On the problem of studying shopping centers of the early 21st century as a semiotic system (using the example of shopping centers in St. Petersburg)

Attitude to the malls as an “off-system” provides an opportunity to analyze them from a position of semiotics. Signs of shopping centers, which serves as a means of communication can be divided into two groups. The first group, where communication is done through the “people-text”, includes building design, signage, signs, tags, the speakerphone’s ads, cash and receipts, catalogs, website, advertising. The second group of characters mall, “person to person”, involves the interaction between people, fulfilling in malls different social roles — customers or staff — and on this basis, shall enter into a different relationship with each other. Semantic code of the second group is a dialogue between representatives of different nationalities and cultures in which “checked for strength” any subjects as individual adjustment of existing stereotypes about the relationship of people to the “alien” and the norms of acceptable behavior in the public places. Second semantic code in the shopping center within the group of “man-man” is the presence of attractive permissiveness. It’s causes are policy of the shopping centers, the lack of experience of the middle-aged buyers shopping in self-service, the desire for psychological relief exchange system and product return. And is considered a semantic code as “gateway to the people”.