The Rise and Fall of American Malls

Part social gathering spaces, part retail meccas, malls were once the centerpiece of the suburban American experience. Now, faced with challenges from all sides, most are barely hanging on. Here's what happened to American malls.
#Shopping #TheBreakdown #BloombergQuicktake
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[@business]

What do you think empty malls should be used for?

[@monkeyman321]

Forests, parks and wetlands.

[@goldengalsclazy]

Restaurants

[@yogawithjengentleyoga3614]

Low income housing

[@nztoddhaskell]

Emergency crash landing pads for air & spacecraft.

[@J38x729]

@@nztoddhaskell lol

[@PuffOfSmoke]

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.

[@asiersanz8941]

So that is the new version of what the arabs called a Bazaar, something that has existed for a long time. Not a new concept.

[@Prototyp3m1nd]

It's the same for a number of retail spaces in California, though to be fair there's still definitely over-development going on in that regard even now. It is nice to see more integrated designs rather than mega malls out in the middle of nowhere.

[@PinoyBowlerGS92]

@@britneysnickers Asian Countries like Philippines

[@thehanghoul]

This is also true in Korea. Huge malls but also very accessible by walk or subway

[@handsomeian]

We are doing a similar concept in my home city in Canada where existing malls are being remodelled so there are high rise condos, office spaces, community centers and green spaces being included in the floor plan. All these malls being renovated are already along or very close to existing skytrain/monorail stations so no relocation is necessary.

[@ruzzelladrian907]

Why American malls don't have grocery stores and not connected to public transportation.

[@rl8429]

Some do, it's just that rural areas usually aren't connected to large cities. There's a few malls replacing their vacant department stores with supermarkets.

[@gregoryferraro7379]

American cities don't have great public transportation.

[@carlosa7598]

Every mall or department store here in Japan has a supermarket or even a convenient store. Even hospitals have those small convenient stores.🗾

[@KRYMauL]

They are connected to public transit, but most public transit in the US are buses. This is mainly due to Ford and GM buying all the commuter rail lines, bankrupting the stocks then selling the bus lines back to the cities.

[@carlosa7598]

@@KRYMauL thats their fault for doing it😄

[@thisiscrazy4122]

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.

[@user-nf9xc7ww7m]

Exactly. And, at least where I used to live, had adequate public transport (eg trains). Younger teens and kids can't drive so the malls lose those sales if parents don't come.

[@janedoe247]

That sounds like the city center areas throughout Europe.

[@Jojohumf]

Agreed, in the UK they’re always in the centre of the city and usually there’s only one mall/ shopping centre, meaning it becomes the hub

[@KRYMauL]

@@Jojohumf The mall in the US is used for the third place in the suburbs because there isn't a lot to do in the suburbs.

[@canto_v12]

American suburbia doesn't have the density to have a prominent "foot traffic node" that the mall needs to be to survive in the long term. Once the novelty factor wears off and my car-centric lifestyle means my mall visit requires me to waste time parking my car, I'd rather drive to my favourite cafe, then drive somewhere else to my favourite supermarket, etc. And finally, online retail has put the nail in the coffin of poorly located malls in the US. Contrast that with Hong Kong, where the mall/transit interchange/office/premium housing node has been perfected, literally every element required for a mall to thrive in the long term is guaranteed. Every mall is on the commute route of hundreds of thousands of people, and the constant foot traffic also provides incentive for malls to upgrade and update themselves to compete with each other. Also, most of them have supermarkets too!

[@jimmyryan5880]

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.

[@GjaP_242]

4:23

[@effexon]

why they made this change? I avoid those places too.

[@nepalihercules]

@@effexon to make more space for sales. they didn't want homeless or old people wandering in

[@KRYMauL]

@@nepalihercules Isn't the point of the mall to have a third place? I guess we should just turn them into parks.

[@nepalihercules]

@@KRYMauL it is but the greedy owners don't want you there if you're not spending money. I've been chased out of mall for sitting too long.

[@1375chelsea]

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.

[@juandelacruz9402]

because most of us dont trust online retailers. too many scam going on. some items also require credit cards.

[@slaughterhousecry]

Agree with everything you said except the gardens. The 2 malls that claim gardens such as Greenbelt w/c used to be an oasis with ponds & aviary and BGC w/c used to be an overgrown jungle barrack w/ matching WW2 Japanese tunnel is now one long heat pavement. It holds no candle to Singapore's gardens

[@popgas3821]

Add that fact that most people just don’t like staying at home.

[@xXxSkyViperxXx]

malls also have churches in them in the philippines lol

[@PinoyBowlerGS92]

I only come to malls like SM Lanang Premier here in Davao that have Bowling Centers cause I’m a League Bowler that bowl not for fun but bowl like a pro in League Night Tournaments for money. As for other malls, eh why not only if I’m with my parents just for groceries and something to eat.

[@valmarsiglia]

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.

[@doaldox]

So true u wonder were teens hang out now in days... I drive everyday and go everyone and it's like ghost towns

[@DS-me7kk]

I can't imagine Kuala Lumpur without the malls which are perfect places to hide from the heat

[@zaed7419]

right! KLCC, Pavillion, Low Yat, and even small ones like Wangsa Walk

[@ajmoodey]

@@zaed7419 the same goes to the Middle East. We go to malls because it's veryyyy hot outside. It's not like we have other options.

