Ambience

Coming up to the holidays i reflect back on the last semester and all the things we have done. The thought of whats to follow after the holidays frightens me a little as i sit there in the library hunched over my computer. It comes to me that i need a pick-me-up, something just to lighten me up a little and take my mind off everything thats going on at the moment. I have the perfect solution; some retail therapy will fix me up nicely! I convince a couple of the girls to come along and off we go to the MAC counter.
The place makes me feel a little light headed, lit up in all its glory. The MAC girls swarm over to us as we enter, they look flawless as always all decorated like dolls in the latest collection of makeup. I have a brief look around, it doesnt take long for me to convince myself that i need a few new things. Despite not having enough money to afford a single thing, im not phased. Arthur Barnett do something incredible for people just like me, they make dreams come true for some of us. They have a fantastic oppopritunity for customers were you can put products on hire purchase and you have three months to pay it off, the only exception being you have to spend a minimum of $200; not a problem! I dont think about it to much otherwise i might talk myself out of it, next thing you know i'm seated on the stall and the makeup artist is coming at me with a whole lot of different products painting my face with foundation and powder and blush and mascara and all kinds of interesting things. She talks me through each different product and i am easily convinced that i need the whole lot. I reasoned with myself that this would be my makeup for the entire summer and i would definitely need it for special occasions such as my brothers wedding in December. Feeling great after my mini makeover, i take the whole lot and head over to the counter to set up my hire purchase account. I just have to pay a small setup fee of $20 and then walk out of there with almost $200 worth of new make up. What have i done? Oh well to late now, i shall deal with the implications of this purchase at a later date. Until then i will be feeling great with my new goods!

Ambiance
I guess the activity of shopping comes down to labour/food. It is an essential process that human beings do in order to have food and survive. But there is so much more to it than that and i have come to realize this lately as i have been religiously going shopping weekly. When you step in to a shop, any shop, there is the immediate demand for money and the pressure of spending your hard earned cash. Shops have a tendency to dress things up to make them appear more appealing to the eye in the hope that we, the innocent by standers will fall for it. Majority of the time we do! They are oh so very clever when it comes to marketing. They give us sales and pretty decorations and big posters and buy one- get one free deals, they give us it all just so we will spend a buck or two! And more often then less we don't REALLY need that second pair of shoes, or the three bags of chips for $5 but when it comes to saving a few cents or dollars we seem to find the necessity for these items.
There is a social aspect that comes in to shopping also which makes the experience all the more significant. In my case going shopping with my flat mates brought out different roles in each of us, i personally felt like i took on a motherly role as i lead the shopping expedition. It can also be an activity where you connect with others, i connected with an old friend as we searched for a dress that was of great significance to me, i trusted this particular person in helping me find the perfect one! There was a lot of small talk and banter that went on between me and the shop keeper, it is something that they are advised to do with customers and i guess it is linked closely to the idea of ambiance. Immediately i felt welcomed and connected to the shop keeper, when she started picking out dresses for me to try on and advising me about different ones i felt a sense of security but also increased pressure to make a purchase. Obviously i had the intentions to buy a new dress but what shop would get me first? The race was on.
Lighting and music all come in to the essence of the activity also. The sound of live music and the natural lighting of a bright sunny Saturday morning will always remind me of the markets from when i went with my mother when i was young but also now as an adult and perhaps it is something i will do with my daughter in the future. The artificial lighting and the same familiar songs always bring me back to the supermarket and i would imagine is something everyone is familiar with. Retail is quite different however, the lighting is usually perfect for the setting, the music is appropriate for the type of shop and they do everything right to get customers foot in the door.
Ambiance is an essential aspect of an activity. It is the things that we associate with an activity or a place or an event that makes it significant to us. It is what makes it memorable and brings together people in our lives, links us to other places, thoughts and connections. All these things are what make an occupation significant, it is these aspects of an activity that bring meaning to it.