A day in the Westfield's Stratford centre machine.

Shopping centres, to me, are beacons of freedom. Places where we are able to spend a day wondering around spoilt for choice. Everything is provided for us with multiple options in what we eat, drink and buy. Whilst I grew up with shopping malls like Bluewater and Lakeside on my doorstep neither seemed to offer the what Westfield did. However, both are well known to me and visits often feel too routine.

So when I entered the Stratford Westfield centre it felt as though I had entered a paradise of choice. Stepping through those pristine glass doors I was surrounded by a gleaming marble-effect floor which met the walls seamlessly. It was open, and with no clear walls to contain me - it appeared to be endless. Entrances to other worlds stood wide on both my left and right, each vying for my attention. Everything seemed fresh and exciting to me, I was free to begin an adventure in this new playground. I couldn't understand why my brother called this place the 'Deathcentre'. How could he describe such a clean and airy environment in such a manner that invokes images of somewhere so soul destroying? Well I was about to find out.

So new and fresh.

The freedom could have felt confusing but, luckily, there was a mall guide to help me get my bearings. Fortunate too that a Starbucks waited ahead, allowing me a place to sit and plan my day. I unfolded the map on my table and took a brief glimpse to get to know the basic layout. Why only a brief glimpse? Well, I wanted the first half of my afternoon here to be about discovering the shops it had on offer for myself; first I checked that it had my essentials. I already had my coffee joint pinned, now I needed: a HMV, a Game and a good bookstore, but ensured I didn't look at the map to place them. Most of the fun from shopping is in the foraging, so why not extend that fun to locating the stores themselves?

With my coffee drained and my energy levels peaking, I  set off and walked the length of the centre. It is pretty much a long hallway and didn't take long for me to walk from the entrance to the Great Eastern Market area at the other end. I found the centre had certain areas, such as the Great Eastern Market, named; giving them each their own unique personality. For instance, the Street is the outside section of the centre and the food court speaks for itself.

 As I walked I took note of the Game store I passed and a book shop called Foyles. I knew I would be visiting those later. I the repeated my patrol for the next floor up and by the end I felt like I had gathered my bearings a bit more. Impressed by the amount of shops on offer I envisonioned the many ways my day could go. With this in my head, and a mental map created, I was free to wander and browse at my leisure. I was rather taken by Westfield at this stage, it seemed so fresh and exciting; in this new location, I felt rather refreshed. 


Looks rather pleasant like this,

The first signs of change came around lunch time, when I realised all the rooting through shelves had left me in need of food. As I walked along I tried to find a place to sit and enjoy the lunch I'd packed for the day. I soon became aware of an interesting feature of the centre or actually the lack of. There appeared to be no benches or chairs except in the food court area. This is quite a subtle aspect of manipulation, one that creates a feeling of necessity to purchase food to justify your use of the benches. I had the odd sensation that I didn't really belong with my packed lunch, when those with heaving trays of cooling food needed my seat more. I tried telling myself I had as much right to use the table as anyone else but still ended up rushing my lunch.

Despite this I resolved to approach the remainder of my day with as much enthusiasm as I had started it. But, as the building began to fill up with ever more people this optimism began to faulter. I decided to go to one of the places that was sure to perk me up, HMV. I love looking through the shelves for lengths of time, and often visit without the intention of buying. Yet, here was different. Several times as I walked the aisles I was approached by staff asking if I needed assistance. Whilst at first this is obviously them trying to be helpful, instead it made me feel rushed once more. I found myself going straight to the DVD I wanted and cutting short my browsing.

I was no longer feeling refreshed, quite the opposite. Staff in many stores are clearly use to busy periods and are trained to keep their shops turning over. On one hand, it makes a shoppers day easier it also makes you feel like your on a assembly line. I was rather claustrophobic and edgy at this point, like a fish in a fast moving shoal, I began to get pushed along out of my control. This took it's toll on my body as I began to grow weary. No longer was the building vast and open, now it was an enclosed corridor filled to burst. It was clear I had little actual freedom; I forgoed seeing all the shops that interested me as I felt compelled to call it a day.

and less so like this.

Whilst Bluewater and Lakeside feel stale to me; both offer facilities other than just shopping. They have playgrounds and riversides that are pleasing to walk along. Westfield offers neither of these and other than shops only has a cinema and casino. Even the layout on reflection, feels rather manipulative. All you can really do is walk up and down, basically pacing, until you have finished. As I headed off home I felt fed up and rather uncomfortable.

I can see now why some people hate shopping centres like Westfield. It has made it apparent to me that really all they offer us is an illusion of choice. Thinking especially about the layout, things like the seating, subtly affect our behaviour. Even the staffs actions have the appearance of being helpful, but behind this is a desire to get you through the door as soon as possible. They are machines designed to take our money in the quickest way possible. Unfortunately, it took an experience like Westfield to make me realise this - and I won't look at shopping centres the same way again.


Exterior image from aizakbuyondo at wordpress, First interior image from Buchan, Second interior image from the Gaurdian,