The Rise & Fall of The Mall

[@jenniferdepaz7823]

Our dead mall got flipped into a community college. It was interesting having class in the old Bath and Body Works.

[@AnimatedTerror]

That’s actually a really smart way to reuse such a massive structure without just tearing it down or leaving it to nature.

[@ruffusgoodman4137]

In my city they reused a prison for that, lol

[@Vozkal]

@@ruffusgoodman4137 What country are you from? i can see some countries prisons be nice enough to be a school, but on the other hand allso the polar opposite lol.

[@ruffusgoodman4137]

@@Vozkal Trust me, my country's prisons are anything near nice. My country is proudly reaching for Guiness' record of most overcrowded prison system in the world. I think we got that already, but we aim to break our own record. Anyway, I'm from Brazil and the prison I mentioned was a complex with 9 sections. They had one "street" (passageway) they use to set up scores. Usually dispose of criminals. They'd murder them and quickly clean up things in order to look nice when authorities came. We got a rap group that got a smashing hit singing exactly about that. And they decided to make a school out of one of those sections...

[@Vozkal]

@@ruffusgoodman4137 How in the.. WHAT.

[@glennaldosf]

I think the problem is once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a'mall....

[@luvbeinghiswife1148]

I see what you did there 😏

[@domskillet5744]

Nice

[@GippyHappy]

There is no emoji to properly convey the look on my face rn

[@User-wh1ff]

@@GippyHappy 😶this🤔or this😮

[@GippyHappy]

@@User-wh1ff not enough rage

[@Hilol-nx3wf]

My local mall has turned into a gaming centre. They have a retro place where you can play on retro consoles. I really like what they did with it

[@Myaccisbanned]

That sounds awesome, my local mall has turned into a womans handbag.

[@flame_skull_studios6474]

What state is that in?

[@robertstan298]

Sounds like it was a really small one tho.

[@rainedrop277]

My mall is just expensive, long, and got hit by a tornado last summer. It’s fine now, but Pandemic and all. They keep getting rid of all the food court stuff and changing out cool stores for boring women’s clothing stores. I wish we had an arcade or even some fish or something, yikes!

[@michaelloedel750]

Oh dang what’s it?

[@stuartdollar9912]

This episode kind of needs a sequel. I can't imagine two years of a pandemic have done any of the surviving malls any favors.

[@EEsYouTubeChanel]

They are back! I work at a restaurant in the mall and traffic has been terrible and there’s loads of people and my spot is in the far corner away from the rest of the mall. It’s post Covid Black Friday mishmash where no one has to wear a mask, and people are about it.

[@stuartdollar9912]

@@EEsKZbinChanel In the Fifth Largest Metropolitan Area in the US, just about all of them are shut down at this point. Some of the big box stores are still doing OK, but the indoor mall is about a year away from the same fate as the dodo here.

[@davidsenra2495]

The post-COVID rebound is obviously temporary. Give it a year or two and they'll be more dead than ever.

[@chestnutburger194]

Sunset mall used to be a beutiful mall full of life, now it’s a dingy mall that no one goes to other than to watch a movie at the amc, oh and offices are taking it over, with one at the old Its-Sugar

[@Kevin-vr9np]

In Australia our malls, or shopping centres as we most often call them, are generally in the middle of a town centre, occasionally there are larger ones that are a tad isolated, but most medium to large towns or cities have a shopping centre or two in close walking distance to the rest of the town, so they're still extremely popular

[@888ssss]

bogan palaces.

[@cuteincolour4289]

Our supermarket malls tend to be way smaller than these US ones and always include essentials such as food, medical, dental, pharmacy. They are the pillars. The rest is to service people using them. Also, a huge change I've noticed - all our local shops have security guards who don't allow kids to hang around at all. I find it wrong- I don't understand how they can move on kids that aren't doing anything wrong???

[@thunder____]

I wish there even were such a thing as a "turn center" or "walking distance" where I live, but I'm in US suburbia and we've never heard of "urban design" here

[@csabaweisz8791]

Here in Europe malls were built in busy crossroads and roads of the cities, which meant that they are still a significant meeting spot to this day, avoiding the fate of american malls, which were mostly outside of the town separately, failing in that community aspect

[@arturo0727]

That's what originally made mall really popular in the US. The average American drives a lot in comparison to other countries. We have a large suburbia sprawls, putting malls in a crossroads such as a major city typically becomes a liability bc traffic gets bad. That's why new mall constructions typically happens outside cities to accommodate American commute.

[@RsRj-qd2cg]

There are two malls in my city. One was built in the 70s and is kind of run down. When it was built, it was in the middle of nowhere, but the city expanded out to it, and now it's in a central location. The other one was built in 2002, and is newer and was nicer. But the older mall is still financially solvent while the new one is failing. It's because the new one is still on the outskirts of the city while the old one is in the center and a short drive from any of the suburbs. They also had a well-timed rennovation.

[@S3l3ct1ve]

It is dying slowly... The main attraction of the mall is hanging out space. And if you take a closer look at majority of the mall visitors 90% go there to meet people and drink coffee. The shops are struggling, because the rent is high and people are not interested in buying stuff that they dont need. What the Eu misses is a popularity of credit cards, that would let people spend money without thinking much. In short, what people want from the mall is a space for meeting up and casually spending time What mall is made for? To rent a place for shops, that would want to sell things fr people. Two different things that in order for them to mate you need an idea of unlimited money that can be spent there... So without a credit card or without a very rich visitors the mall can`t be profitable. Unless you turn it in to a market and then the overall money amounts spent and shop variety drop significantly. Even the visitor base differ greatly. I somewhat missed they shopping streets in this video. Well the shopping street is another type of beast, because it has one important purpose that gather the people to it. It is a popular passage way where people must walk through in order to reach their destination, now if you turn that place in to a shopping district, you attract people, that dont really go there with purpose to buy something, but rather go there because they need to pass the area. This also make up as a good social square/street. This was probably a higher state of approach after the shopping malls. More popular in Europe, Asia, where consumership is less pronounced and credit cards are used less in buying daily necessities.

[@aquaponieee]

I confirm.

