The Ultimate 1980s Mall Experience

The brightly lit signs above call out to you, the odor of pizza, Chinese cuisine, and deep-fried everything assaults your nostrils, and the sounds of hundreds of fellow patrons journeying from one end of the massive structure to the other rattles your eardrums... and you love every second of it.
This is what it was to embark on a trip to the mall in the 1980s. Join us in this video as we travel back in time, and together we'll take part in the ultimate 1980s mall experience!
If you enjoy the video, please consider liking it, commenting on it, and even subscribing to the channel. We'd love to have you join in on the fun!
RetroDaze Website: www.retro-daze.org
RetroDaze is a nostalgia related channel that celebrates EVERYTHING from our childhoods, mostly from the '70s, '80s, and '90s. This includes movies, TV shows, video games, toys and action figures, comics and magazines, music, and much more!
Celebrating Yesteryear - In this series of videos, we explore a variety of nostalgic subjects with an emphasis on being both informative and entertaining. We take inspiration from some of our favorite nostalgic channels here on KZbin, including Recollection Road and Rhetty for History.
RetroDaze Channel -
/ @retrodaze
Visit the GenXGrownUp channel to enjoy more content from your host, Jon! -
/ @genxgrownup
Written By: Anthony J. Rapino
Hosted and Narrated By: Jon Reddick
Produced and Edited By: Anthony D. Grate
References:
"SHOPPING MALL." WIKIPEDIA. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoppin...
"History of Malls." www.yourarticlelibrary.com/ma...
Smith, Keith. "Arcade Origins." The Golden Age Arcade Historian. allincolorforaquarter.blogspo...
#nostalgia #mall #1980s #shopping #80s #rhetty for history #recollection road #mall arcade #waldenbooks #b. dalton bookseller #suncoast #allandin's castle #retro #food court #kaybee toys #kay bee toys #kb toys #kay-bee toys #musicland #tower records

[@johncantrell614]

I can’t really understand why malls fell out of favor. It was warm in the winter, cool in the summer. And if it was stormy outside, you still stayed dry as you shopped. Todays shopping centers are all separate stores, and you are at the mercy of the weather. No, the old way was better to me, at least as far as shopping went.

[@RetroDaze]

Agreed. I don’t understand it either.

[@30AndHatingIt]

The argument is people like shopping from home… but people still like going out, so I just don’t get it. In fact, it’s more complicated… one of my local malls is dying, but the other is jam packed and raking in cash. No reason or rhyme.

[@MysteryAGMLegend]

The problem is now you can order anything online now, and if you didn’t have a credit card or didn’t want to use your card you can get a gift card from most gas stations or nearby grocery store which was likely to a shorter trip. Sure you might have to wait a few days, but say if you were looking for a certain game, and likely the local game store likely didn’t have it, you can just order it or pre order it ahead of time. I still love a good mall, but the problem is that malls todays are more of a modern bleakness to them now. One of the best malls in PA was Franklin Mills Mall, it use to be color with different color sections making things easier to know where a certain store is, but now your lucky if they even update the directory, it’s more grayish modern now, and the mall has lost it’s personality specially when changed the name to Philadelphia Mills Mall.

[@johncantrell614]

@@MysteryAGMLegend yup, such a shame…..

[@hiramlewis3873]

In some cases Teens started to take over. Also people starting shopping online.

[@3rdcoastobs467]

As a 80s baby 90s teen there was something magical about the mall..no cell phones, people actually talking and arcades!

[@RetroDaze]

Absolutely! The 80s AND the 90s were great times for mall adventures. So many good memories.

[@ryansmurda1552]

Its sad to see American malls slowly dyeing. Growing up in the 80s and 90s, we were always at the mall. If you went there on the weekend you would see all your friends from school there. I remember going to the arcade in the early 90s and seeing like 50 kids huddled around the mortal kombat 2 machine. It was great!

[@RetroDaze]

It’s an unfortunate result of the changes in our shopping habits. I hope that malls can somehow have a renaissance and become relevant again. But whatever happens, we’ll do what we can to help those memories live on.

[@hollypierce3076]

Yes actually holding all your gossip for your bestie when your sister/brother would get off the phone😂😂

[@RetroDaze]

@@hollypierce3076 Not easy to keep to yourself patiently. 😆

[@LukeDodge916]

The older i get the more emotional i get regarding the 80s and 90s. I genuinely have this ache for the way we lived before the internet. I love the convenience of the internet but i wish it didnt destroy the very fabric of society here in the west. I just want to go back so damn badly...

[@RetroDaze]

We absolutely feel the same. It's the reason this Celebrating Yesteryear series exists. Just a desire to try and capture a tiny little bit of how awesome things were, bottle it up, and share it.

