Closing Time At The Mall | Retail Archaeology

[@cookietanukistudios]

As someone who's been working at a mall, it's definitely an experience seeing how desolate it gets close to closing. Once the mall is actually closed up and people have left, walking through it gives off an eerie yet calming vibe, especially after a day where shoppers were crowded throughout. The mall is by no means close to being a dead mall due to it's focal location, and I hope it stays that way. It's sad seeing more and more of these malls reach a dead mall status.

[@lmao2703]

This is actually why I LOVE closing shifts. I've never worked at a mall but one of my favorite shifts to work is the after close promoset/deep clean. It's quiet, there's nobody except for the occasional guy smoking on your patio. The walk home is quiet too. It's so easy to get what you need to get done when there isn't a bunch of customers in your way or a "we need to get out of here in 20 minutes" time limit. Opening is kind of the same way, except i'm awake enough to appreciate it.

[@DavidLLambertmobile]

I worked 2 extended periods at a mall, tourist attraction in Orlando, Orlando.gov . 2018, 2021 era. Malls are large, mine was 1mil sq feet. It had a movie theater 🍿 & a active Bass Pro Shop. 🏕🛶🎣. When it rained hard, the roof would leak.

[@PinoyBowlerGS92]

Whenever malls were closing here in my country Philippines, it will be either one of the mall guards will blow a whistle to all store tenants and even the supermarket to shut off their lights and start rolling down their doors, some even played their Closing Theme song, mainly SM Supermalls would do that (kzbin.info/www/bejne/n5fRc3Ssj7qEgtk). Most cases they'll sound an alarm and make an announcement of the mall closing.

[@12012channel]

I used to work at the mall but was mostly preopening. Before the pandemic happened the mall doors would open super early and you would see a group of elderly people walking from 4am. Now the earliest they let people in is 9am.

[@Yuzukarii]

What’s the mall name?

[@Tigershark_3082]

I can't explain what it is, but there's something about a dude recording his voyages through old malls/stores, with the commentary being backed by some nice vaporwave/chillwave that I just really enjoy. These videos are practically therapeutic to me

[@goldirocks5153]

The pretty lizard posing on the rocks is an Argentine black and white tegu - they get to about 4 and a half feet and are very smart. You can train them to walk on a leash like a dog. I wish I had a reptile shop like nearby, it's nice to see them so well cared for!

[@NinjaRunningWild]

Beat me to it (by 4 months lol). I almost got a Red Tegu. Ended up later getting a dwarf monitor. Much more manageable.

[@angieemm]

I live in a town that's college kids and retirees, mostly. I had to go to the mall the other day to fulfill a craving for iced chocolate chip cookies. It was pretty dead, but there were lots of middle school kids wandering around and it made me smile.

[@carlossebastiannecroticgot7232]

You look like Howard stern lol

[@angieemm]

@@carlossebastiannecroticgot7232 i suggest you invest in some corrective eyewear, but ok

[@JBBrickman]

@@angieemmhe’s not wrong, either that or weird Al, i mean it’s like half a centimeter on mobile anyway so there’s a lot of interpretation required.

[@angieemm]

@@JBBrickman yeah, it's amazing how if you tap on the pic a few times, it gets big enough to see that I do in fact look like an actual woman.

[@lo1bo2]

As a kid, going to a mall was kind of an exciting family trip. We went to the Westland Mall in Michigan, and at the time there was a coin store in the basement to feed my childhood hobby. Plus a real arcade.

[@martinkraegel7965]

Glad this channel is still going strong. Loved the video.

[@drencentheshds]

I grew up going to this mall! It is so odd walking through there now when I remember it always being so busy. I was very sad to see the organ shop closed when I went there earlier this year. I always liked seeing people playing them as a kid when we would walk by! It's so cool seeing a video on this, I love this mall ❤

[@Silvafootfamily525]

We went to a mall that is localish to us just after Christmas. We hadn’t been in several years, but we’re pleasantly surprised to see some of their changes. Occupancy was a lot higher than it had been. We were also told that the mall was about to undertake a huge remodel. It will be interesting to see what it will look like after the remodel. Love your videos.