[@Dear_Mr._Isaiah_Deringer]

Asian malls 🥶

[@leoprg5330]

Same in Dubai, in north american states like Minnesota and northern Europe too, people escape harsh winter by going to mall the same way

[@1966bluemax]

Same in the Philippines

[@jval9002]

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.

[@qjtvaddict]

Give it time

[@deadringer2349]

Philippine mall culture wont die.... Covid 19: Im gonna end this whole mall's career....

[@karthikn8536]

Lol thats what they thought in India. And then Amazon and Flipkart happened. More than 50% of malls closed down

[@slaughterhousecry]

@@karthikn8536 in the Philippines, there are already 2 versions of a local Amazon - Lazada & Shopee, both gaining a strong number of followers. If Amazon enters the market it could change the game and malls could go on to be just used as large air conditionined spaces to beat the heat. Problem is Filipinos distrust a lot of online sellers who come mainly from China (no love lost between the countries) and would rather go to a mall as one stop do all destination

[@kateeeee11]

It will not die.. not in my time.. I myself love malls and most of the Filipinos love malls whatever your status is. It’s part of the culture and built for families:)

[@warmpianist]

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.

[@akshaywadhwa2955]

Same for us, I am from India.

[@farzeenahmed7471]

@@akshaywadhwa2955 isn't India in southeast Asia?

[@Kenna198]

Sounds so fun

[@salampo]

@@farzeenahmed7471 No

[@tanlielie6661]

@@farzeenahmed7471 India is in South Asia, not Southeast Asia

[@peace8373]

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.

[@christinarichie6171]

We don't have Capitalism at all. You have Cental Banks and then the Federal Reserve 😂 Basically a planned economy.

[@vrj40]

Exactly! You can't have thriving retail if your consumer class has no or very little disposable income and are working insane amounts of hours. Just common sense.

[@denelson83]

Old shopping malls never die, they just get de-mall-ished.

[@klaii7196]

😂👏

[@Cabal294]

😂

[@crisfirestar4857]

Show yourself out..

[@Shreymani2]

that's creativity 🔥🔥🔥

[@PierreDennis]

get out...

[@66Roses]

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.

[@glasscity3104]

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.

[@rnhim2072]

true, it's all the same stores and food court eateries

[@sophist1cated]

Also a lot of stuff fade away because of the digitalization

[@buckroger6456]

Very true. You walk a mall now a days and it's filled with 20 cellphone stores and shoe stores. Also you see lots of restaurants popping up in the malls.

[@kayl456jenna]

@@buckroger6456 Why go there anymore? It seems like half to 3/4 of the space is just shoes or women's clothing. I was just thinking back to the store mix in the 70's and 80's: toys, books, videogame arcades, computer software, that bake shop selling mini chocolate chip cookies by the pound, Orange Julius, Friendly's Ice Cream. Something for everyone. Diversity is dead.

[@buckroger6456]

@@kayl456jenna you get it. Malls use to be awesome. I would go for the game store, the arcades, the music stores and so on. Now it's all full of the same types of stores. I will say before covid I was going to the mall 3 miles away from me because they have a 1up arcade there and it's blast.

[@vintageb8]

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.

[@michaelanderson2881]

Because mall owners take triple net leases PLUS a percentage of profits. If a store is not busy from open to close like Chick Fil-A, they simply can't afford the rent. So they either go out of business or they raise prices to the point where their merchandise is no longer attractive. I used to work in Macy's in Eatontown, NJ and there were times I could go from the Cellar, where I worked, to the top floor to the payroll department and not see a single customer. Stores like that make about 80% of their annual revenue from Thanksgiving to Christmas. The rest of the year is just holding on.

[@hadihatab3126]

They’re doing that though, they’re called lifestyle centers, basically outdoor malls that usually include all or most of the things you mentioned.

[@romella_karmey]

Because these malls owner's go bankrupt already.. New mall owners are doing that already.

[@aoystreck]

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

[@gus473]

🇨🇦 Missing Canada and hoping the border reopens soon! 😎✌🏼

[@Alex-pj8nz]

I went to malls for the movies otherwise can’t be bother to visit.

[@Crackrzz]

I find even though in Canada, we overmalled almost as much as the US did, we managed to mostly find ways to repurpose the old buildings like this video suggests.

[@kshotz.8]

Other countries need to understand we are independent we ain't trying to be like them

[@yesmaybeno9222]

West Edmonton mall did the same when Target pulled out. It’s still thriving.

[@chiapagringa]

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."

[@zedrockiby]

You can send it back.

[@ranevc]

You can send them back!

[@elainelouve]

Gen x here, and same. It's also bad for the environment to be sending back one's purchases.

[@NyanyiC]

I like to try on b4 I buy-im plus size so I need to know how stuff looks on me + my feet are long and wide.

[@lilacdoe7945]

I'm tall and thin so when I buy online I have a near unlimited choice, but when I go to a store my options are very limited.

[@shawngbrennan9893]

I wish they would have mentioned all of the mixed-use development that has begun to spring up around many malls, like in Paramus NJ at Garden State Plaza, where they are building apartments over ground floor shopping to create a walkable community around the mall. I think that is the brightest future possible for malls.

[@fixthatface483]

I thought for sure they were going to mention conversion into apartments and living spaces.

[@michaelanderson2881]

What about the other half dozen malls in Paramus?

[@missjess82]

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.

