Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Tuesday April 25 2017, @04:27PM   Printer-friendly
from the the-need-for-pants dept.

In the 1980's people wrote about malls as cultural centers, as temples to shopping. Now, they're dying.

Many observers are speculating about the growing trend of so-called dead malls: once-flourishing, large retail spaces that now have a high vacancy rate, low numbers of pedestrian traffic, or the lack of an "anchor" store (typically a department chain). Is it because of economic recession, or stagnant middle-class wages and growing income inequality? Or has the death of these malls been hastened by the rapid growth of online shopping?

It's difficult to say, but the dead mall phenomenon is becoming a cultural item of interest -- for retail historians, urban explorers and documentarians alike. We may read about dead malls in The New York Times or The Atlantic, but film footage can say much more than words.

Is Amazon to blame?


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @05:05PM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @05:05PM (#499394)

    letting you see and feel things in-person before you go online to buy the exact same thing at a lower price, and hopefully without any sales tax.

    Anyone wondering why malls are dying: Here's your answer. People are using the service they offer (providing the physical item for you to see and test) without paying for it (by paying the higher price, which includes the cost of providing you exactly that experience).

    And all those complaining about the greedy assholes at the top of big corporations should ask themselves if they aren't greedy assholes themselves, just at their level of ability. The behaviour described here definitely qualifies.

    Starting Score:    0  points
    Moderation   +2  
       Insightful=1, Informative=1, Total=2
    Extra 'Insightful' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   2  
  • (Score: 1) by Scruffy Beard 2 on Tuesday April 25 2017, @05:39PM

    by Scruffy Beard 2 (6030) on Tuesday April 25 2017, @05:39PM (#499426)

    To be a good consumer, you have to check the price in about 3 different places. That is how competition is supposed to work.

    What Amazon has done is under-cut bricks & mortar when you need an item immediately.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @06:17PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @06:17PM (#499461)

    People are using the service they offer (providing the physical item for you to see and test) without paying for it (by paying the higher price, which includes the cost of providing you exactly that experience).

    Cost of business. People have no obligation to pay you for services you offer at no obligation to them.

    Trying to guilt your customers into paying inflated prices anyway doesn't make your customers like you; instead, it is likely to make your customers regret purchasing from you. This is not a long-term successful strategy.

  • (Score: 2) by VLM on Tuesday April 25 2017, @09:39PM

    by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday April 25 2017, @09:39PM (#499613)

    (providing the physical item for you to see and test)

    I'd theorize that doesn't exist or is no longer relevant outside ultra-expensive bespoke custom work.

    My wife recently replaced a throw blanket thing for our bed. Well whatever the interior decorator name for it, the big boxes and mall are going to have it sealed in a box with no touchie feelie. And one factory in China makes all of them for Sears, JCP, Boston Store, Target, Amazon. QA/QC fails get sent to walmart so even those are kinda close.

    Do you worry yourself which Amazon warehouse ships your blankie? If not, then why does it matter which store, Amazon, Sears, Target, whatever? We have too many sales locations and too many brands for the limited selection offered for sale. Just order the cheapest which will be Amazon.

    If you don't like the blankie then you better get used to liking it because thats all China is shipping this quarter so don't think that going to a different brick and mortar store will save you by presenting other options.

    Like Soviet Era bread lines, here is your commodity take it or leave it. At least we don't have to stand in line.