[Count of Monte Fisto]

JC Penny, Macys, and other department stores were where the Middle-class shopped. The Middle-class is being killed off in this country so course those stores are dying too.

[Texas resident]

Big department stores are normally the anchor for a mall.
When the anchor dies, the mall dies.

More obamanomics.

[woodbutcher1963]

Its not just that. It is the fact that people like me did not visit ANY brick & and mortar stores prior to Christmas this past year. Why go to the mall at all when I can buy anything I want from the computer on my desk. The market share for all of these stores is being lost to Internet retailers.
I bought from LLBean, Campmore, Amazon, etc. The only physical building I entered to buy a Christmas gift was CVS for stocking stuffers and Walmart because I also needed a few groceries and I wanted to buy a CD for my son two days before Christmas. If I had planned ahead I would have ordered the CD from Amazon online.