[@SeaBassTian]

Always relaxing strolling through a quiet mall near closing. Thanks for filming and showing us some of the oddities!

[@ErinPlays]

This was a really cool idea for a video! Malls around closing time (dead ones, at least,) are always an eerie vibe but doing this right after Christmas made it even cooler!

[@RetailArchaeology]

Thanks! It was a lot of fun to make. I'm still pissed about the Magikarp that got away though.

[@Youser999]

Starting off 2023 with a bang! What an amazing video. It made me feel like I was actually at the mall! The RC cars were cool. It's wonderful to still see that sense of community at malls that we thought had died out. Thanks again for another great video!

[@Flamingbro69]

There’s a mall near me called “Oviedo Mall” that’s in Oviedo, FL (a suburb of Orlando) which is pretty much filled with plenty of Mom and Pop Places, as well as recreational places throughout the mall. They’ve been doing a really solid job at filling up the spaces again over there despite the mall having been dying for the past few years prior to redevelopment.

[@Vic_Coco]

I lived near two of the last K Mart’s, one in the Bronx and one in Westchester in NY. Both closed within the last year (2022) and it was insane to go to them and see how much they had gone downhill. I believe there are less than 10 left as of 2023 in the US.

[@BoratWanksta]

I'm not sure how any Kmart or Sears stores are still open. Or as Doomie Grunt once called them, "the world's slowest liquidation sale".

[@GaryGeat28]

I've mentioned this on the channel before, but back in 2013, I worked at the Sbarro on the 2nd floor. I used to work from 9am to 9pm. When Superstition Springs mall closed at 9pm, the silence of the mall was just eerie.

[@Freyii]

4:22 THAT GIRL FLYING!!!!!

[@briancook3502]

So I live in Canada and where I live most malls are still doing quite well. A lot of them have actually become a destination by bringing in stores you do not see all over or they have brought in lots of new food offerings. In fact, a few malls have actual food halls now that are great destinations for people. Going into a lot of the malls in the week after Christmas is when we have the big boxing week sales (boxing day is December 26) and usually those sales are the lowest prices on things all year long. There was a mall that pre-pandemic used to open at 6am on boxing day and usually, Best Buy was open at 4am for the sales. This past boxing week most malls were 8 or 9 am until 9 pm and were packed still.

[@kurisu7885]

A mall with an indoor RC track, haven't seen that since my mall lots theirs, but there is a hobby shop not too far from me in Michigan that has an indoor race track, a slot car track, a monster truck course, and an RC crawler course. Plus any mall with a hobby shop is awesome, especially if it means a gunpla dealer.

[@GrAYvTrAnE]

This year we made it a point to try brick and mortar locations before online shopping. And whatever gift cards we got we made sure to spend at a store not online

[@ForestTekkenVideos]

The "we're getting closer to the arcade!" really kept my excitement up as the video went on! 🎈🎈😱😆👍

[@justanotherghost62]

I really liked the after Christmas near closing tone to it. It's different but really stands out over other mall videos. The reptiles and rc cars were cool too.

[@NicholasMoreau]

Around the 10:00 mark, you mention that you think Lids is a national chain; it's actually up in Canada as well, at least in the Greater Toronto Area.

[@bazzabru]

We have a Lids store here in Scotland as well. 😁

[@mhowell9915]

My local mall still has a Sears up and running and I did find some great deals during Christmas. Love your channel.

[@JeredtheShy]

I know the video is ancient now, in October 2023, but you know what? I did go to the mall last Christmas. The mall is just the place when you're like, "crap, I need to get mom some nice things but I'm not sure what." So of course you end up at Bath and Body Works or something. Our mall is not what it once was, but it's not quite dead, either, it's a lot like this mall.

[@tommylucatiel7911]

That RC store is just unbelievably cool. I had no idea you could drift rc cars.

[@darktetsuya]

okay that hobby shop looked super cool! digging all the r/c cars they sell. it would definitely be cool to own one that could drift, that's for sure.

[@vickiamundsen2933]

i worked at a mall-based Woolworth's back in 1974-78. The week before Christmas was always crazy but fun, everyone excited in a good way. The week after C. was a nightmare, just as busy but everyone in a foul mood from having to return things, standing in long lines, the post-holiday depression hitting hard in realtime. I *hated* working that week.

