The Mall of America, located in Bloomington, Minnesota, has over 520 stores, a wedding chapel, and even a roller coaster. AP/Wide World Photos. Reproduced by permission.

The Mall of America—located just outside Minneapolis, Minnesota—is not only the largest indoor shopping mall (see entry under 1950s—Commerce in volume 3) but is the most-visited tourist destination in the United States. The Mall of America opened in 1992 at a cost of $650 million. This dazzling home of 520 stores and 11,000 employees is more than a place to shop—it is an experience. The Mall of America has been described by its fans as a shopper's paradise and by its critics as an oppressive monument to American consumerism that numbs its visitors with sensory overload.

Everything about the Mall of America is big: six hundred thousand to nine hundred thousand people visit the mall in a week. The...