Call of the Mall: The Geography of Shopping by the Author of Why We Buy Reviews

• The Pall of the Mall

  
  By A3FDBBQ0NK2SSO on 2004-04-06
  Maybe you are one of those people who loves to spend time at the mall, but there are an awful lot of us who have mixed feelings about shopping and malls. Paco Underhill, who seems to be a mall-lover, speaks to both enthusiastic and reluctant shoppers alike.

  This book was originally subtitled A Walking Tour Through the Crossroads of Our Shopping Culture, which is more descriptive than The Author of Why We Buy on the Geography of Shopping. Underhill takes us on a walk through the mall, visiting malls throughout the world, and taking a look at some of the neglected areas of the mall. He brings along different specialists, such as an architect, a visual merchandiser (which used to be called a window dresser, but is now much more than that), and a teenage shopper. He and his guests deconstruct the mall and the mall experience. The tone of the book is conversational and amusing.

  Perhaps the most surprising thing about the mall is how relatively unplanned it all is. I suppose I thought that every aspect of the mall would have been studied and designed for maximum profit, but Underhill reveals that this is not the case.
  The parking lot is haphazard, the restrooms are almost afterthoughts, the mall map is useless, the lighting is inadequate, the outside appearance and entrance are uninspired.

  You know how you never see a clock in a mall? I thought that was deliberate, like in the casinos, where you are encouraged to leave the real world behind and forget about mundane things like whether it is day or night. After reading The Call of the Mall, I can safely assume it is not deliberate, just something the designers never even thought of.
  
  

• Engaging and fun to read....

  
  By A3QVI57VT1VGRO on 2004-03-22
  ....but perhaps a bit TOO casual. Paco Underhill follows up on his immensely successful "Why We Buy" with an anthropologist's tour of shopping malls and Americans' obsessions with them.

  Underhill is worth his weight in gold to retailers; many of the simple ideas he throws away in this volume would be incredibly useful to shoppers and thus worth money to retailers (for example, clothes displayed shoulder-out on racks are annoying because you can't see what they look like from the front: why not angle them so they can be seen?)

  He eventually takes on the longer-term topic of whether malls have a long-term future in the U.S., at least in their current configuration.

  Underhill has adopted a casual conversational tone, as though he were chatting to you as his personal companion (or transcribing an audiotape of his thoughts), perhaps in order to make the book enjoyable to read. He succeeds at this readability goal, but the book seems somehwat insubstantial because of it: there's even one chapter that's only a page and a half long, on Aquamassage stores.

  As much as I liked this book, I wish he cut some of this trivia out. Like a nosh at the food court, you end up wishing that you'd had a full meal.
  
  

• For the shopper and retailer alike

  
  By A1E7TNJUW0H032 on 2004-02-11
  Much like Paco Underhill's first book, Why We Buy, this book states what seems so obvious, but really isn't until he talks about it. I must say that my only complaint about the book is that it starts out pretty slow. Even though the first couple of chapters are short, if I didn't have the faith that the rest of the book was going to be worth it, or hadn't read Why We Buy, I doubt that I would have had the persistence to endure the slow beginning.

  However, that said, once he starts making certain observations and recommendations, the points are one after another and I found myself needing to highlight almost entire passages or would skim over a passage and find myself needing to go back and read because I would miss the significance of certain passages. At this point, Paco Underhill is at his best. He also shops with various other folks to emphasize the socializing aspect of the mall as the "new town square" that only suburbia is able to provide.

  Reading it from a retailer perspective, this book was so full of little tidbits and advice, I found the time spent reading it as worthwhile as any book I have read for purely a work related purpose.

  I do not want to give too much of the book away but some of the issues covered are parking in the malls, the location of the malls, the maps in malls, the location of certain departments in department stores or individual stores in the mall and how they fail or succeed in various marketing methods.

  I would recommend this book to those who need to see their stores (or mall) with "fresh eyes" but also to anyone interested in the phenomenon of shopping itself.
  
  

• Generally weak and somewhat scattered..

  
  By AG65V3LSYO191 on 2004-11-23
  I have not read his first book, but was definitely disappointed with this work. It is an incredibly interesting and valid subject, and yet, Underhill merely superficially skims over the surface of it, with long transcripts of conversation and a barely discernible thesis which tends to meander as a chapter deals with a new subject related to malls.
  
  Essentially, it is hard to know who Underhill is targeting with this work. Is he encouraging consumers to deconstruct mall environments, or illustrating how retailers and developers could improve profit by altering the layout and make up of malls? I get the impression it is the latter, and perhaps this is the reason that the book fails to stimulate, because only a small portion of its readership is likely to be developers/retailers. For this reason, 'The Call of the Mall' reads like an incredibly casual example of the reports he does for companies at good 'ole Envirosell.
  
