The malls here are always insane, but we also get a lot of shoppers from across the border (Mexico) who come here because clothing is so much cheaper in the U.S. and they can't order online from a lot of American retailers. I suspect our city will have traditional shopping centers for much longer than other places in the country for this reason alone.
Post by birdistheword on Aug 10, 2014 20:06:33 GMT -5
Our local mall is still always packed, but I definitely think some types of retail stores are being phased out by online shopping. I do think there will always (or at least for a good while longer) be a place for brick and mortar clothing stores, because people still want to try things on before purchasing.
It depends on the mall. Some here are dead, others are very busy.
I have tried to slow my online shopping down because I have much better luck going into the store and trying things on. There's the whole sizing issue but also, I'm much more likely to try things on in the store that I never would buy (and have to actually charge my card) online.
Post by UMaineTeach on Aug 10, 2014 20:07:39 GMT -5
I saw some news piece on this, malls are dying (there hasn't been a new mall built for like 10 years, I guess) and they are bringing back the strip mall, but modern. Creating shopping "villages" where you can enter to an open air courtyard and have your pick of stores like you are shopping in a suburban downtown full of chain stores.
Post by imojoebunny on Aug 10, 2014 20:11:40 GMT -5
The only malls that are still doing well here are the high end and malls with larger items (furniture) and/or specific experiences, like movies, Lego land or American girl stores. It kind of sucks because we live in a fairly affluent area, and the only places to shop for clothes are boutiques, which are mostly too expensive for me and often don't have clothes I like or Walmart, unless I drive 30 minutes.
Post by Booze Raccoon on Aug 10, 2014 20:11:57 GMT -5
I can see how online shopping is trumping brick and mortar stores. In my small town though there aren't any strip malls so the mall is still busy. Not to mention it has a Target.
The main mall in our area is always busy and I know isn't dying anytime soon. But 2 other malls in the area both "died" a good 15- 20 years ago. They were transformed into more of an outdoor/ strip mall kind of place. The one is actually now one of the "Avenue" set-ups that are becoming popular. (Fancy strip malls, I guess!)
The only malls that are still doing well here are the high end and malls with larger items (furniture) and/or specific experiences, like movies, Lego land or American girl stores. It kind of sucks because we live in a fairly affluent area, and the only places to shop for clothes are boutiques, which are mostly too expensive for me and often don't have clothes I like or Walmart, unless I drive 30 minutes.
One of the malls in my city has none of that and still does very well. There is another that has all of that, and does well too, but in a different way. It helps that all the smaller towns in the area come in to shop, and other states too come to shop. The Internet may be convenient but it dose not beat touching he product and good service.
Post by EmilieMadison on Aug 10, 2014 20:22:54 GMT -5
Also, they are expanding the MOA to nearly twice it's current size, and a brand new premium outlet mall with over 100 shops just opened this week in the southern suburbs of the Twin Cities. Hardly the death of mall shopping for this kind of expansion/creation, IMO.
The malls here are crazy. The thing now is that the retail stores are mixed in with restaurants, theaters, and furniture stores. There's something there for everyone. I always can find a reason to go the mall, but I love to shop.
The malls here are crazy. The thing now is that the retail stores are mixed in with restaurants, theaters, and furniture stores. There's something there for everyone. I always can find a reason to go the mall, but I love to shop.
The malls here are crazy. The thing now is that the retail stores are mixed in with restaurants, theaters, and furniture stores. There's something there for everyone. I always can find a reason to go the mall, but I love to shop.
Exactly. That's what we're experiencing here, too.
The malls here are crazy. The thing now is that the retail stores are mixed in with restaurants, theaters, and furniture stores. There's something there for everyone. I always can find a reason to go the mall, but I love to shop.
Aren't most malls like this?
Around here, not always, no. Things have been building up in Texas and the malls I shopped at as a teenager were pretty scarce compared to what we have now. This is spanning 20 years, though, but shopping has definitely changed around these parts!
I saw some news piece on this, malls are dying (there hasn't been a new mall built for like 10 years, I guess) and they are bringing back the strip mall, but modern. Creating shopping "villages" where you can enter to an open air courtyard and have your pick of stores like you are shopping in a suburban downtown full of chain stores.
This is what I'm seeing in my area. The traditional malls are slowly dying but they are putting up shopping plazas all over. I prefer the shopping plazas ecause I can park right by the store I want and get in and out quickly.
i was wondering this when i was at the mall yesterday!
i came to the conclusion that i don't think they will completely die unless return shipping gets awesome everywhere. dealing with the hassle of return shipping just isn't worth it for a lot of people and they want to see items in person.
The malls here are crazy. The thing now is that the retail stores are mixed in with restaurants, theaters, and furniture stores. There's something there for everyone. I always can find a reason to go the mall, but I love to shop.
Aren't most malls like this?
Not where I grew up. And also not the older malls in the area, which actually are dying. The first thing they do when trying to revitalize one of the older malls is to add outdoor space with restaurants, entertainment complexes, and some kind of specialty store (crate and barrel, container store, etc.).