[NAGDU] Malls

Fri Feb 8 18:34:28 UTC 2019

Thanks guys.  Yes, shopping is a lot more fun when it's sociable, with
someone to discuss things with and compare thoughts on stuff.  I must not be
living right.  My shopping friends are all moving away, so now I just want
to get in, get my thing, and get out.  Aira or Be My Eyes could be helpful.
Tracy

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Melissa Allman
via NAGDU
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2019 11:32 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Cc: Melissa Allman
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Malls

I think Julie makes great points here. If you're working with your dog and
not a cane and you're relying more on spatial and maybe a bit fewer tactile
cues, hearing store openings, smelling the smells, and listening to the
various types of music can be useful. Sometimes you can hear hangers moving
around on clothing racks. My favorite was in class when I was sent to look
for ... I forget what store ... and I ended up in the Verizon store. It had
no music, not a lot of traffic, and a nondescript chemical smell so until
the staff member told me where I was I wouldn't have had a clue. I'm not a
mall fan and usually when I go it is an agreed-upon  social activity and
specific shopping excursion so I tend to be with people anyway.

Melissa R. Allman
Senior Specialist, Advocacy and Government Relations
The Seeing Eye, Inc.
P.O. Box 375, Morristown, NJ 07963-0375 (mail)
10 Washington Valley Road, Morristown, NJ 07960-3412 (deliveries)
973-539-4425 ext. 1724,     Fax:  973-525-1081 mallman at SeeingEye.org  

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Julie Johnson via
NAGDU
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2019 11:09 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Julie Johnson
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Malls

These ideas are from when I traveled with a cane and lived in a city with a
mall.  No malls where I live now, but lots of country roads!

Anyway, I found it helpful to walk closer to the edges of the huge open
areas.  I didn't need to be so close to shoreline the wall, but close enough
to hear the echo.  Walking this close made it easier to hear when there was
an opening indicating a store.  Also a lot of the stores play music unique
to that store, different than what is played in the non store areas of the
mall.  Some of the stores also have a identifying smell, the Victoria's
Secret is the obvious one here, but some of the gift shops type places sell
potpourri and other smelly things that can help and the food places are easy
to locate.

When getting directions I found it the most helpful to ask at the customer
service counter.  Malls have anchor stores, the really big department
stores, usually located at the far ends of each hallway.  I had an idea of
where these larger stores were so getting directions relative to these
landmarks made it easier to get reasonably accurate directions.  Otherwise
I'd only get directions based on visual landmarks that weren't helpful.

If you don't enjoy malls, have little interest in learning the layout and
just want to get your stuff and get out, then I'd second AIRA.  Even if
you'd like to relive your teenage years, AIRA could be really helpful in
learning the layout to make future trips easier.

Happy shopping!
Julie
On The Go with Guide-and-Service-Dogs.com
http://www.guide-and-service-dogs.com
also find my products in the Blind Mice Mega Mall
<https://www.blindmicemegamall.com/bmm/shop/Directory_Departments?storeid=19
16046>
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Hingson via NAGDU
Sent: Friday, February 08, 2019 9:55 AM
To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
Cc: mike at michaelhingson.com
Subject: Re: [NAGDU] Malls

You might explore Aira, www.aira.io.

Best Regards,

Michael Hingson

-----Original Message-----
From: NAGDU <nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione via NAGDU
Sent: Friday, February 8, 2019 7:11 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net>
Subject: [NAGDU] Malls

I live in New Jersey, where we have some seriously big malls.  I want to get
something at my nearest mall, but I really hate going there without a
sighted friend.  It's a big, loud, echoing space, and I can't make much
sense of it.  I recognize sometimes when we're going back from where we just
came, but mostly we just trot along passing mysterious things, following my
friend.  I did go once by myself, but it was hard to get anyone to give me
coherent directions.  I eventually found what I wanted, but it was not easy.

I also want to go to a couple places at an outdoor mall-one of those places
where the stores are in a big circle around a parking lot.  That's less
confusing than an inside mall, but can I use GPS to find what store I'm
close to, or isn't it specific enough for that?

Anyway, I'm wondering if people have strategies for dealing with finding
things in really big, loud malls.

Tracy

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