Why shouldn’t a 13 year old be able to do some shopping on her/his own? They are in 8th grade. I wouldn’t leave them there all day, but an hour or two should be fine. Maybe not at the Galleria, but the PV Promenade should be fine.
Because this isn't the 70s, and the world is a much more dangerous place than it was when we were kids.
I truly bemoan the fact that I can't allow my kids the same sort of freedom of movement that I enjoyed at their age, but I have to live with reality. So do they.
Ferals, Predators, and Peers, to start with.