[@lawrencelewis8105]

did you have to deal with zombies? Ever see "Dawn of the Dead?" It was filmed outside of Pittsburgh, you probably know the place.

[@Hashpotato]

It never was.

[@missjess82]

@@lawrencelewis8105 I do! The mall has something set up for it I think!

[@lawrencelewis8105]

@@missjess82 Really? What, zombie spray? Special barriers? Signs that say "Please don't feed the zombies?"

[@philliesphan312]

Ever been to Ross Park mall north hills?

[@vejovim]

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?

[@ajax818]

Todays malls will have to adapt in order to survive. They’ll still have places to shop but things were you would rather get at the moment instead of waiting like you do online. Mostly they’ll be places to go and hangout rather than shop.

[@groob33]

Yeah... just like record stores had to adapt.

[@KRYMauL]

That was actually the intended purpose of a mall, it wasn't really give people the opportunity to shop that was just the capitalist reason.

[@JadeMythriil]

thats what it is here in Philippines. We have multiple food stalls to buy, some recreational facilities and arcades, and even a garden. Malls were mostly the ideal place to hangout after classes.

[@chrisyanover1777]

I have a feeling a lot will be turned into residential communities and maybe even hybrid retail and residential communities with restaurants and bars on site.

[@chrismv102]

If mall owners had adjusted their layout and universally connected themselves to offices. Medical, legal, governmental, even work related are way of the future. Mix use with public spaces to gather.

[@effexon]

my office is in place like that, it made it worse, due to blocking entry just passing by evvery day by crowded mall space, joined with train station. gripe is not about mall, but mixing commuting people with mall makes it chaos of lot of people.

[@user-nf9xc7ww7m]

And apartments/condos. Work where you live.

[@effexon]

@@user-nf9xc7ww7m I like to walk a mile or so to work, to keep mental distance. Perhaps some people enjoy this. Tho if this is colocation hub and actual coworkers are in other place, this works.

[@BrogeKilrain]

I surprised America had not seen how malls work in Asia . Medical practices , areas lower rebt crafts and small boutiques

[@johnl.7754]

and many have Supermarkets as Anchor. Many also have non fast food restaurants

[@AlfoncinaMatilda]

I love Asian malls, its super entertaining

[@marquisgrissom9129]

Yea, with the densest population of people in the world. How can it not be packed all of the time. Plus yes, malls need to be more entertaining in the U.S.

[@VC-oo2mi]

Often it's not about how densed the location is, but it's about the experiences. Malls in asia are actively collaborating between shops and try to sell the mall as a whole pack (such as mall-specific discount, additional credit card bonuses), rather than taking it as a bundle of individual shops under one roof.

[@effexon]

@@VC-oo2mi in europe they say they do this, but effectively rent prices work differently for food vs retail business, meaning over couple of years all malls look the same, same chains :D not very interesting.

[@jholotanbest2688]

Malls are kind of depressing. They all look the same, have the same businesses and just kind of sterile.

[@Tyree101]

I'm a regular mall visitor, but honestly I get tired of finding a shirt or coat that I like that's not in my size because they went out of stock. It's more convenient to just order online now.

[@zell863]

And how will I know what shirt would fit me online?

[@truediva18]

Turn the empty malls into apartments or micro apartments for single people. There is a mall like this somewhere already. I forget where it is. They rented out the micro apartments to people who don't need a lot of space. There were people that were college students, people needing an apartment closer to work, and people looking to rent space for a home-based business.

[@robbiemartin4997]

Or better yet..the homeless with a 2 year contract to get on your 2 feet and a heartbeat and work or Baker Act people that are not mentally competent...hospitalization. If there disabled, the Government foots the bill, that's reasonable, I wouldn't mind paying taxes to house disabled persons...physically or mentally. End of story.

[@KRYMauL]

@@robbiemartin4997 Especially if they have a catering company or retail shops on the ground floor. Full blown Cyberpunk.

[@CCMqueretaro]

if only life were so simple.

[@Snooperzan]

Think of all the repairs on a building that age...plumbing, air conditioning and or heater repairs, probably needs a new roof..

[@marcussmith4913]

That would be cool to move into a mall lol... this is actually a great idea Trudiva

[@707bayshit]

I like how the upper class is talking about it and the middle class is like we don't go there because ya wanna inflate the prices cause you in a mall. We are not paying inflated prices to go to a mall and this video is proof of that.

[@sankofaspirit2260]

@Robby Dey malls are not built in lower income neighborhoods. 😂

[@marilynwillett804]

and nobody mentions the crime in malls, they used to be lovely and pleasant.

[@sepg5084]

Here in asia, malls have a lot of food shops, have a cinema, and usually have a large grocery store at the ground floor or basement. And since it is hot over here, the AC feels refreshing. I still go to the mall to buy clothes, fragile stuff, watching movies in a cinema, and grocery shopping. For everything else, i buy them online or from specific brick-and-mortar shops.

[@Banana34598]

@@sepg5084 like the video said, most of our malls are built right off the highways. It’s not convenient for a majority of the city to have to go to them to grocery shop. Most of our malls do have movie theaters- at least they did before COVID. However, the movie theater industry is dying here as well. Outlet malls are really huge now… Because you can just park out front of the store that you wanna go in. They typically do have a few restaurants and coffee shops and the same stores that they have at the mall- without actually having to waste time wandering around the mall.

