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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?
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @06:21PM
Posting AC because... Obviously...
This is absolutely correct. Our town fought the bus line for years but finally caved. Now the mall traffic has declined noticeably. I knew it was heading to shit when I saw a store, run by some middle easterner, selling nothing but cell phone cases. But hey... It's more diverse now.