The Practical Way Malls Are Designed Windowless

The birth of the American mall ushered in an era of "windowless" shopping that’s largely still here. The strategy was clever and little details in the planning –- from the no-frills shoebox architecture to potted plants – were carefully thought out. These were cost-saving measures for mall operators that were also designed to influence mallgoers to spend freely. The unnaturally bright artificial lighting strived to create a perpetual daytime environment. This way, mall visitors would stay longer than they had expected to and spent more than they would have wanted to.

Another reason for malls shunning windows did have something to do with the merchandising, Burt Flickinger, retail expert and managing director of retail consultancy Strategic Resource Group told CNN.

Fewer windows and more walls, he said, meant more space for retailers to add shelves and rods to stock their products and maximize sales per square foot in their stores that would otherwise be lost to a dull view of a mall parking lot.

But the sneakiest reason why malls limit windows could be to make shoppers lose track of time.

"Shoppers can’t see the rain storm or snow storm blowing in without windows. Windowless shopping creates an environment of consumption without distractions," Flickinger said. "When people have a sense of timelessness and comfort, families spend more because they can focus just on the stores and the mall experience."

As an added bonus, "it was a lot less expensive for mall developers to not put multiple windows facing on the outside because it would make it cheaper to heat and cool the big-box space,” said Thomas McMillan, director with the Center of Retailing Studies at Texas A and M University’s Mays Business School, in an interview with CNN.

Energy costs typically are the second-highest operating expense for retailers after labor costs. "The sophistication of double-pane energy-efficient windows wasn’t ubiquitous when a lot of the malls were built in America during and after the 1970s energy crisis. So air conditioning could seep through the window panes," said Flickinger.

The mall design inspired another type of store. Other shopping destinations that incorporate a windowless boxy venue are supermarkets.