[@Eragonete]

because american malls are just shittily designed

[@nancyk777]

I'm personally very sad to see stores go. I like to see what I'm buying in person as often things are not represented properly online, I can't see the quality. I also hate not being able to try something on. Returning things by mail is a pain in the backside! I hate going to the post office especially to return something that was not as pictured. I have things sitting in bags right now that need to go back and I have no return labels. Ugh. Annoying. And many places charge you to send it back. I'd much rather go to the store, see it, try it and be done.

[@yesenialopez2090]

Same here😣

[@mirzaahmed6589]

"...things are not represented properly online, I can't see the quality." That's just not true. Most online stores also have excellent returns policies.

[@iamjani]

Their malls needs to be nicer like the ones in Asia. There is so much stuff to do like ice skating/huge christmas trees, etc, and many places to sit and chill.

[@RyokoAsakuraLastFan]

I strongly believe that the downfall of Malls were not from online shopping, but the shrinking middle class coupled with stagnate wages. As the number of people who could afford more than more than basics shrunk we see malls collapse.

[@VenturaIT]

Yep, Malls are collapsing due to population collapse and demographic changes... the mall is the sign of a thriving and safe society and economy which we no longer have. Now it's legal to steal anything up to around $900, how is a mall going to survive like that? And people aren't having families due to the economic/population collapse.

[@VenturaIT]

@ghost mall No, but you've outed yourself has a huge racist. Demographics changes mean that in the 80's we had a huge population of baby boomers who had a lot of kids... the malls served that demographic. A demographic just means a group it doesn't mean anything about race unless you are specifically talking about race, but I am not talking about race. There are malls in all kinds of places. Now the baby boomers are in their mid to late 70's or 80's and can't even walk through the mall due to bad hips and knees and their kids didn't have many kids or even start families. So it's about population collapse that Elon Musk is always talking about. Even if you want to talk about immigration, which is not about race, because countries have all kinds of different races in them, but even if you want to look at it that way, the new immigrants to the USA are above marrying age, don't have many kids, and aren't very wealthy... many of them don't have jobs, so that is not going to contribute to the economy long term like the baby boomer generation did, who worked 9-5, bought expensive homes and expensive cars, went on expensive vacations, etc. Baby boomers are the biggest in terms of population generation out of all, but now some have died so their numbers are declining. It's all about the population collapse and it's happening everywhere except in the most developing nations. As soon as a nation becomes technologically advanced their population starts to collapse.

[@VenturaIT]

@ghost mall If we want to continue we need to be fruitful and multiply like the Bible says... even China will soon be facing a population collapse.

[@VenturaIT]

@ghost mall Btw, someone who calls others racist prematurely is a racist, by default.

[@VenturaIT]

@ghost mall I accept it but it means you are racist. Racist means when you look at life through the filter of the color of people's skin or race.

[@timhinchcliffe5372]

They are still busy here in Australia. Westfield started here. I think people go there to alleviate boredom more than anything.

[@jesfel14]

Even then, how much can they bend? They need to adjust to the post department store world and adapt. there's TAFES and Unis that need the space study including places to stay

[@freeman10000]

Malls succeed in Australia because we are not overly saturated by them and they contain large supermarkets.

[@Peleski]

They don't work for men! All I see is women's clothing, nail and hair salons.

[@realluser-smore-2519]

Westfield is in a lot of countries right? Westfield exists here in the US and it’s not that different from regular American malls sadly

[@stephenmartinez1]

The mall of America in minneapolis is jam packed today. I visited it for the first time a few months ago and let me tell you. This mall is not just a mall, it’s an experience. A place to spend the entire day like an amusement park. There were thousands of people inside, and there must be well over a hundred stores, it was awesome. It even has an entire aquarium as well as actual amusement park rides.

[@marcussmith4913]

Yes... but this mall is also in the 3rd largest city in MN. It also is right net to the international airport. Also surrounded by Hotels people stay at when traveling on business to MN. So ya that mall has the location to stay busy. However the rest of our malls... Rosville, Burnsville, edin prairie, and edina are all becoming ghost towns.

[@HarlanDorman]

🫵💯 I'm a Minnesota resident of 42 years and frequent the Mall of America I would say probably on average four or five times a year give or take, and indeed it IS "an experience" and is absolutely jam-packed busy All the time out there (and not just on the weekends, but also throughout the week as well, just on a slightly lesser degree) And that's all four floors, the Nickelodeon park (in the center), and the underwater world aquarium! 🎯 (you) Hit the nail right on the head 😎👌

[@hadihatab3126]

The thing is though no matter how convenient online shopping is, it gets boring just sitting down all day cooped up scrolling on a computer or phone/tablet. It’s nice to step out of the house and actually move your body and see people.

[@buckroger6456]

Guess that depends on where you live. I personally love to be outside but durning the summer here most people hide inside since it gets way too hot for them. Last year thanks to covid all the places that people would go to, to hide from the heat were all closed down.

[@thetimelapseguy8]

Shopping online doesn't mean you wont go outside, if anything, it saves you time to go outside as you don't have to be inside stores, or worse, a mall. Theres better places to leave your house for than a mall.

