Shopping Center Code of Ethics

Here in southern California, it feels like every little shopping center has some stack of signs laying out some big list of rules.  Many of them have names and maybe they are trying to establish some kind of identity, but nobody calls them by name, and the only real evidence of their backing corporations are these signs telling us how to behave.

By the way, in this image, the name of the mall is Grand Plaza, but their sign called them "Desert Plaza".  That feels like an oversight somewhere in all these decisions. But don't drink the water wherever you are.

One little strip mall by my house has an actual Code of Conduct on the wall.

I'm not sure who these signs are meant for.  Nobody driving into the parking lot has time to jam on the brakes, clog up traffic, and read all these paragraphs.  Nobody is going to park and then walk all the way back over there (where there isn't even a sidewalk) just to find out that they shouldn't loiter or vandalize the place or harass employees.

Besides, these are the reasonable basics of acceptable behaviors anywhere in our society.  And like usual, we're preaching to the choir, because the people who need to be told are the people unlikely to listen anyway.

It's just another kind of public posting meant for the lawyers.  If someone throws a rock through a window, they can say they posted a sign saying not to throw rocks through windows, so they served notice.  Except that throwing rocks through windows wouldn't be acceptable or legal even if there was no sign spelling it out.

There are other disclaimers posted, most commonly that the shops or mall owners are not responsible if your car is broken into while on the premises.  We the people have some expectation of security, though, so this is a bit of a stand-off.  Obviously the criminal would be the one responsible, but they will probably never get caught, so we look for someone else to get compensation from.

Recently, new signs are being attached with various disclaimers about COVID-19.  You could totally catch that while on the premises, but it wouldn't be the corporation's fault that people chose to gather together to buy things.  It's not the fault of stores, either, even though they have the bright lights and inventory and bombard us with texts and emails about all the things we can't live without.

It's complicated, but the signs do nothing other than show that someone pushed their pencils and we have all been notified.  Over time, these lists of rules keep getting longer, and it's perplexing that these companies think anyone needs to be told these things.  But they are not for us, they are to protect them from the random things that we might do.