  Undoubtedly, 'The Call of the Mall' would be better written by an academic. I supposed I wanted cold hard facts, rather than Underhill's subjective observations, irrespective of his footing in retail study. And often, these observations seem somewhat naive and American-centric, particularly in the chapter relating to malls across the world.
  
  Another thing that began to grate on my nerves was Underhill's obvious high esteem for himself and his own talent and wealth. While he balances this with a semblance of humour, it does get annoying. I particularly adored the discussion of a particular Japanese mall, which is near the 'Imperial Hotel' where 'he stays.' Is this meant to be relevant to the narrative or the purpose of the work? I think not. The book is teeming with these kind of discrete but encoded messages.
  
  Overall, a focusless and somewhat boring work, that could have been great with a discernible direction and depth, some actual quantitive facts and less of an emphasis on Underhill's own subjectivities.
  
  

• Light and shallow

  
  By on 2004-03-20
  Underhill has done it again, but what has he done. This is a light read that feels a little too much like being dragged through the mall with a witty uncle. I find his cute asides mildly entertaining, but there is really no meat to his observations. He makes shallow complaints about bad design of malls or stores, but then I kept wondering what malls he visited. Obviously, he's missed the giant ones in Dallas or Atlanta or DC or San Diego which look and feel very different from what he has described. Finally, this book may appeal to retailers, but perhaps that suggests the sorry state of retailing. I mean aren't most people spending their money in either the Targets, Costcos, or Walmarts.
  
  
• Fascinating and good advice, too
  By on 2004-01-23
  I work in a retail-related business, so part of my interest in this is professional. For that purpose this was an extremely useful book, an eye-opening examination of how exactly consumers and malls coexist. I'll make actual changes in how I do my job as a result of reading it. But as a former mall rat myself, I also found it to be a terrific, entertaining, sometimes even funny read. Underhill has a smooth and absorbing way of telling his stories, and he's saying things about malls here that no one, to my knowledge, has ever said. Highly recommended, especially for anyone in retail or store design.
  
  
• Not A Second Too Soon
  By A3AFXQQD01FXJL on 2004-01-22
  One someimes looks on with trepidation when we hear of a sequel. While I initially felt that way about Call of thh Mall, that feeeling was quickly dispelled as I became engaged in Paco Underhill's latest work. It is an enticing and thoughtful survey of not only current retail trends, but a statement about society. Call of the Mall is very much in the spirit of William Whyte, one of the folks who had a large influence on Underhill's approach.

  The informal style is deceptive at first, then you become increasingly engrossed by what you're reading. The discussion of the role of the mall, the history and future of the mall as well as numerous examples international examples all made for reading that educated and entertained. A must read for the student of retail and American culture.

  Call of the Mall so piqued my interest that I also purchased and read James Farrel's One Nation Under Goods. It is a good complement to Underhill's lastest success!
  
  

• Even Better the Second Time
  By A1D2ZCWMK00V5H on 2004-01-24
  Whether a retailer, past retailer, shopaholic or simply someone looking for an entertaining view on consumer behavior... Call of the Mall is a must read. Do you all remember Paco Underhill? Well, he is at it again. I found myself laughing out loud throughout the book! Perhaps it was the topic and Mr. Underhill's ability to simplify what so many of us have spent our careers making difficult, or perhaps it is the humor I have grown to adore in Mr. Underhill, but regardless it was entertaining, compelling and of course insightful.

  I found myself again thinking "why didn't I know that or see that myself" which is a testament as to how the most basic concepts and observations usually go unnoticed until someone like Mr. Underhill make it blatently obvious and impossible to ignore.
  
  

• A Fun Read
  By A2UJ7W6QK3RY24 on 2004-04-10
  Paco Underhill does a wonderful job of capturing the world we retailers have known for years. From the mall's uninspiring architecture to running the perfume gauntlet in department store, Paco takes us on a guided tour of American's new downtowns. Trained to see what others don't see, we learn what works and what doesn't work in malls today.

  For retailers it's a great refresher to remind us how every element the customer sees, hears, smells, and experiences impacts the overall customer experience. If you're looking for a book to give you answers, this isn't it. But rather it's a great book to stimulate your thinking and for you to question yourself on how you can improve your store. Every store owner should first read and apply Mr. Underhill's book, Why We Buy and then you'll appreciate Call of the Mall even more.

