Shopping Malls are dying before our eyes

originally posted by: MRinder

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
COVID just sped up the already inevitable in this regard. The only way traditional shopping will survive is if the government starts clamping down on Amazon. That might actually happen, too. You force Amazon customers to pay fair market shipping prices to the USPS instead of being subsidized by the tax payer, add online sales tax and the impact of the foreign manufacturing tariffs, and just maybe Amazon starts to see sales going back to local brick and mortar shops.

I don't think so. Amazon already has you paying sales tax on their stuff, not sure about 3rd party vendors who sell on the Amazon platform.

If USPS raises prices they will just deliver it themselves. My guess is over the next 5 years or less they will start to deliver all of their own items, except maybe in the most rural areas.

Tariffs hit all of their competitors equaly so that wont hurt them at all.

The only thing that could slow Amazon down is if the government made them split off AWS and/or the advertising part of their business, because those are high margin businesses.

Malls are interesting. We have several here that are like ghost towns, but we also have one that is always so busy you can barely find a parking spot and another brand new outdoor one that seems to do well. The ones that do well are in more affluent areas. I think what killed the malls is that a lot of people have a lot less disposable income than they used to.

Amazon already delivers their own packages where I live and in most other major cities. People in some of the suburbs and rural areas still have to depend on USPS for their Amazon order delivery. I'm waiting for the day when Walmart.com starts delivering their own orders to be honest. The only time I even use USPS any more is for sending cards for birthdays, Mother's Day and sometimes to mail packages at Christmas time. Everything else I take care of online or have packages I order shipped directly to the recipient.

I always thought JC Penney was doing good. Its about the only big box clothing store I buy from.

Those lazy mall owners could just keep up with current events and evolve itself to online services with free delivery.
Sure they will take a hit on their income, but they will still make gold and we will still have toilet paper and food.
Lots of small stores around my place have a online service where you choose what you want, then drive to their parking place and they will come and put em in the back of your car, and you use mobilpay to pay. done and drive home.

originally posted by: timewarpedbrain7

originally posted by: KKLOCO
a reply to: AndyFromMichigan

At my local mall, there were FOUR freaking Sunglass Huts in the same mall. Those days are over.

Our retail shops open Friday thank god! Ironically, I need sunglasses.

Bars and restaurants to follow Monday. Finally some good news!

Mall of America by chance?

Place has 4 of those, 3 sock stores, and at least 2 mirror maze's

Scottsdale Fashion Mall

The two malls in my hometown up in Maine have been relics for quite some time. In the 80’s they were the place to be, by the end of the 90’s they were barely hanging on. At one point, Spencer Gifts was the *only* store inside of one of them. From what I’ve read, both the mall owners refuse to lower their rent. It’s not uncommon for people to prefer to make no money instead of making some money, I’ve known plenty of people who have refused to take a low-paying job while waiting for something better to come along, meanwhile they’re broke as a joke and begging for help.

Malls stopped being convenient for me when I decided to wear other clothes aside from metal band t-shirts and stopped buying lip rings or whatever else I had pierced and needed jewelry for. I still prefer to go to JC Penny for all my jeans because they’re cheap, but even that’s become a pain in the ass over the years because it seems all they offer are skinny jeans and that’s a big no-go for me. How guys pack their sacks in those I’ll never know.

If the major retailers go down it’ll open up a door for small businesses to take over. Hopefully not every mall owner is like the guys from my hometown and are willing to lower their pricing and work with small businesses to keep the malls standing. IMO, it’d be pretty damn cool to go to a mall that’s all small businesses and not filled with a bunch of chain stores where you can just buy everything in stock on the internet anyway, for cheaper.

