my mom and i went to the oxnard outlet mall today. there are around 65 major retail brands there (you can enlarge the photo below and see some of them), and we walked by the window of every single one, mostly because the layout of the place seems designed to push you into the tour, even if you are looking for something specific. it was a slightly bizarre experience, especially for me, as i rarely go shopping. every window was a peek into the segmentation of the american psyche by marketers. come in here, and in exchange for a swipe of your credit card we will transform your lifestyle. don’t go to restoration hardware next door, come in here and get some street cred with some “authentic” urban wear. it is more striking to see the different images they are selling in this setting, because it’s like flipping through a brochure of companies competing for a piece of your “lifestyle”.
this is probably a pedestrian observation for people who go to malls all the time. my other observation, and it was my mom’s as well, was that the checkout lines were pretty empty.
Leave a Reply