Mall of America facts:

The Mall of America near Minneapolis, MN has over 500 stores.

It does not have a heating system. It relies on the heat from the lighting, the sunroof and all the people.

It has its own zip code.

It has four Gaps and an amusement park.

It draws 40 million visitors each year; more than Disney World, Graceland and the Grand Canyon combined.

The Mall of America is an international tourist attraction – more than one third of visitors come from over 150 miles away. Airlines offer travel and shopping package deals to shoppers from Germany, Japan, Switzerland, England and Australia.

Only five miles away from the Mall of America is the Southdale mall. It was the first enclosed shopping mall ever, opening less than 50 years ago (October 8, 1956).

The world’s largest shopping mall is the West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada.

West Edmonton Mall facts:

The “West Ed Mall” in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, there are over 800 stores.

It has the world’s largest indoor wave pool.

It has over 110 places to eat.

Of course, West Ed Mall, the world’s largest mall, has the world’s largest parking lot.

There are one-third of a million lighting fixtures.

It has 58 entrances.

West Ed Mall was opened in 1981, and the fourth phase was completed 17 years later.

There are two A & Ws, two Baskin Robbinses, two KFCs, two Arbys, two Dairy Queens, three Orange Juliuses and three McDonalds in West Ed Mall.

Surprisingly, there is only one Starbucks there.

Other Mall facts:

There are 50,000 shopping malls in the United States alone.

Women will buy more if they hear their heels clicking on polished hard surfaces, so designers often use hard flooring in hallways. Inside the stores themselves, there is often carpeting or softer surfaces to lure customers in and make them feel at home.

Places to sit in the common areas of malls are hard to find. People aren’t shopping when they’re sitting.

Escalators are placed strategically to force shoppers to pass the maximum number of storefronts.

Most malls have bends and turns as shoppers typically won’t walk towards something that seems more than one tenth of a mile away.

Floor plans in malls are disorienting for a reason – so shoppers cannot make a quick exit.

The average mall shopper stays for 80 minutes and spends $75 each visit.