[@robertboisvert2226]

Your Not alone with that feeling, I miss the 80"s and 90"s I was born and raised in the 70"s, i have to Add people are so addicted to their mobile phones they take them everywhere they take him to the bathroom they're walking their kids their dogs and they're on their phone direct dinner table put their family or their friends and they're on their phones they give more attention to their phones and they ignore those around them technology is the strongest human race and it very much saddens me there's no communication no interaction between people (Albert Einstein ) once said and I quote" I fear one day when technology surpasses the human interaction We will have a generation of idiots" damn that's so true it's happening

[@robertboisvert2226]

I have the same feeling brother( in Jesus) can't tell you how many times I reminisce about the times back then I cannot stand these times, yes I believe the internet made everything a lot more convenient for us today, but as for respect discipline and mannerism and behavior I blame the internet and the parents being so nice and having No wisdom ,they're so ignorant and lazy don't want to be bothered with their kids today slot of kids don't even know how to socialize how to speak to one another etc.. like I said I miss the good times we were a lot less stressed and we all had real friends. But you're not alone I feel the same way with these times the way that parents and kids behave , I can go on with my frustrations but what good is this going to do remember I'm from the 70s you and I are the blessed ones internet and phones.

[@robertboisvert2226]

I feel like I want to do a huge Live webinar or event about growing up in the 70, 80s and 90s and showing these kids today what it was really like to grow up back then without the internet and phones ,how they too can survive without I'm still brainstorming on this concept.

[@JJGutierrez-ob5vc]

Yeah no doubt. I'd give anything to go back to the 80's/90's! Epic epic times. Hair metal...arena rock concerts...after hours parties...bad ass house parties... beastie boys..MTV...MTV spring break Daytona Beach '90!!! all that shit.

[@legsdiamond6]

The internet fucked up social interaction

[@RetroDaze]

It’s had an impact for sure.

[@JetPackFlame]

Not the internet per se, but mobile internet technology, social media and apps.

[@aarontrombley5891]

You are 💯% correct 😢!

[@Kdawgcub]

Exactly

[@shawnstatzer95]

Spot on.

[@fee4900]

They 80s was the absolute best time in the USA

[@RetroDaze]

You’ll get no argument here! 😉

[@unbroken1010]

The 90s was. Stop fronting

[@ogbigwhoopyoassnogga4854]

​​@@unbroken1010both 80s & 90s

[@unbroken1010]

@@ogbigwhoopyoassnogga4854 there you go

[@edwardfischer1397]

80's don't compare to the 70's

[@cdgee6399]

I'd go back and live in the 80s forever! I miss everything about it.

[@boxerblvd3514]

I'll go with you. The best of times. 🙋‍♀️

[@RetroDaze]

If you figure out how, let us know!!!

[@tommcdonough6086]

Hear you 12/21 throughout the 80's. Where's Marty McFly and Doc when you need them. The polar opposite of today's world, us that were young in this era were truly lucky great time to be young. My parents couldn't keep my sister and myself in the house. Funny how you never see young people playing outside anymore. SAD...........

[@theejuicygoldengoose271]

Same 🙋🏽‍♀️😢❤

[@theejuicygoldengoose271]

@@boxerblvd3514I wanna go too! 🙋🏽‍♀️

[@managerof3monsters]

I worked at the mall when I was in high school…best days of my life. Seriously, if you weren’t there, no one could imagine just how great the 80s and 90s truly were. So bittersweet.

[@RetroDaze]

Agreed. At least we can look back fondly and feel blessed to have lived through those amazing years.

[@inesealvarez4087]

Malls helped connect us to each other and the community.

[@RetroDaze]

It was great for socializing. Get a group of friends together, maybe run into others from school.

[@waynemerlo7448]

Back when people actually spoke to each other. Before the cellphone zombie apocalypse.

[@RetroDaze]

Pretty sure cell phones were an Umbrella Corporation invention… 😆

[@waynemerlo7448]

@@RetroDaze No doubt.

[@batboy9997]

I believe that's actually why malls are dying. It's not online shopping, otherwise Target and Walmart wouldn't be doing as well as they are. The mall was a place to socialize, and maybe get some shopping in. People don't socialize the same anymore. Sucks, but that's the way it is. My friends and I used to bum around the mall for hours as kids. Now people run in and out of Target to buy what they need and sprint out, because the place is a dystopian hellscape with no soul of its own.

[@aliaperez7809]

You can't learn anything significant with these phones.

[@thecynicallife7096]

I cry every time I see a throwback video. We aren’t getting this time back again!

[@RetroDaze]

All we can do is try to capture a little of that magic. We try to.

[@Realistic316]

if i could literally go back to this time i would… everything was so much better back then…

[@RetroDaze]

If only Deloreans actually had that feature. 😆

[@Realistic316]

@@RetroDaze lol right?

