods, barbeque, hot dogs, burgers), bad breath, body odor, perfume, hairspray and products, strong perfumes and body sprays from beauty product counters, popcorn, cleaning supplies, coffee, wet shoes and boots during poor weather, air fresheners, floor wax
TASTES
Water, coffee, pop, mints, gum, multicultural choices from the food court, snacks bought at stores or from vending machines (cookies, candy, chocolate, chips, ice cream), cough drops, tobacco chew
TEXTURES AND SENSATIONS
Balancing carefully on an escalator step, brushing by other shoppers, being jostled in a crowd at a food court restaurant, a cool drink in one’s hand, sucking on a straw, heavy shopping bags biting into one’s palms, shopping bags bumping against one’s legs, crumpling up a receipt, sitting on a hard food court chair, dropping gratefully onto a bench to rest, soft fabrics, cool metal railings, hot coffee or food, feet that are sore from walking, arms that feel heavy and strained, tapping a glass showcase with a fingernail, a child’s sweaty hand in one’s grip, sliding hangers along a rack as one looks for a certain size, struggling to carry bags while answering one’s phone and corralling children
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF CONFLICT
An item ringing up for more than the tag indicates
A sales associate who won’t refund one’s purchase
Not being able to find the item one wants in the right size
Inattentive parents with wild children
Demanding customers
Crowds and long lines
Stores running out of hot-ticket items
Buyer’s remorse or overspending
Wanting to leave but being stuck at the mall with an avid shopper
Being in a big rush with hyper children or sullen teenagers in tow
Shoplifters and pickpockets
PEOPLE COMMONLY FOUND HERE
Delivery people, maintenance workers, mall employees, moms and dads with small children, salespeople, security guards, shoppers, teenagers, walkers getting their exercise
RELATED SETTINGS THAT MAY TIE IN WITH THIS ONE
Bookstore, coffeehouse, deli, elevator, fast food restaurant, hair salon, ice cream parlor, jewelry store, movie theater, parking garage, parking lot, pet store
SETTING NOTES AND TIPS
Shopping malls are as different as the communities where they are found. High-end malls cater to a wealthier clientele with expensive stores and restaurants. Some malls try to reach a younger crowd by including movie theaters, children’s play areas, and kid-friendly stores, or they bring on big brand outlet stores popular with the price-conscious shopper who still wants designer products. Many malls are closing their doors, which doesn’t happen overnight; these malls remain open while their stores slowly go out of business, creating a very different shopping experience for consumers.
SETTING DESCRIPTION EXAMPLE
Marcy hopped on the escalator and rode up to the second level. As she rose, she watched the mass crowd below shrink to the size of bugs. Groups of teenagers bounced against one another like popcorn, laughing as they ricocheted down the corridor. Older couples marched side by side, clearly on a mission to snap up the best Boxing Day deals. More than a few young families pushed strollers despite the early hour, but most held cups of coffee for a much needed caffeine boost. She tapped the pocket of her jeans, making sure her fifty dollar gift card was still in place. Time to do some damage at the music store.
Techniques and Devices Used: Contrast, simile
Resulting Effects: Characterization, establishing mood