The Rise and Fall of American Malls
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Published 2021-04-14
#Shopping #TheBreakdown #BloombergQuicktake
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All Comments (21)
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What do you think empty malls should be used for? :_brain:
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Why American malls don't have grocery stores and not connected to public transportation.
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Here in Asia they built communities around the Mall to keep it thriving. You see high-rise condos popping up next to it so anyone who needs something can just go down, walk in and get all they want. Plus like every mall nowadays, they also provide amenities such as gyms, medical centers, dental offices, banks and multi-purpose areas for company promotion shows to attract more people.
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Malls work in Europe because they are withing the city, they act as a community hub and they're easy to get to and they are quite small compared to US Malls and Mega Malls.
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As a child of the 80s, it's really weird to see the mall become a thing of the past. For better or worse, it was the center of teen life back then, providing a safe indoor environment where we could hang out till 9 or even later if we went to a late movie. We all complained about how soulless malls felt, and they're certainly no replacement for a real town- or city center, but I still miss them nonetheless as a real archetype of that decade.
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It’s the opposite in the Philippines where there are so many giant malls everywhere. Even with the emergence of online shopping people still make it a point to go to visit shopping malls. Because they are one stop destinations where aside from shopping you can do your banking, renew your drivers license, go to medical clinics, spas, recreation, have your dogs groomed. And not to mention gardens and great places to each.
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The reason I dont go to malls anymore. They got rid of all the seats and replaced them 20 year old sales pyschos. I Litterally cant sit down without paying, I cant walk without being hastled.
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The middle class was growing, the work hours were getting shorter, citizens had money in their pockets to spend, credit card debt was low. Then the corporate class became financial wizards, instead of merchants. The MBA's lost their focus, they focused on the investment class on wall street instead of growing their business. The failure of capitalism, when most is owned by so few.
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Old shopping malls never die, they just get de-mall-ished.
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I can't imagine Kuala Lumpur without the malls which are perfect places to hide from the heat
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Here in southeast Asia it's a place to hide from heat, a place to enjoy lunch and dinner, and do everything else in the mall. There are lots of restaurants and fast food chains, grocery stores, electronics store, fashion shop, banks, even antiques. We basically go there, spend around 4-8 hours doing probably all of the tasks we need inside, and return home. Even if we can now order food and groceries online, we sometimes had to go to the bank inside the mall, and then we probably just eat there.
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Philippine mall culture won't die because of Filipinos preferring to feel the product rather than looking at it online. Malls also provide amenities and comfort because of the a/c.
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I find the malls today all have the same brand stores with few quirky independent stores . I remember in the 80’s the malls were smaller but had more variety than today.
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Towards the end of the 10s I only ever went to malls to go to see a movie. I remember when I was younger, my family used to spend a day at the mall not just shopping, but also hanging out. There was this one place that let you paint and fire your own pottery. By 2016 it had gone. ALL the niche market stores had left (books, games, etc.), so what remained were 60 acres of clothing and kiosks full of cheap junk. Once the pandemic hit and movies started streaming, I no longer had any reason to go to the mall.
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I wonder how much land use is a factor in the U.S. Here in Canada, almost all the major anchor store chains have disappeared, yet our malls are still thriving. When Target pulled out of Canada a few years ago, the mall near me chopped up its anchor spot into a Marshalls, HomeSense, H&M and a few other little shops. Since Sears died, they're now converting that space into movie theaters and a supermarket. Malls are still popular here even without anchors, its just that traditional department stores aren't
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Honestly I dont see how malls cannot work, they should look to Asia for inspiration - combine all essential places from the grocery store, the gym, cafe, restaurants, bars, movie theater, coworking space, tutoring center, hair salon, dental, and yes the church, in one place - people WILL come to the mall. In North America these places are scattered.
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Malls are kind of depressing. They all look the same, have the same businesses and just kind of sterile.
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As a Boomer there's almost nothing that I need to buy. I've got it all and then some. However, I still prefer to shop in an actual store for clothing and shoes because I can see the "actual" color of the items and I can try them on before I buy. Please, Please don't tell me that I can "send it back."
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I'm from just outside of Pittsburgh. Within an hour of my house I have at least 10 malls... It's just not sustainable anymore.
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So, all the rich communities' malls are thriving while the used-to-be-middle-class malls are dying. I wonder what's causing this change?