[@Mike14264]

I had no idea malls were a thing of the past in the US of A, neither that they're almost in the outskirts of the city. They're usually in the middle of the city or at least industrial zones, in my country at least.

[@foureyeddragon9376]

"50,000 people used to shop here. Now it's a ghost mall."

[@SimGunther]

Eventually, it'll be an Amazon fulfillment center

[@quiahjohnson5871]

Here have a like.

[@haydenh3015]

@@SimGunther they’re actually tearing down a mall right now in my hometown and turning it into an Amazon last mile delivery center. it’s a very unfortunate fate.

[@thanakonpraepanich4284]

@@haydenh3015 Where is it? Has the mall managed to get into one of dead mall channel?

[@tristane2001]

@@SimGunther bro on god

[@gabeslist]

Watching tech company founders go from their 90s form to their 20s form is terrifying.

[@Ommelanden]

they probably are lizards, or a.i.

[@xander1629]

Commingle mark zuckerberg

[@partlyblue]

Bezos went from bumbling dork to buff comic book Lex Luthor real quick like

[@dud5606]

@@partlyblue Wouldnt say that 30 years is "quick", but the transformaton is quite crazy

[@eatatjoes6751]

​@@partlyblue Bill Gates went from the archetypal dork to Monty Burns in 26 years.

[@63anton]

In Poland, malls are in their golden age. They're literally what they were in 80s in USA, and thats kinda funny ngl Teens are spending their time and money here, corridors are always full, and new malls are opening I got one near-dead mall in my city tho, (near dead cause at this point like 70% of shops closed lmao).... ...but its not because fall of malls. Thats because of competition. 2km away they build a new mall in 2016, one of biggest in the country. And thats why everybody lost their interest in the smaller one build in 2008, and now its dead. I guess that current state of malls in Poland is about history. Until 1989 we had an USSRish communism, and then, in 90s, whole capitalism came to us. Things that west had in 70s, 80s, and 90s, we got in like few years. First malls (smaller, usually few shops, no food courts, one floor etc) were build here in late 90s/early 00s. But full malls like these in 80s USA were build here in mid 00s. When USA started to abandon malls and enjoy e-commerce, we discovered malls. Modern malls here are giant, literally giant, like 400 shops/restaurants, few thousands of parking places, and they're all around the city, literally everywhere, and whats interesting - even though big competition, they're always full of people (well, maybe expect of few ones, usually smaller older, etc, as i said before). Idk thought that it might be interesting for americans, like it was interesting to me to watch this video and learn about culture and society in US

Exactly same in the Czechia

[@DacLMK]

Same in Macedonia. Recently the biggest mall in our country (and one of the biggest in the Balkan) was opened, and many people went to visit it. Though due to the pandemic not many people go to the malls these days, but they're still packed.

[@roobusmcscroobus]

It's so interesting to think that other countries can just discover something that we've considered "old" for a while! It sounds quite fun, though, because I've always wanted to experience the way that the mall was like way back when. (Greetings from America! :D)

[@BHBalast]

@@roobusmcscroobus Yeah, I'm from Poland and watching this video I fell like a time traveller. ;P

[@biggrocc19]

Interesting..... im curious to see if the popularity of malls continues to increase in your nation! I remember shopping malls as a child here in America, and they are truly a shell of their former selves today.

[@GeorgeCowsert]

I really wish malls would get converted into schools and apartments. They already have the architecture required to do so, but nobody's doing it.

[@kings2020]

Big brain guy

[@nerfinator03]

Prohibitively expensive structures for a school or apartment... Bunch of empy space that needs to be heated and cleaned but that no one can really use

[@GeorgeCowsert]

@@nerfinator03 the idea is to create a sort of micro city, where a small community of people live together doing their own thing. Plus, Malls did fine with their infrastructure up until people stopped using them.

[@lyrisio]

Governments just can't tell people to turn their land into a school...

[@nerfinator03]

@@GeorgeCowsert malls deal with their costs because they actually make profit. A school only spends money

[@TrapLoreRoss]

I love Geoff Beer Zeus

[@hhhieronymusbotch]

Yob Barf Zoom?

[@greetingsmars]

Yeff Benzos

[@OnAPlain88]

@Trap Lore Ross Hahaha what are you doing here mate??

[@Yeeroo]

Ayee trap lore keep up the great work bruh, I watch all ur vids and been supportive since like 25k

[@sal2841]

Yo fr these 2 seem like they could be the same person

[@johnboren]

I'm glad to see someone as young as you with a perceptive understanding of and sincere appreciation for such an odd cultural artifact. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't think about the old mall, the one where I grew up, and the good times I had there. It filled my needs then-- a bookstore, a video arcade, a theater -- all good places to escape, at least for a little while, the disappointments and dreariness that filled up so much of my life at that time. Nostalgia in excess is unhealthy, but I will always miss having a place to go that wasn't work or school, or even my own house. Point of fact, a mall for me was *home*. It was comfortable, in more ways than one. I felt more like myself there. I wish the world hadn't changed so much as to make them obsolete, but it seems their time has indeed passed, and olds like me just have to accept it, adapt, and move on. Still, the memories linger. Thanks for reminding me.

[@OrdinaryThings]

this was a great comment. thanks for the personal insight!

[@BostonMBrand]

I feel you. About three years ago (when I was still in high school) I went back to my hometown for a birthday party (my family moved when I was in middle school) and I had some time to kill. So I decided to go check on my old mall and stop by the mall’s comic book store. I hadn’t been there in nearly 10 years but the location felt nostalgic in a way. When I was a kid, my family would drive up to the mall for everything: lunch, dinner, haircuts, Christmas shopping, spend the day with relatives, to kill time, and more. As a kid it felt like a cultural megaplex, where thousands of people would congregate just to live life. I came back to the mall and it seem almost surreal. The brick and mortar architecture I had grown so accustomed as a child felt outdated. One of the anchors was completely gone, while the other was on its way out. The majority of the shops and slots were closed and abandoned. It was a Friday night and yet nobody, not even teenagers were around. The lights were dim and the mall music was echoing through, as most of the speakers were turned off, only playing at the one remaining anchor. It felt depressing, seeing something so interconnected with my childhood lying empty, broken and forgotten. I haven’t returned since, but things continue to get worse. And while the city has developed plans to remodel the mall into a new outdoor mall/theme park/retirement home/hotel/office space, it’s unlikely the funding will be secured for it. However, all great titans must fall I guess.

