Here mall, there mall, everywhere a mall mall

Of late, malls have been the new buzz word in the country. This is one aspect in retail which has helped the industry grow tremendously in India. A mall can be defined as a multi purpose building which includes different branded retail products as well as services. It acts both as a utility as well as an important leisure joint for the consumers. Usually, a mall consists of retail stores, food joints, multiplexes etc.

The mall culture in India has grown tremendously and it continues to grow. The two kilometre stretch near my house which was once barren now has three malls in the making. The reason behind this can be partly due to the growing economy in the country because of which the boundaries of the middle class community are expanding at both the ends. Also, the concept of the mall culture, being adopted from the west can be considered as a step towards initialising the country's growth from all the aspects, retail being one.

On the other hand, it can be said that a niche has been created for the consumer to experience something new and better. The concept of window shopping has also been introduced in this genre. A mall symbolises leisure shopping and rejuvenation for an individual or the entire family together. These air conditioned malls cater to commodities for age groups making it the most opted hang out.

Malls are also catering to the lifestyle changes of the urban India. With the gen next believing more in experimentation as compared to their previous generations, it can said that the mall culture is walking in to the country at the right time.

However, the prices offered at these malls are much higher than those offered by an ordinary retail store in a common market street for a particular product. This would make it difficult for each and every consumer to shop from such stores, although an individual can come exclusively for the food court or to catch a movie.

It is agreed that there are certain drawbacks, but then the concept does bring a freshness to it making people visit such places and have a good outing even if they cannot afford to buy anything from the mall. An ice cream cone or a cup of corn with a nice sight can do wonders at times.