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Karen Orellana
Professor Koning
English 113B
February 3, 2014
Structure Means Nothing When Shopping

As I arrive at the location of both places, I notice as if I am arriving at just one. With
hectic parking situations people honking and yelling their frustrations. Walking inside the doors
of these two places, I am alarmed with the bright lights. Welcomed as if the vendors knew me
since my childhood. Clothes hung ready to be bought, ready to catch someones eye as if it was
love at first sight. Where vendors all around persuade you to consume at their stores or mini
stores on the center of the aisle. Where the Northridge Fashion Center and the Slauson Swap
Meet become one, very similar, identical.

While many may view swap meets and shopping malls excessively different from each
other, upon closer examination gender/ethnic targets, social class differences, structure
placement, and unnecessary consumption are revealed. The Northridge Fashion Center and the
Slauson Swap Meet are very different in structure and in the environment surroundings but are
found to be similar in business purposes. Businesses are built for a purpose and each and every
one has its own targeted consumer.

Gender definitely plays a major role at the Northridge Fashion Center as well as the
Slauson Swap Meet. However, the action of shopping plays a major role worldwide. It is socially
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constructed that women/girls are fonder in shopping than men/boys. According to the General
Growth Properties website, owners of the Northridge Fashion Center, teen apparel, womens
apparel and accessories continue to be top performing categories at Northridge Fashion Center.
This proves why 24 out of the 170 stores are exclusively only for the male gender. The Slauson
Swap Meet provides variety of all sorts for the female gender including house ware, clothes,
accessories, shoes etc. More than half of the vendors themselves are women. Noting from a
women perspective, women are more comfortable receiving advice from another women when
shopping because they know fashion. According to Eileen Fischer in the article Sex, Gender
Identity, Gender Role Attitudes, and Consumer Behaviors, Women and men differ in the
possessions they favor and their level of attachment to these objects; in the goods which help
them to construct their self-images. Similarly both the Northridge Fashion Center and the
Slauson Swap Meet target the female gender to consume in their businesses providing them with
the most variety of items.

America has suffered with ethnic discrimination many years and while claims are that
discrimination does not exist to this present day businesses definitely target certain ethnicities
rather than others. Anchor stores at the Northridge Fashion Center such as JC Penney, Macys,
and Sears host sales for Presidents Day, Veterans Day, Labor Day, 4
th
of July, New Years,
Thanksgiving, Christmas etc. While Cinco de Mayo, Dia de los Muertos, and Chinese New Year
go on without any sale celebrations. The Slauson Swap Meet target the minority ethnicities.
According to the article Swap meets and Socioeconomic Alternatives for Mexican Immigrants:
The case of the San Joaquin Valley by Magdalena Barros Nock,it reminds me of home,
reminding them of home makes them even more comfortable to consume amongst each other.
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While ethnic discrimination might be a sensitive subject to many, businesses target certain ethnic
backgrounds to consume.

Social class is very important to the action of consumerism. Whether the consumer has
expendable money to spend which is preferable in both the Northridge Fashion Center and the
Slauson Swap Meet. While there is nothing wrong with window shopping, businesses would
rather have your presence when consuming than when not consuming. The Northridge Fashion
Center provides multiple escalators to the second level of the mall which seems to be for the
upper class since stores such as Banana Republic, Fossil, Coach Etc. are in the second floor. The
first floor of the mall seems to be intended more for the middle class since stores such as Forever
21, Gap, and Charlotte Russe are located in the first floor. The Slauson Swap Meet is intended
more for the low class. In the article Social Class and Life Cycle as Predictors of Shopping
Behavior by Stuart Rich, he states Fashion plays an important part in the lives of all women
regardless of class. Except for the lower-lower class in which a slightly higher percentage of
women than in other classes showed no interest. High, middle, and low class consumers are
targeted in certain businesses as analyzed in the Northridge Fashion Center and the Slauson
Swap Meet.

Structure placement might be one of the most important factors to the success of a
business. The Northridge Fashion Center was built in an area which has got the attention of
many. According to the General Growth Properties website, 4,000 new homes will be built 4
miles from the center by 2016 which will bring a lot of new people to the area. Not to mention
that Cal State Northridge is about 7 minutes away (driving distance) from the mall, the movies
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and restaurants might get business from students needing a little distraction and entertainment
from school. Restaurants such as the Yard House, California Pizza Kitchen, Red Robin and
many other restaurants also attract consumers around the area. The Slauson Swap Meet is in a
low class neighborhood which is perfect for the business since the large variety and affordability
of items attract people in the neighborhood. Building a swap meet in a high class neighborhood
might not have the same reaction as it does in a low class neighborhood because high class
people are willing to spend more money on finer, luxurious, and expensive items.

Unnecessary consumption is part of the world of consumerism. From malls and swap
meets to the media itself make you believe certain items are necessary when in reality they are
not. From the moment of walking into the Northridge Fashion Center bright lights, large sale
signs and the low peaceful music make you enter the world of a fantasy. Malls rarely have clocks
in vision which makes the consumer lose track of time while shopping. The Northridge Fashion
Center also has a water foundation in the center which provides peace and tranquility to
consumers for comfort. Similarly at the Slauson Swap Meet vendors are trained to convince you
to spend money sometimes going as far as lowering the price to make a deal. Edward Humes,
author of Garbology says it has been socially constructed that consuming is needed. While
consuming is not entirely wrong, society has taught us to consume unnecessary items to fit with
the trend or at least making us believe we are fitting a trend.

Although the Northridge Fashion Center and the Slauson Swap Meet are seen extremely
different to many upon closer examination gender/ethnic targets, social class differences,
structure placement, and unnecessary consumption are found to be similar. Both businesses
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strategize the type of consumer that they are eager to attract. Whether it is a female or male,
whether they are high class or lower class and even where the structure was set to be built. The
Northridge Fashion Center and the Slauson Swap Meet are different structurally and
environmentally but have critical issues in common.




















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Works Cited Page

Nock, Magdalena Barros. "Swap Meets and Socioeconomic Alternatives for Mexican
Immigrants: The Case of the San Joaquin Valley1." Human organization 68.3 (2009):
307-17. ProQuest. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

Fischer, E. and Arnold, S. J. (1994), Sex, gender identity, gender role attitudes, and
consumer behavior. Psychol. Mark., 11: 163182. doi: 10.1002/mar.4220110206

Rich, Stuart and Subhash C. Jain. Social Class and Life Cycle as Predictors of Shopping
Behavior. Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Feb., 1968), pp. 41-49
Published by: American Marketing Association

General Growth Properties | GGP." General Growth Properties | GGP. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar.
2014. <http://www.ggp.com/>.