Unless they bust up the Monopoly Amazon and other big online stores, all of the local stores will be out of business around here. Right now, the way things are going, people are ordering online from stores like Menards and Lowes, that will mean those stores will downsize and just go with pickup orders....jobs will be gone from around here, unemployment in communities will drop after all the people quit looking for work and go on government assistance. You think the homeless problem is bad now, wait and see what happens in five years. If you have an Amazon in your community think of this, taxes will rise to take away your money too, half your paychecks will disappear. Of course, the rich will still be rich and crime will excel to levels never seen. Better not let them take away our guns, criminals will always have guns.

a reply to: AndyFromMichigan

Whatever happens, we need to keep Amazon in check.

Recently was looking to purchase a small cosmetic product. The price was literally two times on Amazon versus the makers site. Here's the kicker. I ordered it from the maker but it took over two weeks to arrive.... Amazon knows that people want their stuff quickly!

a reply to: JAGStorm

I wouldn't use Amazon, they're too socialist They can put your orders on hold if it's deemed nonessential... what a crock BS. I'd rather use eBay where the seller is conscious of being quick on delivery.

far as malls.... for some time now, they have been going the way of the Dodo bird.

a reply to: JAGStorm

No more trying on makeup at the store either. Makeup artist industry???

Yeah, and amazon used to guarantee 2 day delivery. We now pay the same price, to get it in 1-2 weeks...

If I was an apparel store, I might consider giving up some retail space to have in house seamstresses making the inventory. With a simple enough pattern and a desirable product...might be able to make and sell enough for everyone to do well.

Same thing for a trinket shop weaving baskets, making chests, etc.

originally posted by: karl 12

originally posted by: AndyFromMichigan

Once the Coronavirus lockdowns finally end, things will start to go back to normal.

Doubt it - far more probable is a rolling series of 'lockdowns' and total corporate 'privatisation' of food production.

Big agri business is already making offers on my farm that's been in my family for over 100years. I'm not a farmer, I have it leased to a family of farmers. I don't think they can survive in this "trickle down" corporate oligarchy.

They'll make for great Fema camps..a reply to: AndyFromMichigan

originally posted by: Drucifer
From what I’ve read, both the mall owners refuse to lower their rent.

When i owned a popular local restaurant i was approached by the local mall numerous times to open a restaurant in their mall. I finally accepted their offer to meetup and discuss their proposal. I couldn't believe what they were proposing they wanted me to pay monthly rent fees at premium prices and give them access to my books so they could charge me an additional percentage based on my gross sales.

I couldnt believe anyone would want to sign such a contract . Im assuming they dont do that with the big chain named restaurants but it suddenly explained why the mom and pops restaurants never appear to last to long in that mall.

You still have malls? I thought they died years ago.

Don't feel sorry for malls, when they were first built they put many little main street businesses out of business.

Time change and companies change. Sears was invented to help rural people escape over price monopoly of small town stores - they were the Amazon of today.

I went to my local mall a few years ago and really had a look around instead of just going in to get a free refill on glasses cleaner from Sunglass Hut. What a sad place. I'd say half the stores sell sneakers. Really, do we nee that many places for crappy shoes?

I say let 'em fail, there's nothing there anymore worth buying. Lots of jobs will go away but there's nothing I can do about that.

The world has moved on.

Somebody built a better mousetrap. That's capitalism, folks!

It is very sad and true that malls are dying, they have been dying for a long time, just like mama and papa stores has died down to big retailers Malls will be gone to internet commerce, first it was slowly but with the recent events in the US with the virus some of the malls many never reopen.

The death of malls is not inevitable - these bankruptcy proceedings place formally valuable assets in the hands of bankers who in many cases have already recouped most if not ll of there initial loans plus interest who sell them off at bargain prices to monopolies who import goods from other countries and then automate the jobs related to it. Those malls then become cheap temporary bento box housing for illegal immigrants and welfare recipients to spend your tax dollars.

If you care about the economy or future of your child's ability to find work or stability the least you can do is ship to store, cheats the porch pirates and saves gray hairs from chasing down packages.

IF you really care find quality american goods like those produced by origin, and tesla and buy those instead.

Well this is certainly bad news.

If the malls are gone where are people gonna run to for zombie apocalypse?