[@kenfern2259]

@@thetimelapseguy8 amen

[@Dial8Transmition]

Growing up in Europe in the late 80's early 90's, I still have fond memories of malls. Malls are still around but they are just not the same anymore, they just feel so sterile and boring compared to the vibrant and colorful malls we had in the 90's. They just feel like places you want to get the stuff you want and leave, instead of a place you want to spend a lot of time in

[@TheOwlCreek]

5:45 - "It's called the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it." - George Carlin

[@attackfive8659]

I get emotional thinking about the end of malls, which is ironic considering I don’t shop in them anymore. Still, it’s just nice to know that they’re still there. Which they’re not anymore.

[@thetruth495]

The internet has killed off the shopping mall experience - the slow death started 20 years ago.

[@potatomatop9326]

I miss going to the mall. The last time i went to a mall was 15 years ago hahaha. Nowadays a single phone provides all the entertainment.

[@riverdeep399]

Lucky a potato has no feet. Shoe shopping online has been a ball ache.

[@digiryde]

This really speaks to the problem. Society has changed. Why would people want to go somewhere to do something?

[@oama2009]

How active are you physically ?

[@Dr_Salt]

Watching movies on a smartphone sucks balls

[@potatomatop9326]

@@Dr_Salt live with it man. Start with cobra kai.

[@MrBobbyBrown2006]

The main reason I avoid malls is.... people. I hate slow walkers and people getting in my way. I'd rather shop from home to be blunt.

[@kiljucook7625]

Greetings fellow-hater. Couldn't agree more.

[@snap9342]

Everyone shops online nowadays. Even in asian cities, malls are starting to decline nowadays. I think its better to make malls into mostly places for entertainment, food, and general place to hangout (like starbucks even though its expensive lol).

[@alexzabala2154]

Stores can't make MONEY if you just buy a drink and 'hang out'...

[@umairsqu]

which asian city? i have been all over asia, malls were thriving pre covid.

[@snap9342]

@@umairsqu It may seem thriving, but it is nothing compared to what it used to be back when malls were new.

[@larisslanting7684]

Not in Malaysia, people loves Mall. Its a place to escape heat and a place of gathering.

[@umairsqu]

@@snap9342 most Asian countries are hot and developing countries. Malls offer respite from the heat and also give an aura of a different surrounding/country. Malls are here to stay in Asia. I guarantee you malls will be obsolete in the West but will continue to thrive in Asia

[@davidanthony6408]

The mall scenes needed some 70s and 80s music for the background. Jackson Browne (Somebody's Baby), Loverboy (Everybodys working for the weekend), Sheila E (The Glamorous Life), Vanilla Ice (Ice Ice Baby)

[@MillionaireTrader]

I miss going to the malls. Last time I visited the mall was like 125 years ago. I should probably be dead by now

[@jeannekstrole6891]

Yeah, I was an 80's punk baby mall kid....I feel your pain.

[@genekelly8467]

Are you Joe Biden?

[@MillionaireTrader]

@@genekelly8467 No, Joe biden is my Grand Son

[@pikachuthunderbolt3919]

may be u visited malls in ur last life

[@astramccracken6555]

COOL

[@SoCalFreelance]

The 'K' shaped recovery applies to malls too.

[@gnuwaves743]

Chick fil a has existed since the 60s is what blows my mind the most. I thought it opened in the mid 2000s

[@ciarandevaney385]

I thought they opened in the mid 2010s

[@jh_monty8888]

Why is that surprising?

[@CLarcholey]

Same we didn’t have it where I grew up it was knew to me in about 2000

[@rnhim2072]

i've seen their "Eat more chikin" ads since the 80's and always saw them in malls and at college food courts and their food didn't seem that popular back then. I never saw stand alone restaurants until later 2000's but perhaps they were always around?

[@moneyonfleek305]

You Learn something new everyday

[@loganholmberg2295]

I miss malls. My health prevents me from going much though but man I get nostalgic for it. Especially if I want to go see a movie.

[@hueguy]

I miss the days where my parents used to leave my brother and me at an arcade for a few hours so that they can go shopping without us whining.

[@jerolvilladolid]

American malls met their demise not because of Amazon, but because mall operators failed to shift from a retail-centric business model, to an entertainment-centric business model. Here in the Philippines when malls were popping up brand new every month. Hardly any stalls still cater to clothes and retail items. The majority focused on fine dining, cinemas, and a re-designed mall layout putting emphasis on outdoor green spaces which are ideal for restaurants and less of the indoor space for clothes shops. There is probably too little investment appetite in US for constructiong new, green malls. And thats why their industry is dying. They have the cause of the demise completely upside down.

[@jfwfreo]

The problem in America is that malls (for the most part) never really had the things people need on a regular basis and when the big box stores like Wal-Mart came along, people had even less reason to go to the mall. Here in Australia on the other hand, our shopping centres/malls have all the things that people need on a regular basis. A small local centre will usually have a full-line supermarket as its anchor with a bunch of useful shops built around it (things like a bottle shop, bakery, newsagent, pharmacy, doctor/dentist/optical/other health places, hair/nail/beauty places, cafes/fast food/takeaway/casual dining and maybe others depending on the centre, its size, its location etc) The next size up will typically have all of the above (maybe more than one of some of them) plus a discount department store and/or second supermarket, clothing/accessory/footwear/etc shops, mobile phone carrier stores, discount stores (our version of the dollar store) and maybe others depending on the area and who wants to move in. Then the big centres will have (depending on size) multiple discount department stores, multiple supermarkets, maybe a full-line department store or 2 plus lots of smaller shops including things like electronics stores, fresh food and all sorts of stuff as well as entertainment options such as movie theaters, arcades, bowling, mini golf plus lots of food options across the range (from cafes and food courts to more expensive restaurant options) The fact that centres of all sizes have all the essentials people need everyday is why Australia doesn't have the "dead malls" the US has (unless you count the one that that got hit by record levels of flooding and will need a total knockdown and rebuild that is)

[@Galidorquest]

"when the big box stores like Wal-Mart came along, people had even less reason to go to the mall." Exactly. When a Walmart was built across the street from my nearest shopping mall in 2007, I noticed the mall eventually lost a lot of businesses and the Great Recession also contributed to its demise.

