Ponder This Next Time You're Mall Shopping

This is the last full weekend to do your holiday shopping and if you are like me, well this weekend also marks the start of your holiday shopping. Yes, I put it off for awhile and even though I'm under pressure now to get things done, I won't be one of those guys who waits until Christmas Eve to hit the mall. Every year the same group of procrastinators are aimlessly wondering around the jewelry stores with bewildered looks on their faces. The thought running thru their head is fear and the robotic response - "give me something shiny, she likes shiny". As if you didn't have enough on your mind already deciding on last minute gifts ideas, here are a couple of other things to ponder as you stroll/rush from store to store...

Although the following statements may not be "fact", they are surprisingly common and often true.

• 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. Upon entering the mall, the shopper is still disoriented and is not yet ready to buy something. That is why beauty salons are so commonly found near mall entrances.
• Men are more interested in people watching at malls, whereas women are more interested in shopping (duh). 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.

For the rest of us who actually put some thought and time into our gift selections, then you had a few minutes to spare which is why you read this post! So congratulations and if you don't believe some of those "shopping mall facts", then on your next shopping escapade, make a note of how your favorite mall is laid out and how you behave in it. I bet you will find many similarities. Whatever you do, just don't lose sight of the fact that come December 26, there are only 355 shopping days left until next Christmas so you better get busy!