[@ssQ2U]

I would, too

[@strawbrryfld1]

We didn’t have fighting or shooting at the mall either. For the most part kids were good. There were the “heads” 😜, but they kept to themselves mainly…

[@michellejohnson5176]

I think it was better but then we didn’t have all the media we do today that constantly reminds us of how bad things are today

[@ab6ixblindforloveismyultja641]

I miss browsing the crowded shelves of Kaybee Toys

[@RetroDaze]

They always had a wide selection of toys, some even discontinued and unavailable elsewhere.

[@ab6ixblindforloveismyultja641]

@@RetroDaze most importantly, they had affordable, cool, & decently made toys for kids with chore money, & didn’t break the piggybank.

[@highwayman187]

In a pre-internet pre-smartphone time The mall was the hub of your town if you weren't there to meet someone, you would definitely run into them there it was so awesome the atmosphere the stores Man, being a kid in the '80s was great

[@RetroDaze]

Absolutely! Few places could bring so many facets of our social lives together.

[@cdubz265]

I can remember when pet stores (with live pets) were inside malls

[@jarethforever5846]

I miss spending time in the mall bookstores, trolling the aisles and landing at the mag racks.

[@RetroDaze]

They had something for everyone usually. Even those who didn’t care to read much.

[@KelsiKouture]

💯💯💯🙌🏾🛼🛼💯💯

[@flashback7273]

I was fortunate enough to work in a mall for years at many locations. Kay bee toys, century theatres, att cell phone kiosk, espresso kiosk, all wound up toy store, and finally the parking lot itself. Years of wandering the mall on and off work days and work hours. It was a time to be alive. The community of workers in the mall all kind of knew eachother and had a code of hooking things up for free. Free movies, free drinks, side hustles, and places to smoke...like the world behind the walls. Customers don't see the maze of hallways that connects all the stores behind the scenes.

[@RetroDaze]

Getting to live out the mall experience both inside and out… few people have that to remember. Thank you for sharing that.

[@SFC415]

Miss the 80s😢

[@RetroDaze]

Likewise!

[@jeremygould492]

Step back in time when things seamed simpler

[@markstein1916]

Better days! Please someone invent a time machine and get us outa here!

[@RetroDaze]

Let us know when that happens!

[@donmcatee45]

I was one of the mall rats/flowers back in the day, man I miss my concert jerseys, 501’s and Nike Hi-tops, when I still had luxurious locks of hair…. Where have all the good times gone? If you remember that, then you were there too!

[@RetroDaze]

Those particular good times live only in our memories, but we’re here to help them resurface now and then. 😉

[@philsmith8306]

The good ole days!

[@RetroDaze]

Good days indeed!

[@hagakuru]

Can't even dream about dropping off a 9, 10, 11 year-old at the mall alone nowadays. In early 80s it was common for me to ride my bike there and spend hours. Sad world we live in now.

[@RetroDaze]

Agreed. So many are now unsafe for kids alone.

[@bluetarantulaproductions6179]

I miss the good old days of the shopping mall

[@RetroDaze]

We hear you. Miss those days tremendously.

[@mjz16]

Bring back malls. I was like online shopping but in real life and better cause you could do it alone or with friends. You “scrolled” through looking at everything, from one “site” to another until you saw what you wanted and then you could chill at the food court with an Orange Julius and people watch. Better than spending hours in front of a screen only to be disappointed when your package arrives or is stolen off your porch.

[@RetroDaze]

So true. The experience of shopping and socializing at the mall was a more enjoyable and healthier use of our time.

[@muerte9O9]

It also sucks when the clothes don't fit you exactly how you expect. That's why it's better to go in and try them on a lot of times even if it's the same brand and kind of clothing item you get. Sometimes the tag don't match the size of the item I had that happen to me a few times.

[@kimgordon3695]

😂 supply chain collapse will be

[@bonscott9936]

I'm 54 😮! My entire life revolved around going to the Rockaway Townsquare Mall in Rockaway, NJ. Every Friday and Saturday. Best arcades, movies, clothes, food, smells and most importantly good looking skinny, and active young adults all looking for a great time!!! I miss the 80s Soooooo much😢.

[@RetroDaze]

You and me both. Your weekend adventures to Rockaway sound amazing. All of the most memorable features of perfect mall trips are present. Thank you for sharing that!

[@AnthonyJRapino]

I lived in Brooklyn in the 80s and early 90s, and we'd drive out to the Rockaway Mall around Christmas almost every year. :-) Loved that place.

[@weswashburn4321]

If u had Pizza Hut… I’m sorry Sabbaro was king

[@RetroDaze]

No arguments here! But... it is a subjective thing of course.

[@analogalien651]

So good!

[@jaymurch]

maaannnnn oh man🤗

[@davidfrank3728]

I would rather go to the mall, than shop on line!!

[@RetroDaze]

I second that!

[@Heene1028]

In 1970 I remember going to the mall with a dollar and I was able to get a slice of pizza $.25 a soda for $.10 a pretzel for five cents and I still had $.60 left over to buy a little trinket and an ice cream … And have fun hanging out with my friends.

