Re:Malls Aren't Dying, They're Thriving
by bane on Monday June 08, 2015 @09:39PM
(#9683612)
I can think of half-a-dozen closed air malls within 30 minutes of each other where I live. Some of them are absolutely thriving, packed full of shoppers pretty much all day and on a race to expand space and amenities with the growing crowds.
Others are near-dead ghost towns with something like 50% occupancy and entire wings blocked off because of a homeless/drug addict/gang problem.
Most of the open-air "town center" style malls around me are also packed to the gills at all times. It's actually unpleasant to shop at them because they're so crowded, but they usually mix in outlet stores with regular stores and draw huge tourist crowds.
I'm not sure what the trend is, not all that long ago I would say they're definitely - most certainly dying. But then one of the near-dead malls near me just changed hands, is undergoing major renovation and the numbers of stores and shoppers is growing.
I think people like the social aspect of shopping, the walking around and browsing, touching things, trying them on. My wife orders lots of clothes on-line, but the smart stores let her return non-fitting clothes in-store, where she'll also check out what they're offering, try some things on and then buy more -- she's not the only one.
Others are near-dead ghost towns with something like 50% occupancy and entire wings blocked off because of a homeless/drug addict/gang problem.
Most of the open-air "town center" style malls around me are also packed to the gills at all times. It's actually unpleasant to shop at them because they're so crowded, but they usually mix in outlet stores with regular stores and draw huge tourist crowds.
I'm not sure what the trend is, not all that long ago I would say they're definitely - most certainly dying. But then one of the near-dead malls near me just changed hands, is undergoing major renovation and the numbers of stores and shoppers is growing.
I think people like the social aspect of shopping, the walking around and browsing, touching things, trying them on. My wife orders lots of clothes on-line, but the smart stores let her return non-fitting clothes in-store, where she'll also check out what they're offering, try some things on and then buy more -- she's not the only one.