[@nickl5658]

Asian malls work because there are residential apartments within them.. Really big ones also have offices. You can live, work and play within a mall. So malls are closer to vertical towns with public transport links (bus and rail) between the one mall to another and to the city. They aren't just for shopping.

[@nicedurians]

Yeah thats called integrated development

[@loydkline]

Metro detroit they got Meijer Walmart; Sam club Costco, smaller shopping center eat food & shop etc etc

[@gildersleevefan67]

There are a number of factors for the decline of malls. One of the most important one is the fact that so many of the non-anchor tenants who filled malls in the 70s and 80s went out of business in the 90s and 2000s. Find a list of of mall tenants from the golden age of malls and you will realize how many of those retailers no longer exist. Also not helping was the consolidation of the department store market. Regions used to have two or three local department store staples where they shopped from the early 1900s to the 80s or 90s. Eventually, in the 80s and by the mid-90s, many of them consolidated or merged. Eventually most were acquired by Federated Department Stores and became Macy's. There's nothing wrong with Macy's, but it's now the successor to two or three stores that would have had their own anchor slots in the 80s and 90s.

[@heydude4193]

Milwaukee’s old downtown mall is now apartments! All the old stores are apartments and the entrances are where store entrances used to be. As a result you get beautiful windows too because the mall used to be to show things off. They’re expensive tho... lol.

[@LuckyDuckie115]

I get a better mall experience by going to my local park and shopping online while I walk around

[@DianaMillan]

That actually sounds really pleasant. Might give that a try this summer.

[@IndigoBellyDance]

🤣🤣🙏

[@tommunyon2874]

When I was in 5th grade my neighbors invited me to go with them to the state fair in Albuquerque. The highlight of the trip was going to the newly opened Winrock Shopping Center. It was certainly different than the downtown shopping trip I had been on a couple of years before.

[@FalconsEye58094]

Looking across social media people are as creative as ever, somebody give those guys a try at redesigning the malls and opening different kinds of restaurants

[@kevin4209]

We've done this to ourselves. Regardless of whether you're rich, poor, or middle class, when you spend money, do it in a way that keeps the people around you employed.

[@sepg5084]

Here in asia, i got to malls because they have a lot of food shops to choose from. Some are small stalls, some are fast food restos, some are buffets, etc. Plus malls here usually have cinemas and grocery stores. I never buy clothes or shoes online, i want to see them and try them on. I also don't buy electronics or fragile stuff online. So i still go to the mall for them.

[@migo-migo9503]

Not sure bout y'all, but the "anchor stores" were the ones I disliked most and never went to.

[@MichaelGilmoreTV]

I’m so glad they highlighted Atlanta and Greenbriar Mall💯

[@ardianpratama5143]

In jakarta indonesia, i think in the past decade mall has transformed to shopping place to hangout place, newer malls have alot of restaurants and cafe instead of stores, because hangout (we say “nongkrong” in our language) is a big culture in indonesia Some bigger mall even have little community, they have apartments and or office space, clinics, even nice and big park

[@michaelrexrode3759]

Like many men, I detest shopping and the Pandemic introduced me to pretty much 100% online shopping. You can actually SAVE money as most impulse buying is eliminated. Love it. Never going back.

[@jjcoolaus]

Interesting topic. Here in Australia the popularity of shopping centres is still high and there is significant investment going into them, lots of new shops big and small, decent profits. Online shopping is limited by distance here, we don't have same day/next day delivery on Amazon, even prime customers have to wait 3-5 business days

[@canto_v12]

Malls work best when they are adjacent to a foot traffic node. The problem with American malls sort of represents the problem with American suburbia in general. Once the novelty factor is over, people would literally need to make a trip TO the mall, and if there isn't anything that interesting, people would rather drive somewhere more convenient or more interesting. The proliferation of online shopping further weakens malls in suburbia. In prime locations across the world (including the US), successful malls are located at transport interchanges or at least within very dense downtowns. People will pass through them due to the convenience of the mall being on their route to somewhere else. That ensures that the customer flow will last, and the incentive to keep the place updated will also last.

[@apucitepucu]

Here in india, we got malls attached to railway stations. So anyone who gets off a train has to pass thru the mall. Thats kinda relaxing coz theyre air conditioned and cooler than the outside. And ppl end up spending their money. Win-win. Then there are malls themed on venice, like they got canals, just like the venetian LV. Quite innovative ig

[@abantisarkar2055]

I think only few places malls are attached to the Railway Station.