[@justingoldman2523]

That’s wild, I was literally at that mall today! It was my first time checking it out and was surprised to see this mall have so much charm

[@midu7467]

So do you remember the gila monster slide and rocks we all climbed on as kids? And the dollar theater that was like a space ship inside ?

[@gnasherdk4878]

last time I was there the Tortoise and the sand pit still existed.

[@DaneMarshall56377]

Love your mall vids. Even Dan Bell has said on his podcast a couple of times that your mall videos are great.

[@AmbientWalking]

This really calmed me down! Thank you! Really appreciate your channel!

[@chrislaustin]

That NeoGeo reference at the start was the best, as it takes me back to better times at the malls, great channel BTW, thanks for the memories.

[@TorisGarage]

awesome video. It’s crazy to see how much the malls have changed within the last 10 years. My parents and I always used to always check out the malls on the weekends

[@jf6441]

I use to work at the AT&T store that was there in the 2010s and that mall was ALWAYS busy. I am so surprised by this video.

[@SecronSeven]

These mall videos are fascinating. Your knowledge is incredible and really makes these videos better than the rest on YT. Thank you! If you'l ever hear about dead malls in the Dallas area please let me know!

[@NorskFemboy]

Happy 2023! Great video, local malls are always a treasure, and I love being at our mall when it's near closing time. There's just such a charm that you feel when the mall lights are brighter than the sky outside.

[@beebfajeejy]

it probably sounds like a running joke at this point but i have been on a date at this mall as well. i'm starting to feel like my entire teenage years were just mediocre dates at malls

[@clintcountryman4849]

Love the abandoned drinks lol! You're right, they've been in your videos for years

[@flyjum]

Love this mall its been my local one since I was a kid. I still go almost every Tuesday for the theatre for half priced movies and popcorn. The Sarku japan place and the Madd pita place are both excellent in the food court. Wow did not know that hobby shop has a track inside much bigger than I thought. The fletchers organ place was open in early December when I was Christmas shopping never thought I would see that place close up shop.

[@patriclo9509]

I worked for a friend’s mom at a Hickory Farms mall pop up kiosk. They stay open until everything sells out more or less. All items went 50% off December 25, then 75% off January 1. Usually clears stuff out pretty quick. We were closed by January 5 as I remember.

[@bree9272]

I visited my mall three times, once before Christmas, and twice after. Mainly for Bath and Body Works. It's the main store that most people come to the mall for, along with the restaurants. The majority of my Christmas shopping this year was done at Gabe's. You can't beat the prices.

[@HunterOtjens]

This is my local mall too, but unfortunately pf hobbies and gifts is now closed.

[@DMS-pq8]

As someone who lived through the glory days of mall arcades seeing the one in this mall was downright depressing

[@kuhntzzz]

i work at a mall and it truly is so liminal seeing it completely empty, no music, the lights completely off, every store closed. it doesn't help that my store stays open longer than all the others, so i'll be walking around a giant, dark, empty space and i'll look back one more time and see only one tiny source of light with people, it makes it feel like i left through a portal from another world almost. walking outside through the dimly lit security corridors is also an absolutely terrifying experience after closing by the way, but it's such a cool one. i love thinking about how people who dont work in malls dont get to see their local mall like that.

[@josephralph7570]

2:26 you missed a cup!

[@lainsechoes]

thank you for filming this, eric

[@justinmichael9414]

This might sound weird but I’m glad to see abandoned cups, it just means there are still some kids who go to the mall. 😂😂😂 My nephew and his friends actually go n it’s fun to see tbh. Lol

[@HeatherLandon227]

The lizard at 7:20 is a Green Anole. I see them all the time out here in South Carolina during the warmer months.

