Glazed Eyed Mall Zombies

Today I spent a few hours stalking people in a Mall in Berlin. All for a good cause, of course. That is: getting the credit points for an Ethnology seminar and never having to hear the term "participant observation" again in my life.

The project is about the influence that the architecture of shopping centers has on our behaviour as costumers. Well, it's more about learning to apply research methods in social sciences, but the subject of my project is "the space factor in Malls".

And now let's get to the interesting part. Doing a little research on the internet before the field part, I came across something called "the Gruen transfer". Quoting from Wikipedia:

The Gruen transfer refers to the moment when a consumer enters a shopping mall, and, surrounded by an intentionally confusing layout, loses track of their original intentions. Spatial awareness of their surroundings play a key role, as does the surrounding sound and music. The effect of the transfer is marked by a slower walking pace and glazed eyes.

So, if you, like me, ever wondered why you find Malls confusing, why you become disoriented and find yourself wandering aimlessly through a maze of stores that sell stuff you don't really want to buy, now you have an answer. You're dazed because someone put a lot of effort into constructing a space that will bedazzle you. Then, bombarded by commercials and appealing shop windows, you'll end up buying something you did not intended to buy. We've all been there.

I didn't figure out yet how much of this also applies to supermarkets, but my guess is it's the same concept there.