[@RetroDaze]

That’s so awesome. We could do so much with with so little. Something not so easily done these days.

[@sunshineandwarmth]

Where was this mall? We rarely ate at a mall bc they were outrageously expensive.

[@RichardM1366]

Going to the mall is better than online shopping. You can't have your bank account stolen! Better to be safe than sorry.

[@RetroDaze]

Well, you can still have information stolen. Just not as easily. Unless you use cash at the mall. Then I’d say you’re pretty safe for sure. 😆

[@patsygroves3812]

Movie Theaters in the Mall too ! You knew you were close when you smelled the popcorn !

[@RetroDaze]

We can smell it now!

[@jeffrobodeenyehcmon5925]

The internet ruined malls.

[@RetroDaze]

It certainly had an effect on the way we shop.

[@Truthster772]

In the 80’s and early 90’s some road trips were centered around going to different malls. Malls are a staple of my childhood. Many many memories. Glad to be GenX.

[@RetroDaze]

Indeed! Road trips to malls could be some of the best.

[@victoriagreenfield5781]

I miss waldenbooks

[@RetroDaze]

It was a great store.

[@Lovejoy1173]

Me too!

[@MACWILLIAM]

A major one for me that you didn't mention was CINNABON!

[@vancegilmore245]

The mall was a social gathering scene in those days until video games, computers, the internet and online shopping ended all that.

[@naomidoner9803]

Video game rooms were a highlight of the mall experience.....like the food court

[@RetroDaze]

You really didn’t need much more for a fun evening with friends.

[@pamelajohnson7813]

Anyone remember the candle store called, Wicks & Sticks? Remember a store called, Things Remembered? They had picture frames & glass mugs, etc. you could have engraved? I bought all my coworkers a lighter for Christmas with their names engraved for like $5! Lots of cool memories of great Christmas displays, too!

[@kimgordon3695]

Things remembered was a gift stop... 1990's

[@RetroDaze]

We remember Things Remembered! 😆

[@Heatherj-yg5vs]

Wicks and Sticks was so awesome. They had the most delicious sandalwood body oil back in the day.

[@pamelajohnson7813]

@@Heatherj-yg5vs Wished I had seen that! My parents still have a big log-like thing that has 2 green mushroom candles on it. It sits on the headboard of my old water bed. They now have regular mattresses in it!

[@ratzass2]

As a teenager that went to the malls in the 80's Spencer's was a must.

[@RetroDaze]

Indeed! It was such an oddity at the time. Not so much now though.

[@wettaloca2923]

Yes! I'm in my 40s. I still go to the mall and I still go to Spencer's. Salem Oregon!

[@garyskadra5236]

I used to head straight for the record stores. I also used to go to the book store to sneak a peek at Playboy & Penthouse. Back then they just kept the nudie mags high above all the other magazines. It didn't stop me from getting my hands on one

[@gregoryholmes3514]

Yes I would always hit the food court and the arcade. Good times

[@RetroDaze]

You’re the reason they moved them behind the counter! 😆

[@KeY-StO]

🤣

[@bojo2770]

"It's a Friday night in the late 80's".... and I'm going skating! Malls were for the actual weekend! ALL day Saturday's!

[@RetroDaze]

Then for Friday, this is what you’ll need… kzbin.info/www/bejne/jaOYiaCwhNR1ibssi=ld5gws--iMfIsswH

[@Animalfarm6cats]

I'm so happy, I grew up in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Everything went down the drain from there. My second time watching this video.

[@RetroDaze]

That is awesome! Repeat viewers are our favorite people. 😆 Like you, we feel privileged to have grown up in the best decades ever.

[@cherokeetrucker4198]

My mom worked at kay bee toys in Panama city mall. Wow I'm getting old.

[@lpg12338]

That and radio shack were my go to stores. 😁

[@RetroDaze]

What a perfect arrangement for a kid! Having your mom work at the toy store!

[@mattm1686]

god I miss my childhood!

[@RetroDaze]

We know how that feels! Hopefully we can bring back a tony bit of that magic for you.

[@michelledillman6381]

I learned how to ice skate in the Houston Galleria in the ‘70’s

[@RetroDaze]

It would have been extremely fun to have an attached roller or ice rink in a mall.

[@greywolf2270]

Righteous! Born and raised in Pasadena (Stinkadena) Texas and occasionally shopped/ice skated at the Houston Galleria.

[@ruthjocaccivajjio274]

Loved the mall. Dunderbaks, Spencer’s, Waldenbooks, Victoria secret. A great place to hang out with friends and SAFE back in the day. Part of the fabric of teens and tween years aside from the skating rink!

[@RetroDaze]

And we just did a skating rink video the other day!

