371: Scenes From a Mall
Dec 26, 2008
This American Life spends several days in a mall in suburban Tennessee, to document life in the mall during the run-up to Christmas. Also, a rift in a national association of professional Santas—the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas (yes, there is such a group).
Note: this is the 2010 version of an episode that originally aired in 2008. A few stories have been re-arranged and some content updated.
- Most media stories set in shopping malls don't really tell you much about what it feels like for the people who work in a big retail operation, or for the people who hang out at the mall. Because the mall's more than just sales. Today’s show begins at a table in the food court, near Sbarro’s, in the Cool Springs Galleria, outside Nashville. That’s where Ira Glass found Nick, Cheyenne, Natalie and Chase – teenagers hanging out, killing time before a movie. (5 minutes)
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In-depth interview with . . . the Galleria.
