I noticed the same thing last weekend at a mall here in NJ; I normally couldn’t park so close to the doors any time of the year, and yet was probably 25 yards from the entrance. When I commented on this to my wife, she thought it was because it was early in the Christmas shopping season.
Years ago I would be in various pubs & restaurants and was shocked at how managers were in absolute denial that their businesses were facing a long-term decline in business as northern NJ circled the drain economically. Each would have various excuses, that became increasingly lame as the months and years passed; their clientele had either run out of money or simply moved to greener pastures, and their business models were no longer working. Even the businesses that catered to our huge illegal alien population suffered as those that were here for work instead of freebies moved on; the corners where “day laborers” had congregated in the past have been vacant for years now. In good times they had been a gold mine for bars and restaurants that served their favorite food/drinks (as many were single young men); once they left, there were few people left that drank Coronas or ate fast-food-type Latino fare.
Restaurants are packed here, even during weekdays. I had dinner with a friend on Thursday night and by 6:45 PM, there wasn’t a single table available. Amazon et al are really hammering brick & mortar retail this year.