The Death Of Shopping Malls In America

The fall of Shopping Malls A mall used to be a staple in American suburban communities, but is the rise of online retailing to blame for the death of shopping centers around America? Malls are shutting down across the nation; analysts estimating that 1 out of every 4 malls will close their doors for good in by the year 2022 (“The Death and Life,” 42). More than 8,600 stores have closed down this year alone from lack of business circulation and many businesses are close to the same fatality. There has been an immense decline in retail jobs; an industry that gave so many opportunities is now struggling to keep employees. Over 448,000 jobs within department stores have been lost since 2002, while online retailers have created around 178,000

People from all walks of life had a place to gather altogether, a forum that offered shopping, foods, and various other services almost mimicking a market square during the Grecian times. By the 1970s, lands were being cleared to accommodate large shopping centers in suburban areas across America. Malls were definitely most appealing to the youth that allowed pop culture to thrive in a mass setting. Various game shows, iconic pop stars, and classic movies rose to fame in the malls settings because that was where most people could be reached in a mass setting. More and more malls were continued to be built and all in a very close distance to each other. Times in 1992 reported that there were forty-eight malls within a ninety-minute drive from the center of Times Square in New York City (“The Death and Life,” 42). Between 1956 and 2005, over 1,500 malls had been built, but sadly the growth rate of malls was starting to exceed the popularity rate (“The Death and Life,” 42). When the year 2010 came around, mall activity during the holidays had decreased by 50%, which was always the most active time for

The Harvard Professor of Business, Leonard Schlesinger, says that malls “were built for patterns of social interaction that increasingly don’t exist” meaning that since the digital age has taken hold of the lives of society, no one feels the need to go interact in a public space (“The Death and Life,” 42). Many malls have already shut down across the nation and being bought for office space or other business ventures, but there are quite a few malls in America that are dodging casualty by accommodating to the new taste of the current era. Centers that offer luxury brands like Gucci or Louis Vuitton are thriving because they offer a something that cannot be found on Amazon. Other malls found that people enjoy being entertained rather than shopping through lavish movie theaters, a quick game of bowling, an outdoor shopping experience, or offering chic dining rather than fast food options. Having better dining options has been found to make or break a shopping center and that has been proven through the survival of big box stores. Big box has seen the most growth in sales greater than Amazon and that is due to their offering of food. Paul Ellickson, professor at the University of Rochester states that, “Club Stores, supercenters, and big-box grocery stores all involve some element on