[@mikep1397]

I just moved to Fort Worth Tx, and not to far from me is Ridgmar Mall. I went to go check it out, it has lost 1 of its 3 anchor stores, and I believe it was a JC Pennys I entered through and it was in pretty bad shape, lots of closed fragrances and jewelry kiosks. The mall itself had a couple of closed stores and at least on food court restaurant that had shut down, foot traffic was pretty low to, so unfortunately I am pretty sure this mall is on its way out the door

[@AJ82778]

A friend of mine and myself tried to come down to the opening of Superstition Springs Mall from Flagstaff as we'd heard that several bands were going to perform . . . we never made it as our work schedules didn't line up. Fast forward a few years, and I lived near the mall. Wow! That place was great in the mid 90s. They had a pretty solid arcade ( I think it was upstairs next to the carousel), and the mall in general was almost always busy. My wife and I would spend the whole day there (and in the surrounding satellite stores . . . K-Mart--which has been torn down--Target, Circuit City, Best Buy, etc). Lots of restaurants, too. We still go there on occasion. I think 2022 was the first year we didn't do any Christmas shopping there. It is quite sad how many of these malls have declined to the point of extinction. My folks still shop at the Flagstaff Mall every once in a while. I remember when that place opened...what a great time! They had a toy store that was amazing. And the arcade . . . Flagstaff only had 2 (maybe 3) video game arcades in the late 70s/early 80s, and the Flagstaff Mall one was amazing. Anyway, great video--as always. Have a great year.

[@jenbentzel1981]

Always love this channel and wherever you go!

[@ShannonBrownauthor]

I have a relative who's b-day is right after Christmas so I always go. I also want to see what's on clearance and get some half off calanders. There's also always a bath and body works sale right after Christmas. That week.still feels like holiday season to me.

[@Dyaxxis]

14:22 Can I just say that... this view is my favorite part of the video!😎

[@MiBl576]

It's crazy seeing how empty the mall is here. I remember getting kicked out of Fletcher Music Center in the early 2000's because my buddy decided to play Metallica on one of the electric organs. Apparently the proprietor was not amused. Thank you for sharing this! It led to a pleasant memory I had all but forgotten.

[@jeffrapier947]

Someday I need to get back to Mesa and see what has happened to all my old haunts.

[@SeiferA2001]

There's this mall in South Bend, IN that's still open, but the only other one around the area is every bit of the definition of "dead mall". The one that's still kicking seems like it has pretty decent activity; Nothing extremely busy but also not dead either. That mood surprisingly stayed the same even during the christmas and post christmas time. Born and raised in San Antonio, and between seeing that and your videos, it honestly makes me wonder if North Star Mall in SA is probably one of the very few remaining malls that is still just as busy as it use to be decades ago. Maybe the next time I visit my home town, I should record some footage of that mall. Great video either way. Always love your stuff!

[@traybake4972]

So happy you posted another mall wander video!! It’s been a while. As relaxing and melancholy as ever. Keep up the good work!

[@Markimark151]

The malls in western states like Arizona and California look terrible now! But my local mall in Texas is actually doing well because it has new anchors like Dave & Busters, movie theater, Lego store, Cheesecake Factory, a renovated Macys! I went to a mall in California last year when I visited my cousins, the mall is falling apart, it has leaking roof, it has dozens of vacancies! I heard they want to redevelop the mall and build expensive housing, which is such a terrible idea!

[@Mr.Unacceptable]

Get a part time job or weekend job with a janitorial company. You get into places and areas you would otherwise never be able to see. You can also try to make friends with someone who does work for one. How would you like to see a city courthouse and judges chambers after dark. A bank at closing. An industrial chemical plant or office tower. I saw all these places working as a teen. Places kids at school fathers worked at. Fascinated I got to see places they never could.

[@reverendfawkes6138]

We live in the area of Reno, NV, so our main indoor mall is Meadowood Mall. Our Sears closed down right before the pandemic, but in early '22, the space was taken over by Round One [a massive Japanese-style arcade]. Honestly, that was the best outcome I've seen for a closed mall-attached department store. Thanks for this tour of a mall just after Xmas! Definitely makes me want to visit Meadowood just after this Xmas! Who knows, might find some good sales.

[@lainsechoes]

i can't believe that gamestop is STILL there.

[@JohnScaer]

My local mall remains incredibly active. I did some Christmas shopping there last month, which has not always been the case, and it actually felt somewhat nice to be in an active, flourishing department store.

[@Freakinkat]

Oh that is cool little hobby shop man, like look at all that! And there zooming so over the place just be nice have relaxing time.