[@christinaantenucci5794]

I remember when you could smoke in the mall in designated areas

[@RetroDaze]

Lots of places had designated smoking areas back then. Crazy how much that has changed.

[@Dan_Gleebalz]

​@@RetroDaze Airplanes had designated smoking areas back then.

[@PaulGuzman-zk7kw]

Thanks for reminiscing on a better time. Truly miss many of the stores that no longer exist. The 80's were the best.😁

[@RetroDaze]

They really were! Great times to be a kid growing up.

[@vegita4real]

Arcade, food court and RadioShack.

[@RetroDaze]

The “Trifecta of Awesome” for the ‘80s and ‘90s male. 😆

[@edwardfischer1397]

I liked the 70's, one evening I was just people watching and a Beautiful Young Lady walked out of National Record Mart and gave me her phone number. And She was Worth the call.

[@RetroDaze]

That’s awesome! Not much that could connect you more to a mall than finding love.

[@SkeeberSan]

It’s so sad, a lot of the best stores at the mall and many of the malls, the one I went to growing up included are now just a memory. 😢

[@RetroDaze]

It’s definitely sad to see. At least we’ll always have these memories of our experiences.

[@jtbaying2312]

Spencer's Gift.

[@kurtb3606]

I lived at the mall in the 80's during my teenage years!!

[@RetroDaze]

There really wasn’t much better a place to enjoy being a teen.

[@coastiegirl711]

Loved Spencer’s such a cool store.

[@jessmcnulty3043]

Spencer’s still exists in 2 of the malls local to me. I still enjoy walking through it and looking at all of the funky keychains ;)

[@BlueberryMuffin-nt7ew]

Waldenbooks and B.Dalton lured me in with the latest hardcover books and comics. Then it was off to the food court that had everything from Chik Fil A to great Chinese food. Godfather's Pizza served up great slices right next to the arcade, across from which there was a Circuit City. 1984-1991 were mall hopping years for this mall rat.

[@RetroDaze]

That’s awesome! So much mall nostalgia packed in there. Doesn’t get much better.

[@Willysmb44]

Every mall had a little book store. They usually had at least one record store as well

[@RetroDaze]

And they were must stop shops!

[@justindearmond1]

I was born in 1980 and I remember going to the arcade when I was younger in the late 80s and early 90s. It was so much fun.

[@RetroDaze]

Arcades back then were places you could spend hours, sometimes on just one game. Now every arcade is focused on redemption games that cost way too much for a second or two of trying to win some prize.

[@NatHenrickClarke]

79' and I loved the arcade as well, same time frame as you, those were the days

[@bowlerfamily]

Remember Paulina Porizkova and Heather Locklear posters?

[@RetroDaze]

Hard to forget really. 😆

[@steelstreet79]

I was born in August 1979 and i remember going to the mall in the late 80s. Favorite time. My favorite era for malls were in the late 80s. 87-89.

[@RetroDaze]

That was an amazing time to visit a mall! Peak mall culture right there.

[@cooljams5698]

Yes, you missed Spencer’s where you could get everything from your favorite band tee to fake dog poo to eatable underwear. God I miss the mid 70’s to early 90’s.

[@RetroDaze]

🤪Spencer's sure isn't what it used to be.

[@cooljams5698]

@@RetroDaze Right?

[@cynthiamckenzie1034]

I loved the late 80s and 90s. Good times ❤😊

[@RetroDaze]

The best of times!

[@sgt_slobber.7628]

Nothing ever beats NOSTALGIA!!!!!🤗🤗🤗

[@RetroDaze]

It’s chicken soup for the soul. 😆

[@carlosdcardona5676]

As a person who's childhood was the 80s....! What I can say about going to the MALL as a kid, it was much more then a mere shopping experience! It was as the man said a place on a Friday or Saturday where you went to meet up with friends, catch up on gossip and if you knew your crush was going to be there you were definitely going! Also some malls where I grew up had bowling alleys attached to the mall!! So you could meet friends, do some shopping, eat at the food court, go bowling or arcade and see your crush all in one night! Plus if other people you went to school with saw you at the mall it meant you obviously had friends and you weren't a complete nerd 😂! Now I get the convenience of Amazon and its great say around Christmas shopping to avoid all the traffic as adults but, I'm afraid the kids today truly missed out on a great social experience that was the mall back in the day!!! It's sad!

[@RetroDaze]

It is actually kind of sad to think today’s youth are missing out on the experience of the mall back then. Also… a bowling alley IN the mall!? Nice.

[@katherinekerbow8344]

You are so right!!! It was a right of passage!! So free and fun!!

[@Spikenector]

After Saturday morning cartoons, it was time to hit up the Mall back then!

[@RetroDaze]

Sounds like the makings of a perfect childhood day.

[@mattbendzinski4945]

Back when malls weren't just women's clothes, we often went and spent the whole afternoon there. Pizza and a soda for 95 cents, games stores, book stores, and more. Great place to go. Now it is mostly expensive women's clothing so I generally don't go any more.

