Assignment 6: Megan

The Cumberland Mall in Atlanta uses a typical mall layout with plenty of surface parking and three main two story anchor stores—Sears, Macy’s, and Costco—with interior entrances to the mall. (Though Costco is considered an anchor store on the mall’s directory, it does not have a connecting interior mall entrance.) By limiting the main entrances and exits to about six or eight locations, the mall’s design extends the amount of time that consumers spend in the store on their way to and from their cars. Sears and Costco are situated at the far ends of the mall, while Macy’s occupies the central anchor location with a large Starbucks in front of the entrance which draws long lines of customers. A uniformed mall cop patrols the interior perimeter of the mall.

The interior shops are marked on a series of mall directories in front of each major department store and entrance. The interior shops are almost entirely chain clothing stores—no designer boutiques—with corporate logos and lit signs that are familiar to most middle-class shoppers. Store window displays boast the latest merchandise and draw attention to special store sales and prices. Small, informal stands with accessories for purchase line the center of the corridors, and these stands may be locally owned. Though the mall does not draw upon historic themes in its design, bold carpet patterns and a variety of geometric shapes on the ceiling and down the long corridors of shops add character to the interior of the mall and give consumers the feeling of being in a trendy environment.

Up and down escalators are located at either end of the mall and also in the central rotunda in front of Macy’s and Starbucks. The design forces consumers to walk by dozens of additional storefronts before they reach the escalators, and thus, increases the likelihood that customers will make spur-of-the-moment purchases. The mall’s department stores and several other two story stores, like H & M, have their own set of escalators for customers to use, but these are specific to individual stores and are not used by the mainstream pedestrian flow.

On a rainy Saturday afternoon, the Cumberland Mall drew a large, diverse crowd of primarily young couples, families, and teenagers. Most of these people seem to be casual, slow paced window shoppers with only one or two purchases. Lounging chairs and benches scattered between the anchor stores in the mall’s interior provide a convenient spot for shoppers to rest, socialize, and people watch; the food court next to Sears affords a similar opportunity. Margaret Crawford also notes that these lounging areas give customers additional time to think about potential purchases.

In addition to the food court which provides numerous fast food options, a higher scale dining strip has been added to the mall’s outdoor plaza in front of one of the mall entrances across from Macy’s. Here, customers can choose from sit down restaurants like P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Stoney River Legendary Steaks, Ted’s Montana Grill, and The Cheesecake Factory. This allows customers to have a high quality meal without leaving the mall’s property, and is an example of how malls are trying to create a whole day’s experience for shoppers that can include dining and entertainment. Though the Cumberland Mall does not have its own theater, there is a 15 theater movie complex half a mile south of the mall for customers to enjoy at the end of a successful day of shopping.