NSR: all of the dead Malls

[Stig / Major Tom]

Just out with my daughter for some Xmas shopping.
Her store was in our otherwise dead Mall. (Bath & Body Works)
Really depressing to go deep into this once booming 1/4 mile long Mall.
Huge center piece was the big Macy's - anchored at either end by a Sears and a JCPenneys.
Several up-scale department stores and every shop typical of American Malls filled this bustling Mall - with Xmas making it a super place to bring kids.

When talking with co-workers who steadfastly refused to shop anywhere but at a Walmart type store ("We can't afford the Mall prices")- I pointed out the low sale prices found everywhere in the Mall - especially at Xmas time. Various clothing was always on sale - in a better quality at Macy's or Elder-Beerman's or Rikes, or Sears or Penney's  and always at lower prices than KMart or Walmart.

After a couple of decades each of the top flight stores closed - then the anchors , Sears and Penneys, and 95% of the other small shops followed. Now it's 35 miles to the next Mall.

As a kid I worked a year in a city block square, 7 story, dept store in Massachusetts. The kind of store which had a crew who did nothing but handle the window displays and display areas within the store. It had a nurse's office,  and a top floor restaurant for the employees, heated sidewalks and a doorman, etc. - and was in competition  with an equally big family owned 80 yr old store just down the main street. Malls killed these stores, now the Malls are leaving.

Sad that youngsters will never experience shopping on a snowy day at stores such as these.

Stig

[Kansas kymco]

On line shopping has killed a lot of retail stores.  Look no further then Amazon to see a successful company making record profits. Kind of funny Sears, Montgomery Wards and Penny's pioneered mail order sales then went to expensive retail stores and we're to slow to change with the times. Walmart got hit hard by Amazon  as well and was almost to slow to go online.

Another good example is Kodak that invented the digital camera.  They did not release it because it would cannibalize sales of their film cameras. How that work out for them

Times change and you either change with them or get left behind.

[CROSSBOLT]

I remember the wonder of the department stores in Seattle! Yes, bush town Seattle! Sea port, busy waterfront, thriving, one of a kind shops busy with business. The department stores had many floors each one stuffed with goods, if not there, you did not need it. Parallel with Macy's types were mail order which supplied rural needs. Rural for me was eastern Washington, small town of Pomeroy, 1800 on the city limit sign. We used the Sears-Roebuck and Monkey-Wards catalogs for wish books!

Segue to today where stupifying taxes and covid fear have ruined everything. Walmart and Amazon have made it hard for the local store owners who simply either cannot compete or are unable to fill the niche for their community. Sam Walton started in a repurposed building in a very small town in northwest Arkansas. His business model was get stuff the people actually used or wanted at the lowest price possible. Amazon launch was even more bush league beginning in a residential garage selling books over the internet at low prices.

There are so many contrived pressures on free enterprise today it makes it difficullt to stay in business. Many of these pressures are tolerated because of public ignorance. Some of the pressures against success are from within businesses from poor and uninspired leadership and poor management at the top levels. These are a result, in my opinion, of higher education and the false premise of success a result of specialized education like MBA degrees.

[Iahawk]

most of us here have witnessed both the rise and fall of 'the mall' within our lifetimes. Many things have killed the malls..high rents, hours stores must maintain to follow mall rules...and people are generally lazy and don't like to park and walk a long distance..they like to park right in front of a store and walk in (if they go in at al these days).

Smaller strip malls are where the retail that is left is moving to these days.

[Kansas kymco]

Some of the large dead malls are being repurposed. Some are education centers others have found life as indoor car showrooms while others have been flattened by bulldozers. 

Actually my generation has seen business go from main street to malls to big box stores then to online. 

[MORGS777]

Im all for fair competition as being small shop owner myself in UK.
But the likes of Amazon etc not paying tax's is killing smaller/large retailers alike.
As far as im aware they dont pay taxes correctly in US either ?
No wonder he can afford to build a areospace company !
At least his ex wife is giving away her money !

[Iahawk]

it is only a recent occurrence that online retailers charge sales tax on  purchases in my state of Iowa. Previously, if a retailer did not have a brick and mortar presence in the state no sales tax was charged or collected on sales. While this provided a small savings to the consumer it deprived out state and local governments of much needed tax revenue. It was also considered unfair to the local stores who were required to charge sales tax (currently 6%, here).

I also grew up in a smaller city with 2 large, locally owned, downtown department stores that competed with each other for the best Christmas Holiday window displays. I fondly remember my Mom taking me downtown to look at the store windows...something that my kids never got to experience.

[Kansas kymco]

When I grew up sales tax was 3%. Now sales tax is 9.25% here in Kansas.   A new Ford Maverick was $1995. in 1970 so $59.85 sales tax.  Today a Ford Focus is about $19,995. and sales tax at 3% would be $599.85.  So sales tax would have kept up with inflation as the price increases.  But that isn't the case the state now charges 9.25% so the same $19,995. Focus has $1849.54 sales tax. I don't mind paying my fair share but this is unreasonable high.
Compound that with the fact they collect sales tax on used vehicles that have already had the sales tax paid on them.  Then on top of that we have the privilege of paying personal property tax on vehicles every year.  Then we get to pay state income tax which 51% go to support our schools.  Now our governor wants to raise taxes again. She ran on a platform of cutting sales tax on food, (didn't happen). Now you see why the exodus to states without state income tax. Whenever they run out of money they just go to the tax payer instead of cutting the budget.

It's definitely tough on business owners just to compete for money when others are given a advantage. 

[Tromper]

Fully ack'ing and mostly agreeing with all of ya on this, but things evolve.

Around here (Seattlish) the closer large malls to me are both going down a similar, & interesting path, and are doing massive rebuilds to incorporate residential space in the mall.  One of 'em is even the new home for our aspiring hockey team as well.

Before MegaCold™ took hold, accelerating the work from home growth exponentially I thought that may be their salvation.  Now, I'm not as sure since there's a move away from the big centers due to the cost of space and the need to have a place to work from in the home.

I will note that the one that I cruised the week prior to xmas was busier than I've seen it in a couple years, & per a news article this was the case at other large malls in the area.  I do wonder though if that's due, partly at least, to folks needing at least to see other people after a year or so of at least relative quarantine.

[Iahawk]

What really shows me the decline in mall (and big box stores) is my local Best Buy located in our mall. (For those not familiar, Best Buy is a large electronics retailer..with giant stores that aren’t so busy any more).

Best Buy, at Christmas time, used to be one of the most crowded stores around. Now? The store looks like a store after a going out of business sale...minimal inventory..maybe half to 1/3 of what they carried only a few years ago. Very few customers in the store. And this isn’t due to large Christmas sales...this is how it always looks. Such a huge downfall from how they used to be...but this is the new reality with purchasing moving online.