This is how it works:

You go up to one of the large upright maps that shopping malls have at entrances. Guess what, the map is a touch screen! You select your shop....

...Then out of the floor cage rolls out this beeping realistic MallRat, which will lead you to your shop. When it gets there it will go into a trapdoor (every shop has one) and then go underground back to its original location.

Alternatively you can select more than one shop at the outset, the MallRat will patiently wait for you outside each one, breathlessly anticipating the remainder of the trip.

Obviously every Mall will have dozens of MallRats, but thats part of what makes shopping so much fun.
-- samosa_pirate, Nov 09 2008

http://stephvanderm...m/2008/08/rat_0.jpg [samosa_pirate, Nov 09 2008]

Looks like we have a contender... http://starwars.wik...om/wiki/MSE-6_droid
[Jinbish, Nov 13 2008]

And there is a little waiting station in the middle of the foodcourt where MallRats on break congregate and... well, nibble on cheese and whatnot.
-- daseva, Nov 09 2008


Id be happy with a Google map of the mall I can bring up my iPhone.
-- theGem, Nov 09 2008


"theGem": a number of years ago, I visited the biggest grocery store I had ever seen It was in Rochester New York )USA).It had a kiosk with a computerised monitor showing every item in the store by manufacturer and by container size. It showed location by aisle, shelf, and space. It would be but a small leap of technology to download that info into a handheld.BTW,I have never seen such a device in any store since even though every manager I have spoken to thought it was a great idea. PS-It was a Wegman Grocery Store.
-- Bystander, Nov 09 2008


I can't wait to see an amazing series of "Tom and Jerry" inspired by mall rat.
-- kamathln, Nov 10 2008


(+) and sinking ship rats to escort tardy passengers to the life boats.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 12 2008


//"theGem": a number of years ago, I visited the biggest
grocery store I had ever seen It was in Rochester New
York )USA).It had a kiosk with a computerised monitor
showing every item in the store by manufacturer and by container size.//

Error 24 : Mismatched parentheses in line 3.
-- pjd, Nov 13 2008


// Rochester New York )USA) // Bystander

We elected a decent president we don't need the parentheses anymore.

A Google mall map I'm heading for the ADD button. thanks [By]
-- theGem, Nov 13 2008


This is a cute and useful idea, I think.

I got lost in Westfarms Mall just last week. I hate the mall, but hell it's where ya have to go to get some things. This would make it better.

Claire could come as [kamathin] alluded to. Fun for her as well.
-- blissmiss, Nov 13 2008


I wouldn't entirely trust a rat to do it's best on my behalf. Owned and fed by the mall it would be trained to divert past clearance sales, special offers etc. Perhaps a cheese bribe would be in order to not waste my time. Real rats would be easier to implement than electronic ones. They would be homing rats trained to go to the same shop each time. Kept in a comfy cage complex the action of pushing the button would release the rat that is trained to home in on that shop. The shopper follows it and watches as it disappears into a hole in the skirting where it gets a behaviour reinforcing snack, before being dropped through a shute back to it's home (possibly to the back of a queue).
-- Mony a Mickle, Nov 13 2008


Got it. Just have to make the hole in the skirting a bit bigger.
-- Mony a Mickle, Nov 13 2008



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