"I pay attention to exits."
It's a good habit to have. I used to frequent a bar that was often overcrowded. I would set by one of the exits and even check to make sure it was unlocked. My friends called me paranoid until the fire in Rhode Island.
The mall that I frequent has main entrances, and the larger retailers also have store entrances (from the the outside, as well as the mallside). But most small type stores (like the Gap--where the woman was supposedly calling from) only have public access from the mallside. The back door is for receiving and alot of those are electronically locked (manager's password)...so I just thought if it was a smaller store, staying in the locked backroom was safer than a run into the mall 'open space' for a mall exit.