  For non-retailers, Call of the Mall is a great study in human behavior. You'll be amazed at how many times you see yourself described; from how you walk in the mall to shopping in stores like Victoria's Secret. I recommend Call of the Mall; it's a fun read that I'm sure you'll enjoy.
  
  

• the play-by-play of a trip to the mall. ooooooh.
  By A2D7O7DST3SBEX on 2004-08-03
  First off, I thought "Why We Buy" was a great book. It was fun, entertaining and tremendously educational. The sequel just doesn't live up to the same standards. It's a a play-by-play of a trapse through the mall. Sure, you pick up some interesting tidbits here and there, but I thought the most engaging parts were when he restated parts from the previous book. It's a quick and easy read, you pick up a few things here and there, but I wouldn't say it's a "must read" by any means. Wait for the paperback or borrow it from the library. It's not one you need to keep on your shelves.
  
  
• Disappointing
  By A1FF2NJKKF4BPZ on 2005-08-04
  For anyone who has read the excellent "Why We Buy" by the same author, "Call of the Mall" is likely going to disappoint. It seemingly consists of the editing room floor clippings of the earlier book that relate to mall shopping and were not included in that book due to space or the fact that the material just isn't that interesting. Thus, in my opinion, you have a second rate book that is not deserving of a 215 page treatment.
  
  Indeed, some chapters are so weak that they only consist of a couple of pages. The author wants to say something on the subject of, say, venue alternatives to the mall, but the subject is only worthy of two pages. So why bother? The rapid fire chapters also give the book a disjointed flow.
  
  The author's previous book examined the psychology of shopping, the physical factors and limitations involved in the shopping experience, and strategies stores use (or more to the point should use) to maximize sales in light of these factors. Although this book includes the same examination limited to the mall, it's nowhere near as interesting or, surprisingly, as in depth.
  
  
• Another Winner from Paco Underhill
  By A1DZQDY2F6JHYK on 2004-02-01
  This book is a MUST READ for anyone in the retail, mall management, or consumer products business. It is jam-packed with powerful insights and ideas on how to sell more and better serve today's savvy consumers. And if you haven't read Paco Underhill's previous book Why We Buy, it is also filled with equally worthwhile insights and ideas.
  
  
• SIX STARS!! MUST READ
  By A1M3SGBF23WYVG on 2004-02-23
  Paco Underhill has done it again. This book is educational and entertaining at the same time. You won't be able to put it down. If you want to understand how and what the consumer really thinks and does you need to read this book. No one out there packs in as many insights in as few pages.

  If you serve customers or you are one -- you should read this book.

  Paco Underhill serves up insights that will entertain.

  Read it for fun!
  
  

• Fun Read About Geography of Malls
  By AMAVO4LME6G87 on 2004-06-02
  This book is full of interesting stories, information, and ideas written in a breezy manner that made it easy for me to read it in a few settings. Underhill has all sorts of ideas, thoughts, and criticisms about malls all over the world, which he is all too happy to share. Perhaps the most interesting idea he puts forwards is that malls are mostly a creation of real estate developers, who have little understanding of effective retailing. Of course, Underhill also delights in taking professional retailers to task with his various observations.

  Anyone looking for a scientific, rigorous description of effective retailing in a mall is going to be disappointed. That's probably for Underhill's clients. Some chapters never seem to provide any facts or conclude anything, and come across as more random observations on a theme. These instances seem more like an opportunity for the author to simply ramble on than really add something to the book. (I suspect Paco Underhill really likes to hear himself talk!)

  But this was largely fun to read, and so full of surprising facts and ideas such that I cannot help seeing the modern mall with new eyes.
  
  

• Everything you've always wanted to know about malls!
  By A29YT2VIPTOA4C on 2004-10-16
  Paco Underhill takes an entertaining and interesting look about a place we all go to- the mall. In each chapter, a different part of the mall is taken on, from the décor to the food to the bathrooms! I loved how he also looked at malls in other countries in comparison to the American mall. Not only did I feel like I learned a lot, but I never felt like Underhill was talking down to me, which I find extremely irritating in a book. I think I will pick up his book before this, "Why We Buy".
  
  
• A disappointing second book
  By A9RYUR5YP5PEM on 2004-11-02
  I very much enjoyed Paco Underhill's first book about shopping, _Why_We_Buy_. Therefore, I was looking forward to this new effort with a great deal of anticipation, most of which was disappointed. Somewhere in this book is approximately one essay worth of interesting material; unfortunately, it's smeared all over a longer book that doesn't really stand up to the material.
  