[@RetroDaze]

Unfortunately you’re right. Most of the mall of today is dominated by shoes, clothing, and jewelry… mostly catering to women. To find a mall with a large variety of shops in this day and age is a rarity.

[@ericyochim2949]

I really really really really miss music stores that sell CDs a lot

[@RetroDaze]

Hopefully a resurgence of physical media demand drives a few brick and mortar music stores to open one day.

[@carolann1727]

As a teenage girl from 83-87, Bergen Mall in Paramus, NJ was my stopping ground. Sterns, Lerner shops, Walden Books, Fanny Farmer, World Imports, Newberry’s, music stores, and video games. It was not too expensive to buy posters, stickers, food & cassettes-albums were a little more expensive, and you could buy concert tickets in the mall. It was safe to be there in groups or just with one girlfriend. When we were done with the mall we WALKED to the RKO 10plex on Route 4 for a movies-which had an arcade in it. We would go down the shore every summer for two weeks-because that too was affordable-and hit Ocean County mall on the rainy days. How I wish my 15 yr old could have the same experiences. My life was literally a compilation of all the great 80’s John Hughes movies-it makes her so jealous. I go nostalgic every now and then just to touch base to a simpler time. My daughter likes Dior lip gloss, Sol de Janiero #40, Lululemon. I wore Ambush perfume, jelly shoes and Lip Potion lip gloss. Coke was in a glass bottle, Twinkies were bigger and 75 cents, I saw the premiere of Michael Jackson’s Thriller video, I had sleepovers and watched MTV for hours, HBO was a new premium station on cable, it took 4 hours to set up the vcr, I drew all over my blue fabric binder and used actual textbooks (which I covered in grocery bag brown paper). My first date was in a Camaro! How times have changed and not for the better. For all those who remember, wasn’t it awesome?

[@RetroDaze]

It was incredible. Even the not-so-great things seem desirable in comparison. It’s cliché, but the truth is times were indeed simpler, and life was more personal.

[@KatrinaRainwater]

Technology messes up socializing and fun times the malls were awesome

[@RetroDaze]

Online shopping has definitely hurt malls.

[@coriarkinson7660]

O.M.Gosh had so much fun when went to the mall . It's really sad kids don't get to experience anything like that . The 80s was so fun .

[@RetroDaze]

Agreed! They’ll never know what they missed, but for us… it’s hard to not feel a bit sad that they missed out on it.

[@valerieprimbscole7726]

My teen son (18) grew up watching 80s movies and TV shows--he now says that the 80s looks so much better than today's stuff and he wished life was like the 80s! Lol! So, funny because he never grew up in the 80s but knows so much about it via me and the movies/shows growing up. Its like he did grow up in the 80s in some way. 😂❤

[@aaronflowers8881]

I absolutely love the mall and the 80s. There's something about the combination of the two I love. Being in the mall in the 80s is something I'd do if I had a time machine. My mom and I would go often when I was a kid back then.

[@RetroDaze]

It was just a different experience back then. A better experience.

[@aaronflowers8881]

@@RetroDaze Yes

[@kelleywarriors7091]

I just talked to my daughter about 80’s mall life. We still try to go to the malls in our area. But the 80’s vibe is gone.

[@RetroDaze]

True. The experience is just not the same. Still, it’s nice to see some malls still holding on.

[@notsogood9449]

Do any of you guys remember the clothing stores... Chess King, Merry Go-Round and Man Oh Man?

[@cdubz265]

My entire high school career I worked part time at Merry Go Round after school and on the weekends, I definitely utilized my 20% discount 😀

[@catherinejohnson9395]

I surely do!

[@MetAxa369]

If I could go back to these simpler times I would go and not come back to these times.

[@RetroDaze]

If you ever figure out how, let us know! 😉

[@chiragmehta8212]

Me too

[@christophernewby3296]

Seriously sad to see all the abandoned malls everywhere, they could at least turn them into public service offices sector, or turn them into temporary or larger family homeless shelter. Idk just sucks to see so much ready built spaces left to rot.

[@RetroDaze]

Agreed! Hopefully at least some of the space it used for something good.

[@christopherhennessey8991]

I miss the mall of the 1980s.

[@RetroDaze]

As do we. At least we got to experience it.

[@christopherhennessey8991]

@@RetroDaze Very true.

[@daviddaigrepont9485]

I liked to go to the mall just to people watch. It was never long before I saw someone from school and it went from there.....

[@RetroDaze]

That’s part of what made it so great… the chance to show up, relax, and perhaps connect with a friend to spend time with. No spending money was necessary to have a great time.

[@redfire27]

The mall was such a fun place. It's a shame how the internet marketplace has made them almost superfluous

[@RetroDaze]

It really is. I’m all for convenience, but sometimes the consequences suck.

