Why Are Shopping Malls Vanishing?

Shopping malls are still big business in America, but for how long?

The American tradition of spending a weekend afternoon at a shopping mall is vanishing. Although some malls are still very profitable, many of them are closing down. One reason is that many traditional retail chains are going out of business. Amazon and the Internet have changed the way we shop. But there was something special about going to the movies, eating in the food court, and browsing the big stores at the local mall. I have many fond memories of afternoons and evenings spent in our hometown mall when I grew up. It's gone now.

I remember growing up in Sears. My dad and granddad went down to the Sears store every weekend. They bought tools, auto parts, stuff to fix up their homes, and gadgets. Mom took us kids along so she could shop. We visited all the big stores including Sears and JC Penney right before school started in the fall. Everyone was there buying clothes, school supplies, and other stuff. It was like Christmas earlier in the year.

When we were old enough to be trusted to spend time by ourselves mom and dad would drop us off at the theater. We'd watch a movie for 2 hours while they shopped and had a lunch together. When we got out they would be waiting for us. If we didn't buy any junk food at the theater they'd take us to a pastry shop. Dad always offered to buy the pizza if we could wait before eating.

Christmas shopping was always an exciting, frustrating time for me. When I moved to a big city with four malls I had to plan my weekends carefully. Getting to and from each mall called for meticulous navigation. My girlfriend (now my wife) and I went together and we'd have a nice dinner at one of the mall restaurants. When kids started coming along we had to change our mall budget.

Somewhere in time we began visiting the mall less often. I don't know why. Maybe we had just bought so much stuff at the mall we no longer needed to go there. Local shopping centers were built all around town. You have to park in front of each store and go in directly. I miss the indoor mall experience but honestly I don't take the time to drive over to our local mall any more. It's just not the same feeling.

The American mall has lost its magic for me. Maybe I spent too much time sitting in the same food courts. Or it could be that I got tired of holding my breath as I walked past all the makeup vendors, who wear too much perfume.

Casual work days came along as I started taking jobs. I never had to buy a suit, not even for a job interview. And I only bought "business pants" for a few years. I haven't bought anything but jeans in ages. I can buy all the jeans I need at the outlet mall or at a local Walmart or Target. I just don't need to visit those big stores like we did when I was a kid. I don't know what my parents bought at the mall. But they always came out with packages.

When my wife and I go shopping at Walmart or Target we only buy stuff we really need. I don't remember seeing merchandise like this in a mall. If I want to buy something nice for the family, like a computer or an entertainment system, I buy it online.

The shopping mall experience is something special from the past. Maybe Sam's Club and Costco have become the new shopping malls. I don't get excited when I hit the warehouse club but I shop at Costco more often than I shop at the local mall.

The one thing I really miss about shopping malls is that you can walk around inside when it's stormy outside. The temperature control in those big buildings is amazing. When you're walking along a sidewalk on a hot summer day or during an icy winter storm, you can't help but wish you were inside a mall.

And yet, even then, I no longer visit my local mall. I wonder what happened.