Mall - This - Around

John has a few interesting facts about malls: mall-this-around

Here's a few choice things to consider next time you're at the mall:

• Women will buy more if they hear their heels clicking on polished hard surfaces, so designers often use hard flooring in hallways. Inside the stores themselves, there is often carpeting or softer surfaces to lure customers in and make them feel at home.

• Escalators are placed strategically to force shoppers to pass the maximum number of storefronts.

• Floor plans in malls are disorienting for a reason - so shoppers cannot make a quick exit.

• The spaces near mall entrances typically yield lower rents and lower valued items. The shopper, upon entering the mall, is still disoriented and is not yet ready to buy something. That is why hair cutteries are so commonly found near mall entrances.

• Men are more interested in people watching at malls, whereas women are more interested in shopping. Men also like the non-retail parts of malls, such as food courts, which do not require them to price shop or try on anything.

• Do you know where you're going the first time you walk into a new store? Most of us will turn toward the right. We pick up that bias because we're used to driving on the right-hand side of the road, and because most of us are right-handed and use that hand to touch the goods. We then proceed through the store counterclockwise.