[@redfire27]

Don't know if you ever saw it. But one store at the orginal Tysons Corner Mall in Northern VA came to mind, the San Francisco Music Box Company. My mom loved that store and I can't even count the number of music boxes she bought from there.

[@RetroDaze]

Wow! That is a good example of what kind of variety we had in malls back then. I can’t imagine anything like that today in a mall.

[@JV-bq8jz]

@@redfire27 Beautiful store! Shopped in San Francisco at one with my friend. She bought the most beautiful Aladdin music box from there.. Your mom has great taste..a music box lovers dream store

[@rashb3994]

The 80's mall back in the day was like an amusement park when you were a kid and then as a teen in the 90's it was like going to the club hanging out looking for love before you old enough to club, lol. As an adult it can still be relaxing to walk through but slightly empty because like 60% of the stores are gone.

[@RetroDaze]

Yeah it’s really not the same now.

[@LindaC-ze5ob]

I remember 4 shoe stores, Casual Corner, ladies shop, Cinnabon shop, a drug store, book store, several ladies apparel stores, Lerners included. And that gigantic open water fountain for dropping pennies for good luck. Santa's yearly visit every December. Music/ record stores, an arcade area, a movie theater. Good times! 😁

[@RetroDaze]

Everything a kid needs for a good time!

[@Styxswimmer]

Ive been so nostalgic for the 80s and 90s. I really miss mall culture. I remember after school my friends and I would immediately go to the mall and just hang out for hours. You just earned my sub

[@RetroDaze]

That was as cool as life could possibly get... those days!

[@Styxswimmer]

​@@RetroDazea local mall near me that had been open since 1972 closed just 4 months ago. I spent so much time there, especially at the arcade and Enzos pizza. Guys would play inside the arcade and we noticed girls would hang around the outside of the arcade checking the guys out. Better times

[@RetroDaze]

Really great times for sure.

[@thegreypath1777]

My friends and I spent a LOT of time just hanging out at the mall.

[@Styxswimmer]

@@thegreypath1777 the mall was a place to hang out, meet friends, make new friends, possibly a new friend of the opposite sex, and just have a good time. Now teenagers spend all day on their phones and game systems.

[@vincecramer7950]

I stand by this I still think the worst thing that ever happened to people as we get the internet that screwed everything up

[@RetroDaze]

It’s been a great benefit but also a great harm.

[@louisbuzzi869]

How about mall walkers, to exercise?

[@RetroDaze]

That’s definitely still a thing.

[@m.a.t.t.2978]

ALL TIME Greatest Era to be a kid 💯

[@RetroDaze]

Absolutely it was! We are lucky to have experienced it.

[@WaverBoy]

Suncoast! I spent so much money on VHS movies there! And Orange Julius! I REALLY miss Orange Julius!!!

[@RetroDaze]

It would be amazing to see the return of some stand-alone Orange Julius locations!

[@eugeniocorpuz8338]

I remember shopping at Montgomery Wards, Woolworths, Thom McCann Shoes., and B Dalton Books.

[@RetroDaze]

Montgomery Ward was such an underrated store. They had a lot of great merchandise.

[@generaleerelativity9524]

I loved Woolworth's. They were like a miniature Walmart/Petsmart rolled into one and they had their own restaurant inside the store which I always thought was cool. I was pissed when they shut down.

[@RetroDaze]

Unfortunately I (Tony G) didn’t have a local Woolworth near me, so I missed out on that one.

[@MrTrecutter1]

Oh man, the 80's as a teen, wow! Straight from school to the mall and mom would pick me up around 9pm then on Saturdays she would drop me off around 12 or 1pm and pickup at closing 9pm.

[@RetroDaze]

What an awesome way to spend the weekdays! Very nice.

[@user-es3zh3jk5o]

I miss shopping at the mall, with my mom and sister, dragging our kids along. Having lunch, going in and out of stores. Good memories.

[@RetroDaze]

The experience is just different now. Doesn’t feel the same.

[@kingkazma3246]

Life lost its luster after Sep 11...

[@RetroDaze]

It was a pretty difficult time for sure. Things really changed after that.

[@kingkazma3246]

@@RetroDaze Love your videos, thanks for the awesome memories! 😎👍

[@RetroDaze]

@@kingkazma3246 Thank you so much for watching! We REALLY appreciate it!

[@jeancarlodelaluz6415]

Research says that the 90s died that day. There's always an event that ends a decade with a bummer.....we got 2019 you know what.

[@kurtb3606]

I lived at the mall in the 80's!

[@reagandogg9734]

Those were the best times! Back when people were real not fakes like they have been groomed to be now.

[@RetroDaze]

Feel privileged to have had the opportunity to live through such great years.

[@ThatDorkyReviewShow]

I used to go to the mall with the homies with no money just to talk to girls 😂 girls weren’t as picky back then lol

[@RetroDaze]

😆 Makes you wonder how girls think we were different then.

