2aguy
Diamond Member
- Jul 19, 2014
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Yes....it used to be great to do all of your shopping inside a great big mall.....everything you needed right there, food, clothes, and no heat, no extreme cold, and places to relax during your shopping...that weren't your car.....
Then....capitalism advanced society....and things changed......
The Decline Of The Shopping Mall A Capitalist Story The Daily Caller
Capitalism works everytime people leave it alone....then the politicians come along and start to use the government to reward friends and punish enemies......
Then they blame capitalism..........
Then....capitalism advanced society....and things changed......
The Decline Of The Shopping Mall A Capitalist Story The Daily Caller
The mall reigned supreme until a very capitalist thing happened: superior products arrived and began to outcompete it.
The mall itself is an inefficient system. There is a fair amount of common space – space that cannot be rented, but has to be heated or cooled and maintained. Non-leasable space is a disaster in real estate. It didn’t take long before malls started stuffing their hallways with Piercing Pagodas and advertising – but you can only fill a portion of that dead space.
As energy and land costs rose, new retailing options became more attractive. Open-air “power” strip centers had far less non-leasable space and sidewalks that don’t have to be heated, just power-washed with a hose once a day. Even so-called “lifestyle” centers with more elaborate landscaping and outdoor features are cheaper to maintain than a mall.
The retail landscape has also changed since the malls’ heyday. Big box retail chains, like Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Staples put pressure on smaller specialty retailers. Non-mall retailers like Wal-Mart, Target and Kohl’s cut into the sales of classic mall stalwarts like Macy’s and Penney’s. Sears is a dead man walking. Large bookstores like Barnes & Noble and Borders wiped out mall staples like Waldenbooks, before being crushed by internet retail.
And, speaking of the internet, Amazon and other internet vendors have grabbed an increasing share of the retail pie. Mall retailers have responded by moving their own sales online and closing physical stores. Shopping by click has knocked brick and mortar stores for a loop.
Capitalism works everytime people leave it alone....then the politicians come along and start to use the government to reward friends and punish enemies......
Then they blame capitalism..........