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, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @06:39PM (3 children)
If Radio Shack was like a mini best buy then you missed out. I remember when they were like a mini DigiKey.
I gave up on Radio Shack forever when the clerk refused to complete the sale unless I gave him my full address, even though I kept telling him that I already get their damn catalog. I just ended up leaving everything on the counter and walking out.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @06:55PM (1 child)
Just give them BS: "123 Flux Capacitor Drive."
(Score: 2, Informative) by khallow on Tuesday April 25 2017, @09:40PM
Just give them BS: "123 Flux Capacitor Drive."
Shouldn't have to.
(Score: 2) by Kromagv0 on Wednesday April 26 2017, @02:57PM
Sounds like that was around the time when they decided they wanted to sell mostly RC vehicles and cellphones with the electronic components relegated to 8 linear feet in the back corner that required you walk around other shelving just to find. When my local one went under I went in to see what I could scavenge and picked up a number of sensors, for real cheap. I spent like $20 and got a few GPS modules, several 3 axis magnetic field sensors, some 3 axis accelerometers, their remaining 555 timers, and a few other things.
T-Shirts and bumper stickers [zazzle.com] to offend someone