The world of shopping malls has been changing dramatically in the last few years. In a mall the interaction between people and the environment is an important issue.The concept of malls and the experience of shopping in these is here to stay. One must realise that these are not merely marketing spaces of supermarkets. The infrastructure is more complex with multiplexes, international branch stores and food courts. The mall culture needs to be understood, failing which a lot of inconvenience and sometimes unwanted accidents can occur, causing a lot of unpleasantness and confusion. It is always better to know and understand the etiquette of these places before using it.
We often see a lot of teenagers just hanging around in the mall as if it were a park. How are they to be taught mall etiquette?
This should be demonstrated by their own behaviour too. For example, irrespective of the fact whether they are in a group or alone, always pay attention to the others around you and give others room on walkways, sidewalks at store entrances and in shopping aisles. The escalator should be used cautiously without causing inconvenience like pushing or rushing. Wait for your turn and keep a check on the number of people that an elevator can take. Ignoring this can cause disasters. Screaming, shouting and creating a scene for the sake of enjoyment is a display of poor etiquette and bad taste. This bad behaviour may affect others leading to unpleasantness in the environment.
Even while in food courts, staying in queue, not using abusive language if delayed, pushing, handling the food trays appropriately, wiping up spills if any, leaving the plates and glasses in the bin are the basic etiquette that one is expected to know. Forming a big gang and blocking the way can cause frustration for others.
We see young children throwing tantrums and screaming in stores, much to the embarrassment of parents. How are parents to handle such behaviour?
If the child is below 2-3 years, be assured that the tantrums are normal and are most common during the terrible twos. But if they are slightly grown up, they should be told and warned of the consequences if they display bad manners. It’s hard on the parents to bring their child under control and some of them turn monsters, which is an ugly sight and could cause a lot of embarrassment to the others accompanying them. The best way to encounter this tantrum throwing behaviour is not to give them to their demands for toys and food, but look for distractions even when you see the tantrums brewing up. Scolding and physical abuse will aggravate the problem. As a parent, keep reminding yourself that this is a normal, temporary phase which can be handled by tactful distractions and ignoring without hurting. If, as a parent the child is made to understand, the habit would soon be outgrown.
(The author can be contacted at kauser_khan5@hotmail.com)