Rating: 
Summary: Wish he'd gone deeper
Review: Paco Underhill does a wonderful job of capturing the world we retailers have known for years. From the mall's uninspiring architecture to running the perfume gauntlet in department store, Paco takes us on a guided tour of American's new downtowns. Trained to see what others don't see, we learn what works and what doesn't work in malls today.For retailers it's a great refresher to remind us how every element the customer sees, hears, smells, and experiences impacts the overall customer experience. If you're looking for a book to give you answers, this isn't it. But rather it's a great book to stimulate your thinking and for you to question yourself on how you can improve your store. Every store owner should first read and apply Mr. Underhill's book, Why We Buy and then you'll appreciate Call of the Mall even more. For non-retailers, Call of the Mall is a great study in human behavior. You'll be amazed at how many times you see yourself described; from how you walk in the mall to shopping in stores like Victoria's Secret. I recommend Call of the Mall; it's a fun read that I'm sure you'll enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fun Read
Review: Paco Underhill does a wonderful job of capturing the world we retailers have known for years. From the mall's uninspiring architecture to running the perfume gauntlet in department store, Paco takes us on a guided tour of American's new downtowns. Trained to see what others don't see, we learn what works and what doesn't work in malls today. For retailers it's a great refresher to remind us how every element the customer sees, hears, smells, and experiences impacts the overall customer experience. If you're looking for a book to give you answers, this isn't it. But rather it's a great book to stimulate your thinking and for you to question yourself on how you can improve your store. Every store owner should first read and apply Mr. Underhill's book, Why We Buy and then you'll appreciate Call of the Mall even more. For non-retailers, Call of the Mall is a great study in human behavior. You'll be amazed at how many times you see yourself described; from how you walk in the mall to shopping in stores like Victoria's Secret. I recommend Call of the Mall; it's a fun read that I'm sure you'll enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: SIX STARS!! MUST READ
Review: Paco Underhill has done it again. This book is educational and entertaining at the same time. You won't be able to put it down. If you want to understand how and what the consumer really thinks and does you need to read this book. No one out there packs in as many insights in as few pages. If you serve customers or you are one -- you should read this book. Paco Underhill serves up insights that will entertain. Read it for fun!
Rating:
Summary: Everything you've always wanted to know about malls!
Review: Paco Underhill takes an entertaining and interesting look about a place we all go to- the mall. In each chapter, a different part of the mall is taken on, from the décor to the food to the bathrooms! I loved how he also looked at malls in other countries in comparison to the American mall. Not only did I feel like I learned a lot, but I never felt like Underhill was talking down to me, which I find extremely irritating in a book. I think I will pick up his book before this, "Why We Buy".
Rating:
Summary: Underhill writes well
Review: The Call of the Mall book is very good, fun, and well-written. I would have liked even more statistics and data, but I suppose those are for the paying customers. Anyway, the Mall as a sociological artifact is indeed telling, and Underhill has an infectious enthusiasm for the topic. Nice book, nice job.
Rating:
Summary: Another Winner from Paco Underhill
Review: This book is a MUST READ for anyone in the retail, mall management, or consumer products business. It is jam-packed with powerful insights and ideas on how to sell more and better serve today's savvy consumers. And if you haven't read Paco Underhill's previous book Why We Buy, it is also filled with equally worthwhile insights and ideas.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun Read About Geography of Malls
Review: This book is full of interesting stories, information, and ideas written in a breezy manner that made it easy for me to read it in a few settings. Underhill has all sorts of ideas, thoughts, and criticisms about malls all over the world, which he is all too happy to share. Perhaps the most interesting idea he puts forwards is that malls are mostly a creation of real estate developers, who have little understanding of effective retailing. Of course, Underhill also delights in taking professional retailers to task with his various observations. Anyone looking for a scientific, rigorous description of effective retailing in a mall is going to be disappointed. That's probably for Underhill's clients. Some chapters never seem to provide any facts or conclude anything, and come across as more random observations on a theme. These instances seem more like an opportunity for the author to simply ramble on than really add something to the book. (I suspect Paco Underhill really likes to hear himself talk!) But this was largely fun to read, and so full of surprising facts and ideas such that I cannot help seeing the modern mall with new eyes.
Rating: 
Summary: Light and shallow
Review: Underhill has done it again, but what has he done. This is a light read that feels a little too much like being dragged through the mall with a witty uncle. I find his cute asides mildly entertaining, but there is really no meat to his observations. He makes shallow complaints about bad design of malls or stores, but then I kept wondering what malls he visited. Obviously, he's missed the giant ones in Dallas or Atlanta or DC or San Diego which look and feel very different from what he has described. Finally, this book may appeal to retailers, but perhaps that suggests the sorry state of retailing. I mean aren't most people spending their money in either the Targets, Costcos, or Walmarts.
Rating:
Summary: an average sequel, at best
Review: Underhill's first book "Why We Buy" was very good, a smart analysis of the shopping mind and how stores react to it. Call of the Mall, however, sounded more like a bunch of stuff he thought of later--stuff that would've made the first book better, but not enough to write a second. This was more like a step by step breakdown of what designers should notice. Interesting, yes, but a bit long-winded for a casual reader. That makes the style a bit ironic, for it is almost too casual, like he wrote it by walking around speaking into a tape recorder. He's interesting, but this is the kind of book you use to kill time in the doctor's office. If you haven't read the first, "Why We Buy" is the better choice.
Rating:
Summary: Even Better the Second Time
Review: Whether a retailer, past retailer, shopaholic or simply someone looking for an entertaining view on consumer behavior... Call of the Mall is a must read. Do you all remember Paco Underhill? Well, he is at it again. I found myself laughing out loud throughout the book! Perhaps it was the topic and Mr. Underhill's ability to simplify what so many of us have spent our careers making difficult, or perhaps it is the humor I have grown to adore in Mr. Underhill, but regardless it was entertaining, compelling and of course insightful. I found myself again thinking "why didn't I know that or see that myself" which is a testament as to how the most basic concepts and observations usually go unnoticed until someone like Mr. Underhill make it blatently obvious and impossible to ignore.
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