[@GumCow]

I have three malls in my city (that I know of), and my favorite is the one closest to me. It's not very busy whenever I go, so it's a nice and enjoyable shopping trip when I visit. There's just something so nostalgic and calm about a mall that doesn't get a lot of foot traffic.

[@butterboiii9810]

I went to my local mall close to 5 times before and after Christmas. Before Christmas, the mall was packed to the brim with people while after Christmas it was busy but not as bad. JCPenney was actually busy during my visits before Christmas which I haven’t seen in years. I ended up going over a week ago around closing and it was still fairly busy, but also kind of empty which gave it a creepy vibe.

[@annabbott1963]

Happy 2023! We did check out the mall about a week before Christmas it was cold and windy. My son and I just wanted a warm place to get some exercise and it worked well. 25 years ago there would have been a traffic jam getting into the mall, now there's parking a plenty. Unfortunately our mall was evacuated twice for false alarms when it was believed that shots were fired. One time a jewelry store was robbed, no fire arm and I forget the other incident I just know they evacuated the mall twice. Luckily no one was hurt and false alarms. Still makes you think twice about going to the mall. And this is in a safe (even upscale) area.

[@kpelt]

Finally! 🤣Great video as always, and well worth the wait.

[@andysorensen1737]

I Googled Fletcher Music to see if they’re still around (They are and still list Superstition Springs as a location), but weirdly they have a Patreon?!

[@williamharris8367]

9:53 -- Lids has a presence in Canada too (though I have only seen them in the West).

[@basshead2003]

We have them in Nova Scotia too.

[@TaylorMMontgomery]

very good looking mall! clearly renovated in the 2000s, I really like the glass banisters on the second floor, makes it feel very open!

[@BradTheProducer]

I was just here last fall while I was on a business trip. My hotel was right down the street. It had a good not-dead-but-not-booming mall vibe. Also, hell yeah, Duett.

[@PeppermintPJ90025]

You're back! Happy New Year!

[@cynthiaj.simmons870]

Great video!!! 🤗❤️🤗❤️🤗❤️ Unfortunately not I didn't get to visit my local mall this last year before of after Christmas. I did in January of 2021 when I was looking for a phone case and I see this large plastic red M&M man I bought for $150.00 from a local sports store called GQ Sports local to my town in Rockford, Illinois and my mall of Cherryvale Mall. But this last year in 2022 no I have not been to the mall at all I shopped online or at the local Walmart.

[@smack5472]

It's so weird seeing all the dead Phoenix area malls. I moved there in 1998 and left in 2013 and in the late 90's early 2000's I used to love exploring all the malls in the city. I used to work at the Best Buy behind this one. This mall, like most, has seen better days.

[@MrPriebster]

I've become a mall walker and weekday nights after the holidays are my favorite time to get some laps in at my local mall in South Dakota

[@_peachbeach]

I grew up going to that mall tbh, I went to Highland High and High Jr in the 2000s, took guitar lessons there etc too ... im long gone now but it's nice to see what is going on there now. thx!

[@mmusic5873]

Great video! Thanks for taking us along. I've been to numerous malls lately that are going this route - chain stores moving out and local specialty shops opening up. If you visit SoCal, 2 good ones to visit are Westminster Mall (its old school charm will sadly be going away as it will be redeveloped soon) and Lakewood Mall. They both have lots of book stores, anime and game shops and niche shops, similar to this mall. Also bonus points for the axolotl, such a cute little dude(ette).

[@sonicmoremusic1]

Thanks for the great video! Reminds me of all your other classic vids! A+A+A+A+A+

[@TheNutmeg666]

Oh! Those Chowerds candies are violet flavored! They are kind of odd, but they're a really neat tasting candy. Jutenhoops used to have them pretty often & that's when I first tried them.

[@nonamegonzalez5711]

Bro thank you so much 1) for this video and 2) for this channel.

[@RetailArchaeology]

Thank you for watching!

[@Leahi84]

Nope. All the malls that were near me are closed and either already torn down, or are about to be torn down. I'm pretty convinced we're going to end up with like one mall left in the country eventually. Probably something like the Mall of America or whatever that becomes a kind of museum to what malls were.