[@bigbay1159]

Dear god, a comment about feeling nostalgia for an old place and time but the person accepts time has moved on and too much nostalgia is unhealthy. You sir are a unicorn, so many get lost in their past and can't get over it. I get it, the 90's we're great. I was there too but things aren't so bad now and thing change. I miss the old mall days, I still remember searching for quarters and asking to go so we could hit the arcade. My first job was in the same mall I grew up so I will always have a place for it, in my heart. But that doesn't mean I'd give up what I have now just to be stuck in the past, I loved my time back then but I actively love my time now doing other things. Cheers mate and to other mall rat kids

[@ryanhernandez1877]

idk man i'm young and i kinda want them back too

[@johnvelez3005]

I live in Puerto Rico we still have malls here

[@scribblargh]

Thought I'd clicked onto a Summoning Salt video with this music, hah

[@SimplyComplex314]

Fuuuuucking same

[@littoww]

THANK YOU! I was just racking my brains trying to remember where I heard that music before. Here, have a like

[@CookieDoh88]

Great tune :)

[@shmackydoo]

Same. What song is this?

[@r1konTheAutomator]

Same!! I was like "WAAAAAAHHHHHH" (shameless VAJ reference)

[@colinrobert6766]

I live in Minnesota and the mall of America is still incredibly busy. It’s nowhere near dead. All the bigger malls have been prospering while all the smaller malls have died a long, and painful death. Like they’re ghost towns now

[@lisaannlundun]

Yup! I live in Edmonton and West Edmonton Mall is also still crazy busy 😊

[@deandredunbar9618]

I worked in Bubba gumps in moa after covid closure and we were so fucking busy. we had weekends with 300 order an hour. and averaged 40k on Saturdays.

[@cheeseheadflipper]

At one point the mall had a wide variety of stores for all interests. Then suddenly they all became 90% Women's clothing stores. That is when I stopped going.

[@cgottabag7654]

😂😂😂 true

[@baldsheep98]

​@@kurtlamprecht93a lot of words to say you're poor and have no drip

[@JefeofSynarchism]

@@baldsheep98 You won't stay rich by wasting money like that.

[@nole8923]

There is definitely some validity to this. Though I do not think it was the primary reason for the demise of malls.

[@Guineapigsreadingbooks]

Malls were always my own personal hell. Loud music, neon and fluorescent lights, so much air conditioning I expected snowfall, too much of everything. We went to our local outlet mall a few times a year, and it was always horrible. I was lucky enough to live in a university city where I could also just enjoy the campus as a child instead of subjecting myself to a mall, otherwise I don’t know how I would have survived.

[@lexpearce9156]

The contrast of american optimism and corporate opulence, tied with memories of teenage social hope; the mall is a strange nexus of different political, economic and emotional ideals. The best spot was the arcade.

[@BostonMBrand]

Honestly that and the movie theater would be the only places my friends and I would go too.

[@Psilocybin77]

Wow well stated! Absolutely, on the arcade. As a video game addict from the age of five yrs old, I lived in the city with the world's largest mall and I'm sure that arcade was one of the world's largest. It was my mecca as a child.

[@julimontero4978]

for me the best spot was the restaurant area....

[@doomdtn]

Alladins Castle man... Good times

[@jmal]

That, plus the food court and the theater for me.

[@G3SM]

Don't forget the advent of the oppressively annoying kiosks filling up every inch of walking space and trying to sell you perfume or snake oil turning the experience into a 3rd world bazaar as you tried to "enjoy" the walk from store to store.

[@aculasabacca]

The "third world" part is what killed the mall and we all know it but can't say it.

[@P0n...]

@@aculasabacca Ironically enough, malls are still very alive and well here where I live, a third world country.

[@aculasabacca]

@@P0n... Yeah I mis-spoke but I think you know what I mean.

[@johngrave5554]

@@P0n... because the middle class is growing in those countries. In the US the middle class has stagnated if not outright declined. And also internet shopping isn't that easy to use with long wait times and limited selection coupled with high delivery charges and high import duties.

[@tackydesign6064]

@@aculasabacca what do you mean by this? Just curious

[@andrewthole4585]

The song is called "we're finally landing" by home. Just fyi

[@linkelolo]

Beautiful music

[@HeGzTV]

Hey maybe you recognize the song artist at 7:21

[@bartjuhh12]

Thank you, it's an amazing song

[@benandrew9852]

@@HeGzTV the song itself is a cover of American Football's Never Meant kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKDKfI2qhM2aapY

[@gogurt_st]

Thanks

[@DMTKart64]

The last time I was in a mall it was open and there was virtually nobody there, there was the occasional person or so. It felt like I was the only person there and tbh it was really comforting.

[@ScottyDont1945]

I remember going to a mall once when I was in college, it was nearly bankrupt anyway and half the stores had left, the other half already had closing down sales lined up, I bought a few things from one of the clothing stores and the person serving me told me I'd been the only customer in the store for nearly a week

[@AxenfonKlatismrek]

I live in Central Europe, and the malls are still lively, and sometimes when i watch the malls it scares me to think about the consumerism people have.

[@henlothere7356]

Same here in florida

[@loudmouthnear]

Same here in the UK.

[@AxenfonKlatismrek]

@@loudmouthnear Honestly, its not that strong like in America, but it still horrifies me

[@kerelasfinest4496]

@@AxenfonKlatismrek the whole point of this video is about the decline of the America mall you absolute donut

[@AxenfonKlatismrek]

@@kerelasfinest4496 While yes, but i compared the difference between malls in USA and in EU, alright? Is that hard to understand the point of this comment?

[@CookieDoh88]

"AMAZON FUFILLMENT GULAGS!" 🤣🤣🤣 Another funny, well structured, paced and informative video mate! Class, keep them coming please!