  I really wanted to like this book, but I did not. If you haven't read the first book, skip this one, and read that one. it was a great book. This was a waste of my time.
  
  
• Get a tour of shopping malls by an expert
  By A1DP0UQOI38B2V on 2004-11-20
  An enjoyable read without many numbers or detailed economic concepts to bog it down. This is not a book I plowed right through as a "can't put it down"; but rather the well-organized groupings of concepts and ideas let me read chapters at my leisure.
  
  You'll learn about the growth and history of the mall, how it works, how it doesn't work, and the mall's future. This book touches not only on the stores, but also human behavior. You'll feel as if you're walking in the malls at Paco Underhill's side as he expands on the workings of the stores and the habits of shoppers.
  
  
• Very Interesting
  By A3ASQBWRNMUM9F on 2005-04-18
  I thought this was a very interesting book. I cant stand shopping. And I avoid malls at all costs. Now I know why.
  
  
• Disappointing
  By A1FF2NJKKF4BPZ on 2005-08-04
  For anyone who has read the excellent "Why We Buy" by the same author, "Call of the Mall" is likely going to disappoint. It seemingly consists of the editing room floor clippings of the earlier book that relate to mall shopping and were not included in that book due to space or the fact that the material just isn't that interesting. Thus, in my opinion, you have a second rate book that is not deserving of a 215 page treatment.
  
  Indeed, some chapters are so weak that they only consist of a couple of pages. The author wants to say something on the subject of, say, venue alternatives to the mall, but the subject is only worthy of two pages. So why bother? The rapid fire chapters also give the book a disjointed flow.
  
  The author's previous book examined the psychology of shopping, the physical factors and limitations involved in the shopping experience, and strategies stores use (or more to the point should use) to maximize sales in light of these factors. Although this book includes the same examination limited to the mall, it's nowhere near as interesting or, surprisingly, as in depth.
  
  
  
• Now I know why I (don't) shop at the mall
  By A2NEIV1CDURUK on 2005-10-24
  This book, while a very easy and enjoyable read, was not up to the quality of the last book Why We Buy. It was interesting none the less. As with Why We Buy every now and then you get the feeling that he is advertising his business.
  
  
• Stick with "Why We Buy"
  By A2BK7J6ISZ5SQH on 2006-03-10
  I loved "Why We Buy" and bought it for several friends. I've probably loaned it out more than any other book I own. I had high hopes for this and was underwhelmed. Whereas I cannot stop applying the lessons from WWB each time I go shopping, there aren't very many insights in COTM that make me observe malls and shopping experiences. I love this stuff and wanted more than to eavesdrop as Underhill accompanies folks on trips to the mall.
  
  
• Wish he'd gone deeper
  By on 2004-04-29
  While I liked this book, I thought that Underhill could have done a much better job in explaining WHY WE BUY. I think I walked away from the book with a very superficial idea of what he was trying to explain.

  This book was far more essay and less fact. My guess is that it was probably written that way to appeal to a greater audience. For all of Underhill's background and experience, I wish he had given us more. I found myself skipping whole paragraphs when he gave us his literary menader through the mall.
  
  

• an average sequel, at best
  By A20ML00E41I3K1 on 2004-11-15
  Underhill's first book "Why We Buy" was very good, a smart analysis of the shopping mind and how stores react to it. Call of the Mall, however, sounded more like a bunch of stuff he thought of later--stuff that would've made the first book better, but not enough to write a second. This was more like a step by step breakdown of what designers should notice. Interesting, yes, but a bit long-winded for a casual reader. That makes the style a bit ironic, for it is almost too casual, like he wrote it by walking around speaking into a tape recorder. He's interesting, but this is the kind of book you use to kill time in the doctor's office. If you haven't read the first, "Why We Buy" is the better choice.
  
  
• Underhill writes well
  By A306RL3D671VYG on 2004-12-30
  The Call of the Mall book is very good, fun, and well-written. I would have liked even more statistics and data, but I suppose those are for the paying customers. Anyway, the Mall as a sociological artifact is indeed telling, and Underhill has an infectious enthusiasm for the topic. Nice book, nice job.
  
  
• Call of the Mall by Underhill
  By A24505CR98NLLV on 2006-02-05
  Americans have always been allured to town shopping malls from
  the early New England town meetings to the present day. The mall
  attracts activists, voter-registration drives, sellers of every
  stripe, entrepreneurs , movie theatres and restauranteurs.
  Trendy clothing is sold at malls, as well as exotic cuisine
  and food courts. The great malls of Europe are in Spain, Italy,
  Portugal, France and Italy. A trademark of the mall is its
  social respectability and overwhelming presence of electric
  signs and advertising media. Malls tend to be auto intensive.
  