[@carlovillavicencio5616]

it's very different here in the Philippines for many reasons 1) there's aircon (it's very hot and humid in here) 2) we prefer to see the product instead of shopping online because of fraud and some of us are skeptical (although online shopping is a bit cheaper at times and there's COVID so it's more convenient) 3) they provide many services like medical services, recreation, spas and barber shops, and u can even apply there for a driver's license or a passport 4) it's a place where we can meet each other (especially for teens like me) 5) it's kind of in the city center and it's accessible to residents

[@johnnguyen6159]

Malls are detrimental to Downtowns. For example how are stores in Downtown Minneapolis suppose to compete against Mall of America in Bloomington (Minneapolis suburb). Wonder how places like Union Square in SF is going to survive post pandemic when half the stores are boarded up.

[@brinvargas1474]

Here in a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, a mall close to me died a quick death. Built in 2000, it was too large, too expensive, too remote (for the time), too close to other more "popular" malls. With only one anchor store and a few brave risk-taking retailers, within 3 years it closed, and laid dormant for years... Fast forward 2020: pre-pandemic, was *finally* purchased for pennies on the dollar and is being redesigned as a mixed-use mini-city: hotel, apartments, offices, supermarket, cafes, pubs, specialty stores, nature park & entertainment center. Funny, I could have suggested that instead of the big white elephant, 20 years ago.

[@frankySR21]

I definitely agree with the re-greening idea mentioned at the end. Many of these malls are just concrete jungle eyesores that really have no reason to exist anymore. Should definitely just be demolished.

[@NyanyiC]

Demolition creates tonnes of waste. The building are better used for something else

[@smupking9592]

Hmmmm could they be converted to apartment buildings?

[@xexexz6372]

where i'm from the most successful malls, jam packed with people, are 40%-50% restaurants and food vendors. honestly food is what keeps the customers coming back. also the malls gotta be connected to subway.

[@hinzuzufugen7358]

Oh wow, over here in Germany, malls are few, relatively new and still have the Go. One point: Almost all are very reachable by Bus/Tram/Metropolitan Railway.

[@celticandpenobscot8658]

I think those simple, rectangular urban malls should be retail, office, and educational on the bottom floor, and affordable housing above.

[@matthewkeefe1377]

I totally miss going to the mall in the 80s and 90s, when the place was always packed. Now I go to the Holyoke Mall, and there still are people there, it definitely isn't the way it was in the heyday

[@jethancheta873]

It's similar to how public libraries rise and fall and rise again.. Libraries need to promote experience and not books alone, simply put they need instagramable areas and interactive services. Libraries do not provide books alone nowadays, they are a tourist destination and social hangouts.u

[@freeman10000]

My local mall mall has a library in it. Great concept, great library.

[@jethancheta873]

@@freeman10000 great to know, its a new trend. Both industry work together to provide a new ideas and concepts and remain valuable despite the emerging market of online shopping and digitization of information. Philippine malls also integrate this concept, either thru partnership of public libraries or private venture to attract customers similar to what SM is doing.

[@barsoom43]

I never shop at a mall.. They seldom have anything I want or need.. My shopping experiences revolve around Lowe's, Walmart, Kroger, eBay, Amazon and a few individual online sellers..

[@rmknicks]

I guess you've just described why high-end malls are thriving.

[@Huskasin]

I think it would be great if they started shifting retired malls into multi-floor skating rings/arcades with arts and fashion boutiques.

[@vturner]

I think Colombia just built one of those “office” malls , my fiancé went there for dental work and its pretty nice

[@claudekingstan4084]

Having just watched the Hyperloop video and knowing how malls exists for all airports, each Hyperloop station should be at the heart of every existing mall to mutually save cost. This would also symbiotically generate income. It would bring malls back to into the future.

[@ellenlee1]

THE MALLS IN ASIA ARE GREAT. THEY ARE MOSTLY FOOD COURTS, THEY KNOW PEOPLE LIKE TO EAT AND GO TO MALLS TO EAT NOT SHOP FOR GOODS. THEY BUY ON LINE OR IN OUT DOOR MARKETS. HAVE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TO THE MALLS.

[@danhemming6624]

i have seen some old beautiful malls where they turned the whole lot into apartments that looked onto a park area in the middle.

[@iamjaydee4621]

In my country malls are still booming even though we also have online shopping available. maybe because we spend our time not only to eat and shop we also spend our quality time with friends and family.

[@iliketacos6067]

They should turn it into a safe area for exercise for the masses. We no longer have forests to walk through in the city but something like this would help.

[@211teitake]

I actively avoid shopping at department stores like Sears, JCPenny's, or Macy's, so I don't quite understand that how they would affect malls.

[@MargDBX]

Wow that is the dumbest statement I have ever read.

[@commonsense3921]

So I guess because you avoid these stores everyone else does????

[@yasmin2593]

im a teen living in london and malls are so popular here! literally we go malls even when we dont have money😭

[@paularrowsmith9376]

What London are you livi g in

[@gohermunir8678]

Soo true

[@GabrielRodriguez-um8fi]

America should copy the mall business model of Japan 🇯🇵. They have grocery stores and mass transit at their super awesome mega malls.

[@uthmanbaksh3530]

Nowadays the only reason I go to the mall [pre COVID] was for the Hot Topic at Queens Center Mall or the Apple Store at Westfield World Trade Center. I think malls that are near or in mass transit hubs and have stores that people actually shop at, even just to pick up an online order, have somewhat of a chance of surviving post pandemic. The suburban malls, yeah those days are numbered. Although IF I do get a job in an office that used to be a mall, that would be kinda cool!