[@koru615]

I work at the largest volume Amazon warehouse, we just set a record the other day for processing 114,000 packages in a single shift. He didn’t just kill malls he’s killing me too - this is hard work man! Haha great video as always

[@ramblingrob4693]

Don't worry the robots are coming ... you won't be needed by 2024

[@jalapeno1119]

You deserve a better job

[@nole8923]

Amazon doesn’t cause the decline of brick and mortar stores. It just preys on the stupidity of the CEOs of brick and mortar stores. If brick and mortar stores refuse to carry items that people want in their stores then Amazon takes that business. I go to Amazon and buy things not because I want to but because I have to. Brick and mortar stores are committing suicide by reducing the variety of what they carry. The one advantage brick and mortar stores have over Amazon is that people can go and get it today, right now. But these brick and mortar stores forfeit that advantage by not carrying chit.

[@whydoweHistory]

Uh Oh. The the Amazon drone heard you. Hide.....

[@AmazingAutist]

Some malls are being converted into affordable housing communities, with small businesses on the 1st floors. So that's good! 😃

[@Ommelanden]

maybe a cure for americas awful city design and planning

[@AmazingAutist]

@@Ommelanden Which America.

[@Ommelanden]

@@AmazingAutist I meant the united states but i said america because i am european

[@LancesArmorStriking]

That's cool, but it's all self-contained, so you still need enormous amounts of parking space around the housing communities to make them work. And that excludes the poorest of American society, where a car is _the_ way to get around.

[@Ommelanden]

@@LancesArmorStriking America should make public transport a more viable option because one bus removes about 40 cars off the road, meaning less traffic jams and car dependancy

[@alyssiadal7357]

The Proper People have some really cool videos on abandoned malls, I’m glad you featured some of their content because they are so underrated. Also I’m happy you mentioned Dan Bell. His dead mall series is honestly so chill and interesting. Great vid dude, you earned a sub today

[@eatatjoes6751]

I remember wandering around the mall in the early 00s, my favorite store was the Disney store and I loved Limited Too - by the time Geff Pesos' mall takeover happened in the 2010's, the last time we went to our local mall was to see Wreck it Ralph in a small cruddy theater tucked inside of it before it shut down completely.

[@srvdean3024]

Damn the intro song had me thinking I was about to watch the history of a speed run category.

[@PaulRudd1941]

I mean, ordinary things comes a close second to Summoning Salt IMHO.

[@jamiesachtleben2946]

Kill the malls any%

[@hoisoynono]

@@PaulRudd1941 As someone who doesn't play a lot of retro games aside from Mario, Ordinary Things is a lot more entertaining for me

[@enzoqueijao]

@@hoisoynono As someone who eats cereal with water every day, Ordinary Thing is a lot more interesting to me

[@gogurt_st]

What is the song?

[@myheartiswriting]

One of the things I feel particularly ironic about malls is the consumptive powers of American consumerism have not faded or died, simply the means by which we consume.

[@cattysplat]

Well now it is far more private, you can guarantee people behave way worse. Before you had to use some effort and risk shame expressing your greed and gluttony in public. Now you can sit on your butt and have the world delivered to your home without moving, whilst pumping digital goods directly into your eyes and ears with nobody around to tell you no.

[@TheDawnofVanlife]

There was plenty to do in the Mall besides shopping. As a 90s teen, I transferred buses at a Mall bus stop. The Mall was how I met teens not in my neighborhood. You'd go in and walk around, browse comic books or movies. And for a shy kid that had a hard time in normal school as a big geek. Meeting someone browsing the same isle of the book store or comic book shop made me more likely to have a conversation then in school where no one seemed to like the things I did. The mall was literally a place you could go and hang out even if you had no money, it was just fun to walk around sometimes. I often remember going there for no reason with people and not buying anything.

[@1joshjosh1]

Good point.

[@BMoney8600]

I remember the mall. There was a movie theater and you could sneak into any theater since the security guard was in his late 70s early 80s

[@phoebexxlouise]

In Australia, larger malls like Westfield are thriving. Medium sized malls are doing fine. Smaller malls are a bit depressing but still hanging on, mostly thanks to Coles and Woolworths, and Australia's addiction to bread and gambling. The small mall where I grew up (Kensington Village) is now just a Coles, a reject shop, a hairdresser's that changes its name every 6 months, a 24hr gym, a bakery and a golden casket. The medium mall in that area just lost its JB Hi-fi which is a true sign of decline.

[@LuisRicardo1981]

Man, this is the BEST youtube channel there is. I learned more from you than from 16 years of school.

[@ijneb1248]

Malls nowadays are just places to find weird stores like hot topic or build-a-bear

[@litbopeep5726]

Build a bear is cool. My kids love it. And love me more after going haha

[@user-dv2hc8zt3o]

I'm pretty sure Hot Topic is well on their way out. The odd moment when I walk into one nowadays they always have everything discounted or buy one get one half off on all their overpriced shirts...

[@rl8429]

@@user-dv2hc8zt3o Hot Topic is actually one of the few retailers doing well, since they've relied more on their online website. It also helped that they switched from emo merch to more pop culture merch.

[@CocainePirate]

Litterally have both those stores in my local mall

[@georgesracingcar7701]

Or a low IQ method of finding a GameStop that has no PS4 controllers

[@ddewcifer]

Malls started dying in the 2010s, they used to be a place where you'd hangout, get together, attend events, get stuff, and even eat. You'd spend all day at the mall, you'd go get some food, catch a movie, hang out at EB or Gorilla Games, hit the games workshop, go to the candy cart, then go and play at the little cyber cafe, then hit hot topic and spences, then you'd leave and come back the next day. The Aesthetics of the Malls were also important; they were built in different styles whether it was Art Deco or Beaux arts like you can find in Philly, or Brutalism in Ohio; this is very different now. You don't walk in a mall and go "wow this looks neat." Now they all look the same, and it takes away from the experience. You don't have Mallrats anymore, the Mall Goth and Mall Emo phase is over, the Grunge kids dont chill at the mall record store anymore. The Nerds don't have their boardgame or comic shops anymore either. In the 90s we had WCW and WWF coming to the mall, we had playgrounds and amusement parks in our malls, which expanded Mallrat culture. All of this was on the decline in the early and mid 00s, in the 10s it died, and in the 20s it's now a myth. It's a shame really, malls were great and I miss them. You showed footage of it in this video, but the Blue Hen mall was my mall, I lived across the street forever. It's sad to think about; I miss the memories.

[@Keniz99]

Malls are huge though in Asia.

[@flamersshowsandmore3864]

@@Keniz99 and europe i think so you know what means *packs bags to European country*

[@seanconnell3414]

I can relate. I was in middle school in the mid 2000s. We would hang out at the mall every Friday night after school and most Saturdays lol. All of us guys were skater dudes or trying to be and all the girls were going through the scene/emo faze. It was good times for sure.

[@user-vi4xy1jw7e]

Malls are still around?

[@uwuster]

No way more like 2000s or even 90s Amazon and Ebay existed some in the 90s

[@aayushdas19]

Weridly enough, malls are doing really well in asia.

[@slevinhyde3212]

because Asia is basically economywise very similar to the west during the 50's

[@srdjanrikic978]

@@slevinhyde3212 not every part,also its just still popular,people don't use online shopping in other places as much as people do in America. Its still popular in Europe and Asia and you still have gigantic super malls in places like Australia so like yeah its still popular around the world just not America

[@Keniz99]

@@slevinhyde3212 Online shopping is huge in India but so are malls here, and most other Asian countries.

[@arekhautaluoma4276]

Except in...Cambodia. Just sad really, that the corruption is that intense. I know my perspective is from 5 years ago, and from that of a white dude, but you're right overall. Cambodia's 1 or 2 malls (phnom penh, siem reap) had some weird empty stretches. Vietnam, Thailand, China and Japan though...wow. tbh the mall kept me sane in China. comfort foods (well, bubble tea) and a movie theatre.

[@aayushdas19]

@@arekhautaluoma4276 not really from south east asia but yeah, about the same in India. And yeah, my Singaporean friend won't shut up about bubble tea either.

[@sebetc7]

I remember the opening of Gateshead MetroCentre. I was only in my teens and the idea of one of these vast American style malls opening nearby was mind-blowingly! It was a big treat to get your parents to drive to the shopping mall. We would traipse around for hours admiring all the stuff that was available. Unheard-of levels of choice, eateries, lots of nice toilets, a roof - it was like landing in wonderland.

[@thikrataha2811]

This is pop culture gold. This channel is general is a treat. Thanks to the hairy Englishman.

[@heathercameron1485]

I like Contrapoints' take on dead malls: The decay of late 20th century prosperity is like a new gothic for the 21st century. I also really love how Vaporwave ties into the theme. What basically began as a mockery of 80's and 90's consumerism, turned into it's own genre and art form. The beauty of vaporwave isn't in the nostalgia, but the art that was created from the pieces of decay left behind.

[@lambybunny7173]

@Steele Crusader 2020 “him” :/ just say you’re transphobic and go

[@seliamila1005]

@Steele Crusader 2020 transphobic is disgusting, i shit you not I literally covered my mouth when I read your comment

[@seliamila1005]

@Steele Crusader 2020 ok nazi, no one should take you seriously with your comments

[@seliamila1005]

She made great video about capitalism and gender identity tooo

[@seliamila1005]

@Steele Crusader 2020 just stop, transphobia killed people, how the hell you can sleep at night? And imagine liking your own comment

[@RsRj-qd2cg]

Bezos would've lost everything in the Dot Bomb recession if people had just gone to the library for their books.

[@GeorgeMonet]

Ah but there is the genius of Bezos. His primary customer was not the average book buyer but the university student. See uni books were primarily only sold in uni book stores and cost an arm and a leg. Bezos opened a sight where the uni student could go to buy their books a bit cheaper. And once the uni student was comfortable and used to buying expensive books on Amazon he made it easy for them to transition to buying everything else there.

[@villain4307]

@@GeorgeMonet That's genius.

[@RsRj-qd2cg]

@@GeorgeMonet should've used P2P or copied pages out of the school library books.

[@flavoursofsound]

@@RsRj-qd2cg the university library at mine wasn’t great, it has so many outdated books. I remember one book recommending asbestos as an excellent fireproofing material. The good books were often hoarded by other students and photocopying them was expensive as were the library fines. I’d take photos of pages on my camera but it was really cumbersome. Honestly it was just A LOT easier, time and cost effective, to buy the books on Amazon. You’re right about the P2P thing though, found some good books that way.

[@RsRj-qd2cg]

@@flavoursofsound universities keep old books because they're historical. They assume students can use their judgement with what edition of a book they're reading.

[@murrrr8288]

In Helsinki, finland, we have some malls with healthcare facilities, social assistance services, library, photography art museum, voting place, and communal non profit spaces. Mostly not though.

[@hannibalburgers477]

I hope those malls close too

[@SamBrickell]

Those sound horrible.

[@hyperball01]

This video is so comforting. The music, the narrator and the story itself is weirdly comforting

[@BliteOG]

Your scripts are well underrated - can't wait to see you hit a couple million subs!

[@hhanonymous]

5:35 "With these debt rectangles, people could cut the line and blow money they didn't have. As well as cut lines of blow and snort it through the money they did manage to hold on to." Genius writing here...subscribed. 7:57 If I'm not mistaken I believe "creepy yellow unicycle lad" was part of the Lego Land display.

[@FortesAccount]

I commented like the same shit and then saw this. That line is fucking gold. Like, astounding lol.

[@LogieT2K]

“Like a mecca for people who like walking around in circles, worshipping inanimate objects” 😂

[@ToastytheG]

Oooh that's the good stuff right there

[@bobbypom7018]

Shut up

[@ryanhernandez1877]

clever...

[@Billthebeliever]

Muslims don't worship objects, that object thats looks like a giant box in the middle has religious importance to us but in no way do we worship it whatsoever. Islam is completely anti idolatry. I like the funny cutaways you do but hopefully you do your research better next time if you care, which it seems you do for the most part.

[@ryanhernandez1877]

@@Billthebeliever I know it was just a quip, but it might send the wrong idea to some poorly educated people...

[@maxcheese382]

Malls are pretty much Disneyland but they don’t hide that it’s all about consumerism, they are an attraction

[@tunafish1289]

@J0e they are, but they try to hide it, at least malls don’t

[@amoonia]

At least malls are still /marginally/ cheaper than even going to a Disney park for a single day. ESPECIALLY now

[@angelawildman122]

As fun as malls used to be, they were really just a corporate cash cow. The exception to that was the few stores in which independent artisans were able to sell their crafts, as there were a few.

[@snookstuh170]

“Credit card use was like totally bitchin’” 😂

[@GenerationX1984]

I've never used a credit card in my life. As a result, I've never been in debt or been broke.

[@cattysplat]

@@GenerationX1984 If you can pay off your card every month, you can actually save money. If you don't tho, you in for a never ending spiral of high %apr debt.

[@michellerubio_]

i feel like no matter what i'll stick to going to a mall cause of the experience and ability to try on clothes. Waiting to get my stuff via mail is too anxiety inducing for me

[@govinlock8568]

That's why I rarely buy items online, because I am got anxiety whetever my item made it home or not.

[@stix3179]

Not tryna be rude but can someone explain how this causes anxiety to people?

[@michellerubio_]

@@stix3179 alot of the time it's worry of the items not fitting and it ending up being a waste of money especially since every store is vastly different with their sizing. Plus the chances of cheap material or package being stolen or damaged, just recently i had $60 worth of stuff in a package being stolen. So it's always more reliable to shop at a mall for convenience and variety

[@stix3179]

@@michellerubio_ Ah i see cheers for clearing that up

[@trickyrichard]

its not anxiety inducing but straight up just irritating because then you gotta ship it back

[@infernojones1758]

bro, you can't hit me with the "Home - We're Finally Landing" like that. I'm crying my eyes out.

[@tamanebp]

I'm surprised Walmart wasn't mentioned as a contributor as well. I know once my small town got its first Walmart, nearly overnight everyone started doing their shopping their instead.

[@zachrobertson684]

Videos are very informative. One thing I would like to add about this topic: rising level of violent incidents. Here in KCMO we have two remaining malls. They are the Independence Center and Overland Park Mall. There was a third called Bannister Mall. Bannister closed when I was young due to both lousy sales and an increased level of violence. The night my parents took me to see Space Jam in the theater at the mall, a man was stabbed to death over a high school feud. There was consistent fights, including gun violence, at the mall for years after. It closed at the end of the 1990s. Now, Independence Center is facing the same challenges. It's flag ship stores Macy's and Sears are both gone, leaving only Dillard's. There is consistent violence among teens, with not only a month ago a brawl involving over 100 people. Two years ago, there was a feud related shooting in the mall. It's anticipated that the Independence Center is in its final stages of life. Overland Park Mall is a bit better, less violence, but after Independence Center closes it's a fair assumption that the violence will shift to this mall. Combined with the effects of the pandemic, malls in the KCMO region will be gone save for a tiny micro-mall called Ward Parkway Center that is honestly more of a glorified strip shopping center. This is purely anecdotal, but I'd be willing to say that many malls in urban areas face the same challenges with violence. These places become gathering centers for testerone fueled teens fighting over god only knows, and it results an image of these malls as unsafe and unnecessary. At what point does the community decide that it'd be better off without these places for pissed off teens to congregate? I'd wager to say that incidents of violence of malls also contributes to their lack of interest and declining public perception, which also leaves them obsolete and facing closure.

[@TheMythey]

I think you should have included that the housing market crash and subsequent recession of 2008 also played a huge role in the downfall of the mall as we know it today too. Don't get me wrong, EVERY industry felt the pain of the recession, but the tourism/travel and retail/consumer goods sectors got hit particularly hard due to consumers closing their wallets to save their money for only essentials.

[@EEsYouTubeChanel]

Idk I’m pretty sure I was still buying at least $15 of crap when i would shoplift junk from Claire’s in 2008.

[@zbgb4339]

Nearly drove me crazy trying to remember what that Home song was. Been 5 years since I've heard that song and album - thanks for bringing it on back.

[@DabBat]

There was this really good Chinese food place at my mall, but it closed down and now all there is is Panda Express. :(

[@lasarousi]

Panda is good fast food Chinese, but actual Chinese is a necessity indeed.

[@joda7129]

Panda Express tastes like garbage sorry for you

[@Lord_Horker]

Growing up in Minnesota the mall of America was certainly the best field trip of the year and a really awesome way to get out of the house and not freeze to death

[@RHaenJarr]

My home town has a zombie mall: It's only alive in the places that are accessible from the street, but if you go inside, all the lights are down and all the boxes are empty. What's funny is that it was like that since it was built. I remember when there used to be a music shop way inside it and you could find it by simply listening to instruments echoing through the empty dark hallways.

[@zig131]

I've seen one like that but I can't remember where. I kind of want a dead mall near me as it would be an AMAZING place to Roller Skate in all weathers. Britain is very short on smooth surfaces generally with roads, pavements, and even exterior car parks often in poor condition.

[@TheDawnofVanlife]

As an 80s child/90s teen, not gonna lie. I have such nostalgia for the mall. It's sad watching them die.

[@topazblahblah]

*"Corn dog cathedrals of corpulent consumption."* Nice.