  The presentation is topical and applicable to the 21st century
  shopping elite in the United States, Europe and elsewhere.
  
  
• pappalion
  By ANPZ2PNZB90CX on 2006-03-16
  Paco Underhill does it again. He has a way of making you look at how you buy and where you buy in a whole new way. If you are in any form of business that sells anything or that advertises anything you must read this book and Why we Buy.
  
  
• Pity the Poor Plus-Size Woman
  By A7NRL3R5C0AL4 on 2006-06-01
  Paco Underhill maps an upscale suburban shopping mall in (Short Hills?) New Jersey and analyzes what is so simultaneously alluring and depressing about the mall experience. As in his previous book, "Why We Buy," he makes some fascinating comments about gender. Underhill sees malls as "feminine" spaces selling mostly clothing. But as we women know, it's a feminine space that's hostile to most women. At my local mall, at least two thirds of the female shoppers are overweight or obese. Yet, only two stores cater to them--and those stores are in a poorly lit, lower level of the mall. If retailers were truly interested in the "bottom line," wouldn't most of the clothing and other stores sell primarily to the older, plus size women who make up most of the mall population? And why not hire those same women to actually sell the products to customers they understand? That's what QVC does and they're laughing all the way to the bank. The cultural bias against older, plus-size women is so strong that it leads retailers to act against their own economic self-interest. Malls instead chase after cheap, finicky, thin teenagers. And instead of hiring reliable, polite older workers (who've lost their pension plans and have to work) malls preferentially hire what Underhill calls "minimum-wage high school kids"--whose snotty behavior further alienates affluent potential shoppers. Underhill is correct when he writes that America's changing racial and ethnic demographics will ultimately transform shopping malls. The skinny, white, stay-at-home mom that malls were built to cater to is gone forever. Malls will have to offer better and more ethnically diverse food as well as learn to cater to different cultural preferences and body types if they want to survive.
  
  
• A retailing must have!
  By A1GXONX1GZ5X5J on 2006-07-17
  Call of the Mall by Paco Underhill is an excellently written work that explores the geography of mall usage as well as a bit of a history of suburban and urban malls. First off, I was caught by the writing style as it was easy to follow and yet full of good information. Paco explores everything from mall security to food courts to discount jewelry stores being next to Tiffany's. He goes into analyzing the shopping habits of men, women, and teenage girls. He talks about the barrier between the mall and store and how to entice customers inside. All in all, this is a must have for any retail person.
  
  I am into retail but from the web side of things and really enjoyed trying to make connections into that space. It is a little more limited in that aspect but still a good mental exercise. For instance, it is known that as people stay in the mall for a longer period of time they are more and more likely to buy things which is why you have the food court, rock climbing, and movie theatres. Imagine in the web world on ebay where you could have flash games that would allow you to stay and watch your auctions while killing time. Ebay could then put up other similar auctions to the ones you are watching...
  
  Either way, this is a must have for retailers and a fun read for hobby anthropologists.
  
  
• Never be a naive shopper again!
  By A2BL2GP44159DK on 2006-07-19
  I love this book. It opened my eyes to all the tricks of the trade: how stores lay out their merchandise to attract buyers, secret shoppers, shopping spies, etc. I now look for end-cap specials, pricing on the low shelves, perimeter shopping, etc. Did you know that stores hire shopping evaluators to follow customers around, recording what they touch, pick up, put in their baskets? I have now spotted several that I would have missed before. I also purchased Underhill's other book, Call of the Mall, although I wouldn't rate it quite as highly as this one. If you are at all interested in the subject of why people buy, then you need to read this book.
  
  
• Insider Tour of Malls
  By A1K9IG5MP8RW75 on 2006-08-19
  Underhill meanders through the mall voicing his observations aloud. It feels like an informal tour, but his knowledge of shoppers and retailers is based on the indepth study that has consumed his adult life.
  Along the way, he entertains us with descriptions of avid women shoppers, men's discomfort in the mall setting and how teens and seniors interact with malls. The reader gains new insight into his/her own behavior while shopping and in the way the stores lure the buyer.
  He touches on international malls, as well as the typical American mall. He exposes their flaws, suggests changes, and praises what works.
  I kept feeling that there must be more to tell, as the effect is of a behind-the-scenes, but not all-the-secrets tour.
  
  

• Why We Buy: The Science Of Shopping
• How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market
• 1001 Ideas to Create Retail Excitement, Revised Edition (2003)
• Point of Purchase: How Shopping Changed American Culture
• Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy