I went to a mall for the first time in ages the past two days to pick up some winter shirts at Macy’s. The place was absolutely DEAD both days. The first day I was there around lunch time; the next day (for a pickup) was around 5 PM. There wasn’t enough traffic or sales to pay for the labor behind the counter, much less the inventory, real estate, utilities, and insurance. It was really eerie.
JC Penney is in the mall I went to and I thought to myself “Are they still around?”
deadmalls.com has a youtube presence:
https://www.youtube.com/deadmallsmedia
It’s right out of Atlas Shrugged, the deal mall phenomenon. We have a lot of them in PA. A friend of mine bought a deal mall and made himself a car dealership. I’m told the mall property cost him about as much as two new cars.
I have a different mall experience. I’ve been living in a hotel ( between houses) for the past month and there is a large indoor mall nearby. I go there often to hang out while the maids are cleaning. Bring my laptop or a good book to read and sit on one of the many couches and chairs they now have there. Free wi-fi. I’ll spend hours there sipping coffee and reading. Nobody hassles me. Don’t know how the stores there stay in business but it’s a pleasant place to hang out.
Collin Creek Mall in Plano, TX used to be wall-to-wall with shoppers every weekend. During the Christmas shopping season, you couldn’t find a parking spot. Now it’s practically empty every day of the year. No one goes to malls much anymore.