[@sebastianzebrak6548]

Twin peaks background images and font, great freakin show dude

[@FunnyCallsPrank]

Create a demand for *HUGE* Lan gaming parties to fill the voids, it would actually work, huge gaming centers

[@blackscoped]

Wouldn't it be laggy or am I stupid lol

[@FunnyCallsPrank]

​@@blackscoped I wouldn't say stupid, just from a different era probably who use wifi. Lan parties use Ethernet cables connected to each others computers effectively daisy chaining computers. I guarantee this is how our generations of old folks homes will look like, huge lan gaming center geriatrics. South Korea pack out huge swathes of the city with gaming centers

[@blackscoped]

@@FunnyCallsPrank lmao I was born in '98 so I'm technically a boomer to the newer gen. Glad that you informed me tho about how LAN parties work, learn something new every day

[@FunnyCallsPrank]

@@blackscoped They won't get replaced anytime soon neither ethernet cables are still blazing fast per second, same reason why alot of pro-gamers refuse to go wireless mouse. Even in the future ethernet will still be widely available, i started really using them back in 2002 xbox days. You daisy-chain the old skool xboxes with em back in the day

[@poorimage3158]

@@blackscoped boi I'm same age lan parties ain't pure zoomer. There were a thing when we were kids-fuck now I'm starting to feel old

[@nole8923]

Online shopping wasn’t the primary reason for the demise of shopping malls in America. It was just the final nail in the coffin. There are 2 main reasons the the demise of shopping malls in the United States. 1. Too many malls were built in the 1980s and 90s. Commercial real estate companies became too intoxicated with the glamour of building new malls that they threw caution and objective analysis aside and made emotional decisions to build new malls. It became like building 2 Walmarts a block away from each other. 2. The decimation of our middle class. Starting in the 1980s economic policy changed from benefiting middle class workers to benefiting primarily the wealthy stockholder class. This included trade policy as well. As a result the middle class had increasingly less disposable income and less leisure time. In other words they no longer had the time nor the money to go shop at malls. Online shopping acted like an opportunistic predator that preyed on this situation. The animal(malls and middle class) was already weak when companies like Amazon pounced.

[@dmitrykarkov4747]

We miss the old intro. “Welcome to Ordinary Things where ordinary things are explained. Today we’ll be looking at *insert subject* also known as *insert hilarious name*

[@phlip8741]

I can't believe he used the 80's version of Never Meant in this video

[@lebe0396]

I thought I was crazy at first when I heard it I've been looking for this comment

[@NosralTserrof]

I JUST REALIZED IT AS WELL

[@lifesoldier]

i thought it was com truise........

[@alfiealderson9853]

omg I thought the same

[@tedclaxton94]

I can’t believe it took me this much scrolling to find this comment

[@blueface]

Yo that’s definitely a Synthwave version of Never Meant in the background. Nice.

[@kohai-kun9261]

Was looking for this comment as soon as I heard it, haha! Thought, "There's no way I'm the only one that heard this, right?"

[@SilkySkillsUnited]

Heard that as well ;)

[@saulfernandez2503]

Shit caught me off guard

[@LandryW]

I was looking for this comment. I thought I was going insane

[@gymonstarfunkle136]

Beat me to it :'(

[@EoThorne]

"...in the world." * BAMFJEREMYCLARKSON * Yup, I just about died at that.

[@richc2109]

I think the only thing keeping our local mall open is the harsh winters, it gives people a place to go and walk around when they get cabin fever.

[@Equints]

Wow im really glad to see you speak about this. Just watched aome of your other videos and then came to this one. Just a few week ago I visited a dead mall, just large empty space at this point. And even I remembered back in the 00s how different it felt like to be in one. Somehow you touch my heart by talking about the decline of malls.

[@idoall1134]

Check out the theory of "liminal spaces" to explain the feeling you have of that warped nostalgia like in the abandoned malls!

[@PoutineProductions]

Ever since I was 5, my Dad has worked in several malls in California. He always did and still does! I basically grew up to be a mallrat, I always constantly at the mall and it was pretty great! Some malls have very nice design architecture and others have interesting stores. I would be at the mall for hours and I have lived across from one too. It's fantastic.

[@EEsYouTubeChanel]

Bonus points if you got to smoke weed with kevin smith

[@tommyjones7096]

ME: "Is that the mall music from 'GTA: Vice City' playing in the background?" (sees image of mall from "GTA: Vice City" on greenscreen) ME: "YAY!"

[@AbelR91]

ME: reading the comment ME: oh ok, cool

[@bluestar5812]

It's the North Point Mall ambient music from Vice City.

[@larissasommerer1183]

I thought i was the only one!😭

[@yuumisanada2803]

Well, we all played GTA Vice City.

[@koopk1]

bezos was the nail in the coffin, walmart was the true beginning of the end

[@Larkinchance]

Your piece was excellent but it brought a few more things to mind... The town center contributed to its own distruction buy not providing parking... something the prefabricated mall did, but there's something else. The individual and the public square is where people gather to exchange ideas... The difference is that the main concourse in a mall is private property and anyone can be removed for any reason...

[@JohnDRobinsonelectronicdrums]

How could you mention 'Mallrats' without showing a clip from the movie, 'Mallrats'....snoochie boochies!

[@Fr4ncM]

As someone allergic to pretty much everything nature has to offer, I'm gonna miss malls so much. I always thrived in that sterile environment. The day my local malls kick the bucket is the day I'm stopping leaving home outside work hours.

[@whoisheiforgothisname2103]

I think a hamster ball or bubble wrap will solve the allergy issue

[@aidoll3692]

Allergy shots?

[@timothysheridan8134]

Get some parasites my guy

[@jigbie7922]

honestly bro just commit suicide at that point?… not trying to be mean but it sounds like you actually cannot exist outside of a confined building… I would just kill myself bro

[@Bolshechemty]

... and i thought pseudointellectual druids wont invade the comments section

[@clem2usa]

So many things on this one: 1. I think I’m going to have to adopt Jeep Bean Soups! F’in brilliant. 2. I went to Mall of America last year, it’s the absolute worst place. Was there on a busy weekend and I actually got anxious from the amount of mindless people. Which usually doesn’t happen to me. 3. My community college has its satellite campus is our mostly dead mall! Pretty sure the college moving in there is the only reason it didn’t end up abandoned. It’s the weirdest weirdest thing. Myself and friends literally call it “mall college!”

[@transforgoku]

Why do this reminds me of "Idiocracy"?

[@phoebexxlouise]

So glad you mentioned Dan Bell, I was fully obsessed with all his videos for a full two years

[@kevinthecleric]

One of our dead malls got used for episode 7 of 'The Last of Us' Took me a while to find this channel. Loving your content!

[@humonculeverotostre6804]

"With the speed and efficiency of a greased Scotsman" - Damn, good sir. Damn.