[@kingk2405]

What I do not like in malls is that there is no artisan shops , it is only brands selling processed stuff . So I do not go there.

[@FinancialShinanigan]

Companies will buy malls for cheap to turn them into fulfillment centers

[@chafacorpTV]

Lo-Fi on a quicktake video? Not just your average xylophone/jazz tracks? Well, I'm delighted.

[@biomanization]

Turn the malls into open parks and food stalls, with easy public access. We need more communal green space. And keep people shopping online, which is more convenient and cost effective

[@Ryan2022]

United States has so much open green space we don’t even know what to do with it the last thing I need where I live is another public park that nobody uses

[@Galidorquest]

@@Ryan2022 lol Nothing needs to be done with nature, the animals can have it. Trees help provide oxygen and animals today have less nature. We don't need malls in first world countries anymore now that we're more technologically advanced. For the average American, malls have gone the way of payphones and the horse & carriage. People can find literally almost anything on the internet now. The internet is the closest thing we'll ever have to magic genies, telekinesis and time travel.

[@jamesmurray3128]

Anchor stores set the tone for the mall. So many of them are gone. Bullocks, Sears, The Broadway, May Company, Robinsons, all gone.

[@Octovisuals]

... And rise again. Malls are far from dead. There will always be people wanting to go there shopping or just getting out with friends...

[@rumblingend8443]

Yeah but Less

[@Octovisuals]

@@rumblingend8443 Sure. There was a boom, now only the best ones will remain. I think it's logical.

[@thatcoolkidchris9965]

We’re all one robot away from having our jobs gone. I still go the mall. It’s my way of resistance.

[@eduardof7322]

And in other countries malls were in a boom right before the pandemic. Specially in East and Southeast Asia but also in Latin America. In Mexico for example, around one big mall was being inaugurated every year since about 5 years ago in every city above 1 million inhabitants. And not precisely simple and functional ones, but huge and super fancy malls, designed by some of the best architecture houses in the country offering a unique environment and setting. In Mexico City the situation went really crazy and there are districts like Santa Fe where you have 6 different malls serving an area of 2 square kilometers. They became THE spot to hang out, go with family and friends every weekend, have fun and find several different things to do: Ice skating, go to the cinema, bowling, arcades, restaurants, theater, art expositions and of course shopping. Some even had bars and nightclubs and others went as far as constructing complete amusement parks integrated with the mall and I think this trend will continue after we are back to normal. Crazy how the country that invented them is the first one watching them fall.

[@summersky77]

95% of gen-Z teens have gone to a mall in the past 90 days...when I was a teenager, we gen-Xers went daily, almost every single day. We bought very little, though. We'd hang out in the food court, eat fries and smoke. Sounds terrible now, but this was the norm back then. Now as I approach middle age and busy with my career, I'm glad to not have to ever go to any shopping center again. The only thing you need to go out and buy now is, gas. Everything else comes to your door. This would have been a dream back in 1995. Because we're so busy now, not having to shop leaves more time to be with family and friends. That's STILL the most important and should never change.

[@BnORailFan]

I remember visiting a brand new mall in the 1980s and just a few years ago it was torn down for a Costco and other individual stores.

[@Beachdudeca]

I’m in SF CA and our traditional mall had to change , it meant Trader Joe’s taking a basement space , adding a drug store chain , and reconstructing the space once used by Macy’s

[@KillaSin515]

Malls are great when they are a new experience. America has had malls since the 1950s. Most people commenting from other countries saying the malls in their countries are great and thriving is because its a new experience for you guys. Most of your countries outside of Europe and Australia didn't have American style malls until recently or as early as the 90s. Also, like the video said....online shopping is more convenient. Another big problem is that here in America we just built too many of them.

[@undeadreader23]

In Australia, most shopping centers have a variety of different stores or shopping options avalable. They'd have green groceries, doctors offices, pharmacy's and are always next to main roads or transit stations like bus' or trains

[@hamentaschen]

"The sea was angry that day my friends, like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli."

[@vicmorrison8128]

One of my favorite cantstandzya lines 😄.

[@austinmurphy3232]

Malls have had attractions like theme parks and water parks since the 1980s when West Edmonton Mall opened

[@waedidmyhandlechange]

1:15. That's not an American mall. That's clearly an SM mall in the Philippines. There's an SM logo on the rear pouch of the security lady. The decline of American malls can't be blamed on Online Shopping alone. Brick-and-mortar stores, especially malls, are very much alive and generally thriving here in Asia. In the Philippines, malls haven't lost their place as a go-to location to meet, escape from the heat (since malls have A/C), and spend time with friends and family. They've adapted and aren't just for shopping here. Many house offices and service desks for the government, telecom companies, and utilities. They're accessible by car AND pedestrian traffic, and some are also near or connected to public transportation hubs. Aside from that, they're located in areas where they either serve as the local shopping hub in provincial areas or a major component of a larger business/leisure district in the big cities. This makes malls in the Philippines open to people of all walks of life. Many don't even spend any money inside. They just come in and hang out. The same goes for malls in South Korea, Japan, and China - they're easily accessible for the most part. In contrast, American malls are generally surrounded by a sea of parking (see 3:56), making them hostile to pedestrian access. They're on their own little island that isn't engaged with their surroundings. They're in terrible locations where it takes a lot of effort to enter if you don't have a car, and even then, having a car doesn't guarantee you can enter easily. They haven't adapted, and it shows.