[@metalgrinch]

While i was born in 81' and did visit malls plentifully in that decade, I was too young to appreciate it on my own. It wasn't until the 90s where my personal parent-less mall experiences flourished. Thats where and when the resurgence of fighting arcade games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter II took off. I spent plenty of time in stores like Sam Goody and The Wall for music, and I worked in a mall McDonald's later on in the decade.

[@RetroDaze]

You were privileged to have experienced the mall scene from both sides… as a customer and as a worker. Few folks can say that!

[@ryanfarrell909]

81 Millennial here as well, my memories of malls in the 80's were all about Christmas shopping. But the mall memories that I cherish are the ones in the mid-to-late 90's when I would even skip school to go to the mall to flirt with the bad girls who had also skipped school to go to the mall 😎🥰

[@strangerthings88]

Same here

[@RetroDaze]

The hangout for school skippers! 😆

[@Bellatheacapella]

Wow! Also born in 81'. I remember Sam Goody, the place to get all the new tapes! I remember me and my family would go around Christmas and it was always packed and fun. Taking pictures with Santa, buying cookies and putting stuff on layaway at K-mart which was also in the mall. I remember being so happy when I finally got my Teddy Ruxpin and roller skates off layaway....good times indeed ❤

[@jdog7797]

The fall of malls will go down in history as the second greatest tragedy in history after Roma.

[@RetroDaze]

😆 Somewhere up there anyway.

[@Heatherj-yg5vs]

You should do one about 80s roller rink culture!

[@RetroDaze]

We would love to do that! For me (Tony G), the roller rink was THE PLACE TO BE. Ours was just down the hill from me, which in a very rural part of Ohio was pretty sweet to have so close.

[@gmats_23]

I had elderly relatives who would go to the mall to walk, do ‘laps’ around the levels. The mall had plenty of places to sit if they needed to stop and rest, then sometimes get a snack. It was ideal for them.

[@RetroDaze]

Many still do this, though it’s typically earlier in the day to avoid crowds.

[@Coryraisa]

I grew up in the 1980s, so I remember most of these stores.

[@RetroDaze]

Good memories, hopefully.

[@Coryraisa]

@@RetroDaze Yes, lots of good memories. And I am sure thirty or forty years from now, people will look back on the 2020s with good memories. Every era has its good times...that's history.

[@Mytimenow123]

I want them back.

[@RetroDaze]

At least we were lucky enough to experience them the first time around.

[@reneeyounk9663]

I was just saying how I don't understand removing malls. Same reasons; warm, dry, everything you want to shop for and more. I imagine they'll be back after the new kids figure out how nice indoor shopping really was

[@RetroDaze]

Seems like our shopping habits do eventually circle back around, so… who knows!?

[@user-jp6in7fx9c]

My friends and I used to go to the mall when we were teenagers in the 70s and they were way popular back then before the 80s. And for bookstores, let's not forget the Paperback Shack.

[@RetroDaze]

Malls were definitely on their way up in the '70s. Heading toward that explosion of growth in the '80s.

[@mremptytheeclip9420]

My friend's mom worked by Six Flags in Atlanta. She would drop us off the the morning and pick us up after work. We both had season passes and we went almost everyday one summer. Nothing to do with malls though.

[@alittlebitofmary]

Yes nothing to do with malls haha but I loved hearing it! I grew up in Ft. Worth Texas and we also had a Six Flags. One year when we were homeschooled my parents got season passes for all eight of us (six kids and my parents). We would go after school started in the fall and literally run from ride to ride with no wait! No one else was there - they were all in school. That was a dream. We would meet out at our car in the parking lot for dinner and eat cold fried chicken from a cooler and drink Shasta soda. Those were the good old days. ☺️

[@mremptytheeclip9420]

@@alittlebitofmary Lol. That's what we did. We would be the only ones there and just run from ride to ride. Good times.

[@williamkirby3552]

Those were the days. I’m in my late sixties now yet it seems like just yesteryear. To wander around in this huge, magnificent building as it were your own getaway palace.

[@RetroDaze]

Absolutely. Like a shopping and socializing oasis away from the rest of the world. 😆

[@archangel5627]

I definitely miss Suncoast and Sam Goody for music and movies.

[@RetroDaze]

They were such great stores.

[@QuinnnMallory]

No mention of Spencer’s? That was a must-stop to take in the weird products, black light posters, and the…uh…back of store merch.

[@RetroDaze]

Actually did mention it. Just at the end among other stores that weren’t a part of this particular mall outing. 😉

[@tonysmith5566]

@@RetroDaze did you delete my comment???

[@QuinnnMallory]

@@RetroDaze oh, I must have ducked out before the actual end or I missed it somehow.

[@RetroDaze]

No problem! Spencer’s was a very popular store in our youth. Lots of folks have commented on it.