[@OrdinaryThings]

thank you sir. one of my faves

[@humonculeverotostre6804]

@@OrdinaryThings No problem! This service was provided by your local Text Humor Appreciation Consortium (THAC) - highlighting youtubers' writing gems since 2008!

[@youreshouldoflearntgrammer8277]

Grrrrrreased

[@djcoopes7569]

Meanwhile in Australia, the shopping centres (aussie malls) still thrive due to a lack of excessive construction. Yes there's no neon lights and hazey carpets, but they have modernized and adapted with the times

[@kylesoler4139]

A lot of the one's in New Zealand are usually in the city centres, the one in Palmerston North is pretty close to the local Polytechnic so makes it great for students during lunch breaks.

[@attentionlabel]

You consistently make sudden noises of happiness emanate from the vicinity of my face

[@pelago_]

Great work!

[@NxMluLloyd]

One thing missing... Robin Sparkles - “Let’s Go To The Mall”

[@sethiswild1333]

Today!

[@TheCheaterFromBibleman]

Neat to hear about Chopping Mall again. I remember it's review on Best of the Worst.

[@snookman9112]

A Mall near me started to collapse with the bankruptcy of Montgomery Ward (I know what was that?). Instead of finding a replacement, the operators raised the rental rates to compensate. The vendors had to raise prices which made them too expensive with comparison to a new store called Walmart. The end was inevitable.

[@matthew8153]

2:25 I like how you use the mall music from GTA Vice City.

[@milleniumfrisbee]

That opening got my summoning salt vibes a flowing.

[@dlw3m]

I live near the Mall of America here in Minneapolis. When people ask me they want to visit it, I tell them. Go to your local mall and walk around it 6 times. Same experience

[@FreeManFreeThought]

The benefits: many small towns are starting to get their downtowns back as shops refill downtown cores: where people are living because no one can afford to buy a detached house in the suburbs anymore.

[@DerpyDooReviews]

As someone who never experienced malls, growing up in an area without any, I still feel this strange nostalgia towards them and wish I could have experienced them in their hayday. I would have been a mallrat for sure! Since I spend a lot of my time meeting up with people in coffee shops and watching the world go by, I would have been right at home in a mall food court.

[@cattysplat]

Like the ruins of an old civilisations, abandoned and forgotten but still there, to look at and wonder what used to go on there.

[@DerpyDooReviews]

@@cattysplat Surprisingly beautiful when described that way.

[@foxdavion6865]

Malls are still a thing in Australia (mainly because shipping is so expensive and the vast distances between towns and cities).

[@stuartmcdonald5172]

We now have a terrible alternative. I live in Canada and for 4 months of the year I truly hate the new big box stores and really miss malls because it was great to have a bunch of stores all in one place where it's warm. To go in and out of a variety of big box stores in a windswept parking lot is a nightmare. I also think big box stores are big business and has run all of the smaller stores out of business, at least some of which were family run. Now, nobody can compete running a small business of any kind.

[@georgeandrews1394]

Some malls where I live are doing okay-ish because they're located in reasonable places. But yeah, not a fan of the separated big box setup. Even without the freezing weather, it would still feel dead. I went down to Florida once and visited an outdoor plaza mall while I was there. Would be brutal in the winter here, but it was nice to walk around without nearly getting smacked by cars backing up. At least, while you're shopping.

[@smappdooda]

There is a mall in Vegas that got pretty damn ghetto but now has a second life as a haven for "family entertainment" with an aquarium, luxury movie theater, family fun centers and escape rooms. The biggest change here has been the shift to "Town Square's" which are just outdoor malls.

[@sdlonyerg]

fantastic as always my man!

[@LikaLaruku]

I miss Dan Bell. I mean, he's still around, but ever since Will left, he almost strictly focuses on motels & rarely does any Urbex or malls anymore.

[@rosa96734]

I just started watching Dan Bell again. I think he is regaining his mojo. I like his recent content(Last few week). Idk I'm just happy to hear his name on other channels

[@nikkireigns]

I always look for Dan Bell comments on mall videos lol. I'm hoping for new content too but it must be hard in "these times". Also wasn't he getting married and moving to a different country? I need that soothing narration in my life.

[@Augiee31892]

As much as I love his Dead Malls series, his Film-It series with Will have sooo many wonderful gems.

[@Firevine]

He mentioned Dan, but it looked like he also used a Proper People clip, and didn't mention them. Those dudes are great.

[@austinemerick191]

Props for putting in Never Meant 80’s remix in the second half of the video 🔥

[@venomdank965]

ah those were the days. I remember going to the mall with my parents every saturdays, and find friends at the mall. and play pokemon cards. It was a good time... Times change tho... I miss the mall..

[@CheeseyHead123]

A mall for me was a meet up spot for friends and to get food, I hardly ever bought any item from a mall besides food. I suppose multiple stores with one location where everything is overpriced doesn’t work

[@X9Z17]

Thankfully, the Australian Mall is still going strong! Having to pay express shipping for anything to arrive quickly, combined with some shipping prices, makes online shopping less convenient. I ordered something from America and it took 6 months to arrive, and that was with regular $18 shipping..

[@randyfansler20]

Thank you for this vid on malls homeless Jon snow

[@sheepbeeps3369]

it is 2021, I have watched this for the first time. As soon as jazz bean-soups is pointed out to have made malls obsolete... I get an amazon ad on KZbin for the same stuff I saw in malls when I was 4. Truly we live in the future.

[@jamiehershon]

I kind of feel like they slowly made a comeback at least where I live (suburbs of Los Angeles) immediately after Covid because so many young people wanted to interact again. My local mall opened up a Dave and Buster's and more stores geared towards teenagers, a CPK, and a more modernized food court and I feel like a lot more people went back. I mean I really only went to the mall in high school and college. Online shopping (not even necessarily through Amazon as I don't get clothing on Amazon for the most part) just became easier. I'm also not sure why people don't consider an outdoor plaza a mall as they often have the same things....various stores, restaurants, food court, a nail salon etc. I feel like plazas near me were always packed on the weekends despite Amazon.

[@MrIown212]

"Historical ruins of analog consumerism" If that is not a quote from somewhere big props! Such a poetic phrase