Week 6: Social Class

Last weekend I made a road trip to Southern California to attend my aunt's law school commencement. On the way, I made a detour to one of my favorite outdoor shopping centers, Americana at Brand in Glendale, CA. Americana is like a larger Santana Row, more family friendly with a large grass area and playground and has a much larger variety of shopping and dining options.

The stores at Americana range from moderately priced shops like Forever XXI, H&M, Urban Outfitters to higher priced ones such as Martin+Osa, Free People, and Kitson. All the stores are larger in size and selection, but they are mostly higher priced. For example, you might find more clearance or sale items at the Urban Outfitters in Santana Row but more full-priced items at Americana.

The atmosphere of the entire outdoor shopping center was designed to serve the younger demographic, couples with children and even pets. I noticed many of the stores (not the aforementioned) had water and food bowls for small pets and small play areas for babies (ie: Crumbs Bake Shop). However, the apparel section of the mall was designated for "serious" shoppers--delicate decorations, full price selections, "hipster" music (I actually don't know what hipster music is, but it's definitely too hip for me ;), if there was a sale section it was neatly tucked away at the end of the store (and it took me quite a while to find it). Overall, I felt that Americana was an all around shopping mall. It wasn't a bargain shopping center, but it wasn't Rodeo Drive either.

I decided to walk into H&M, easily one of the largest and most popular store at Americana. The three people I spotted were: an elderly woman with a small dog in her purse, a young mother with baby in tow, and a young woman in her 20s with designer labels (does Ed Hardy count?) head to toe. To be honest, I felt there were multiple "copies" of these representations throughout Americana, and their race did not do much to convince me of their social status. All three of them were either middle or upper class.

I based my decision off the shoppers'style, additional shopping and accessories. The elderly Caucasian woman who walked in with her dog did not seem like the typical women I see at Stanford Mall with their dogs (they are usually accompanied by personal shopping assistants), I figured her to be middle class She was dressed sensibly without any other shopping bags. In fact, she seemed a little out of place now that I think of it, like she was shopping for a gift instead of for herself. The young mother with baby in tow was Asian, and even with stroller, baby bag and doggy bags from The Cheesecake Factory in hand, she maneuvered herself through the store like she did it everyday. I thought she could have been middle class until I saw a Barneys NY and J. Crew shopping bag tucked away under the stroller. The last representative, the 20-something collegiate with a USC t-shirt, Ed Hardy boots and matching oversized bag walked into the store and immediately sifted through the front racks, already carrying three bags from Urban Outfitters and Forever XXI. I noticed a handmade bracelet with the Armenian flag on her wrist; there is actually a large Armenian population in Southern California, apart from the Kardashians of course. I assumed this girl came from a wealthy family as she could afford to attend a school like USC and still shop at her leisure.

The social markers I used for this observation was the general style of the shopper. I believe that that society's emphasis on being rich and good-looking leads individuals to believe they will be placed on a pedestal if they dress nicely, own expensive things and spend ridiculous amounts of money on a regular basis. However, these social markers can be misleading as well. I used the dog as an index of being wealthy because of my previous observations, but as it turns out, this dog-owner was nothing like the ones I am used to. The USC t-shirt I used to indicate the young woman was able to afford college was misleading because it didn't actually prove she went to USC. One index that surprised me was the young Asian mother. I assumed she was middle class until I spotted her shopping from expensive stores hidden from the naked eye. Usually, a person might show off their purchases or at least keep them in the open, but this woman chose to hide it and let others think whatever they wanted of her--or perhaps being a mother was more important, as she looked after her child's needs before her own image.

Overall, I would say the people at Americana were mostly middle and upper class, with a higher concentration of Asians and Caucasians than any other race. Just another day at the mall? Absolutely.