[@mstiefan6996]

Funny thing is the Mall of America is starting to get a bit of a negative reputation as this last year there were three shooting incidents that caused the whole mall to go into lockdown. Not sure about the first incident, but the last two were apparently gang related. The last one on Christmas Eve no less!

[@chellastation]

I liked the candy and reptile store. I like to go into the mall only if I am around the area and I have time.

[@cthulusauce]

Chowards!!! The purple ones are violet flavor and yup! Super pungent. Almost like a flowery breath mint. I personally loved them a lot

[@bmarie216]

I always look forward to your videos, they’re Great. Your videos and your voice are always so calming. 😀

[@TiffanySL1989]

I miss the mall of 25+ years ago. I grew up going to Metrocenter mall and Arrowhead mall. Good times. I still occasionally go to Arrowhead but haven't been there since like August last year.

[@travieandfaron6920]

I’m a Mesa native and so glad I found this video

[@lexa_power]

I have not been to a mall since before the pandemic aside from dining at restaurants attached to them and seeing a couple movies at a movie theater attached to them without going inside. I miss it but it’s such a hassle to shop in person and so much more expensive since i would splurge on the food court and expensive Starbucks every time id go to the mall. Cheaper to just order stuff i need online, less impulse buys. But i miss the nostalgia of hanging out at the mall; my friends and i just don’t have shopping money to do that now that we have adult bills.

[@nfapeng187]

Love the video, i miss going to the mall. Aint been out and about for along time. Spencers was one of my favorite stores! Gamestop of course! Aint seen a arcade for along long time. Alot of malls here in Ohio are pretty much dead or gone. Even in PA i live borderline of it.

[@RetroGameBros]

The Joystick arcade is ran by a youtuber under the same name. He used to upload a ton of arcade content but has stopped for the most part over these recent years. Weird to see even the arcade itself has fallen off a bit too lol

[@fikebobby1]

Great video would love to see more thrifting videos please! Thanks

[@UndeadEggmiester]

I love going to stores late or super early when there's not many people there. Honestly I haven't been to a mall in years.

[@drno-xc1yt]

That hobby shop with the vast swaths of space devoted to RC car racing is interesting. JC Penney back in the day was probably paying a king's ransom in rent for such a huge space, and presumably the hobby shop is probably paying next to nothing, since the mall is desperate to fill the space.

[@goosechaser13]

Actually hobby shop are VERY profitable, i speak by experience since i worked at one. There's a reason why every big mall has at least one, we can pay rent with sales of warhammer figures alone

[@kathyrosen2593]

We hit Penny's for the clearance sections after Christmas. Also bought new 29" American Tourister expandable hardside spinner suitcase last week on sale plus coupon $155.

[@Cupertinorail]

It's a nice hobby store and ooh man that's a bad crash at 5:52

[@megavolt2008]

P&F Hobbies now has RC crawling courses for 1/10th and 1/24th scale trucks. For those planning to go, it’s $10 for a day, and you can leave and come back. Bring a LiPo bag if you want to charge there. We went on 1/15, and the mall was pretty busy…

[@alexkomada8600]

I usually visit Arrowhead Towne Center around Christmas and it's always extremely busy. That mall isn't going away anytime soon

[@kssarh]

Frozen Skors are the goat of all candybars. I don't know what happens when you freeze them, but it becomes magical.

[@Kris_Kitten]

The candy store looks so cool! That's heaven to me

[@SueBobChicVid]

8:51 I think that is a Tegu.

[@1u1u89]

Your voice along with the background music is so relaxing!

[@RetailArchaeology]

Thanks!

[@raymondmartin6737]

We are on a stay in Merritt Island, Florida, and soon after being there we went to the Merritt Square Mall ⬛️ 😢 and it was empty, including the parking lots. The Sears was gone, of course, there was a Macy's, and signs for Dillard's and Penny's but we turned around so fast to leave, we didn't see them, as we only saw GNC, Claire's, and Spencer's open and a few food court 😋 places. The only other mall we passed was one south in Melbourne, Florida. By the way a Lego Store just opened in the Pheasant Lane mall on the DW Hwy in Nashua near the MA border, as many go to there from MA as NH Hass no Sales Tax.