Secondly we can look at Shopping malls; once described by Kowinski (cited in Ritzer1996: 4) as “Cathedrals of Consumption”. The shopping mall demonstrates maximum efficiency for consumers and producers and shows predictability, control and calculability too. Shopping malls incorporate everything under one roof, people may go to buy clothes, homewear and groceries, they are therefore efficient to shop in and to locate in. Malls can often turn into a “ day out”, consumers can go to a bank to obtain money to make purchases, shop, visit a food court (often full of McDonalds themselves Ritzer:1996: 54), go bowling, to the cinema and do their food shopping on the way home. Kowinski even described a mall as “an extremely efficient and effective selling machine” (sited in Ritzer: 1996: 54). As consumers we do not want to visit 5 different city areas, and waste time and money going to different places for different things. This is a major change in society, 50 years huge malls were non existent in the UK, the first mall, Merry Hill, only opening in the late 1980’s. Consumers do not tend to consider shopping a community experience now either, they will generally not know the people serving them or have conversation with the people they come into contact with. Tescos home Delivery for example mean that to grocery shop people no longer have to even leave their house. There is no need to talk to anyone or to know where the shop is it can simply be delivered to their door. Many would say this is an irrationality of Mcdonaldization, that is a an unintended and negative consequence of the ideology. Malls control what is available for us to buy as they authorize which shops can be in the mall. Therefore malls tend to be full of high street chains rather than individual independent shops, which limits our choice. Malls are also “free” from “extreme” shops such as weapon shops or sex shops so the type of stores available are predictable too. A shopper described that “No matter whatever the weather is outside it’s always the same in here” (From Kowinski cited in Ritzer;1996;94). People do not want to come cross unexpected circumstances, malls in general look the same, contain the same, have a comfortable climate, flat surfaces, low crime and are away from the perils of bad weather. The same way a McDonalds will have the same lay out, same operating system, same menu and same uniform all over the world.
Calculability in shopping is shown by the fact that people now want to buy more than ever before; this is demonstrated by the huge increase in the use of credit cards and mounting debts. “In 2003 we spent £108 billion on cards and by 2007 it is expected to rise to around £154 billion. The number of cards in issue has risen by nearly two-thirds in the past four years so has the level of debt.”(). We want more, we seem to be no longer satisfied with one good or what we can afford, we want 2 or 3 or 4 goods, we want the biggest, the best, the most value, we want the “Go large! Double Quarter Pounder® with Cheese meal” and the huge increase in credit card use demonstrates how this view of consumption dominates retail shopping.
Catalogue and internet shopping demonstrate how we have become accustomed, and even grown to like the impersonal, efficient services in our lifestyles demonstrated by McDonalds and staff. A catalogue or internet sales place such as Freemans direct catalogue or asos.com are extremely effective in their practices. Both firms will employ minimum staff and have little premises and rent compared with a high street chain, and a potentially global market. while customers can enjoy shopping from home. This extract is taken from the BBC website which shows how the internet has changed our habits, in 2004 “Forecasts predict that British people will spend £4bn buying gifts online during the festive season, an increase of 64% on 2003” the efficiency of using the internet to shop means it has become a popular option for many.
An example of how the internet has encouraged Mcdonalization is the website which is DVD rental company like “Blockbuster” but based on the internet. The next extract is taken from the Screen Select homepage “Choose online from over 44,500 titles. Get your DVDs by 1st class post, Keep as long as you like - no late fees, Post back FREE & we'll send you more”. This company, like catalogue firms, will employ minimum staff and like McDonalds gets the customers to do all the work. They also demonstrate control over the customer by making them post the DVDs back rather than collecting them themselves. Furthermore the customer is led to believe they are getting a good deal; “FREE 1st class postage both ways No due dates or late fees No hassles, no queues No contracts, cancel anytime.” () with the stress on “Free”. This is the same way McDonald’s operate by getting you to order your food, to take your food to the table and to clean away your rubbish, under the pretence that the speed of food makes up for the lack of service compared with traditional waiting staff. It is also interesting that the firm stresses the number of titles available (calculability) they could be unpopular films yet the company stresses its volume.
However there are still areas for those not wishing to live in Mcdonalized society. Specialist Butchers will stock meats such as pigeon or pheasant that are not sold in supermarkets because they do not widely appeal. People requiring these products will therefore use smaller shops instead of Asdas or Tescos. We may even consider a slight “revolt” against the Mcdonalized society as people actually want better goods, so may return to these smaller, home produce or individually run shops. This slight change in thinking could be shown on a larger scale by the increase in high quality ranges in supermarkets such as “Sainsbury’s “taste the difference”” or “Tescos “Finest*”” with the emphasis on quality not quantity. Local shops such as greengrocers in small villages are also relied on by the local community for amenities and do genuinely provide a local shopping community where the newsagent will know its customers.
I would say that society has and is becoming more Mcdonalized. However as long as there is need or a niche for other markets they will exist and I don’t think society will ever become wholly Mcdonalized but the evidence above shows how it has considerable altered. Unless you have a particular passion or are able to afford other options, you are likely to have been Mcdonalized through society. Most of us do want the quick, cheap, easy option and therefore as Ritzers text says Mcdonalization reaches further and wider than you imagine. Additionally we can note that technology, the internet and cheap travel have significantly opened up our options to the world, allowing us to experience foods, cultures, products and markets that 50 years ago would have been alien. Yet despite the new options available to us, we in fact want the complete opposite. People do not take advantage of the new, diverse, strange, possibly expensive, superior, unanticipated and ungovernable goods and experiences open to them because all we want efficiency, predictability, calculability and control.
Biblography
www.mcdonalization.com
http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/dealwithdebt/nationaldebt.html
Ritzer, George, (1996), The McDonaldization of Society, Pine Forge Press, California USA
