In the 1950s downtowns were the place to go to shop. You were safe. Then stores went to area shopping centers and downtowns deteriorated. Shopping centers were supplemented by malls and malls became the place to be. Then the individuals who had destroyed downtowns discovered the malls, and the malls went downhill fast.
I have not been in a mall in about 5-6 years.
I probably haven’t been to a mall is some 20 years