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It makes little sense that Wal Mart gets more business from people who are there 30 days per year than folks who are there for about 350. The average household income of a wal mart shopper is just above $40k.
But the visitor population might be high compared to resident population.
Now, some don't open until 10 AM, which annoys the early risers, but most are open until 8 or 9 PM during the week, more hours than the old downtown stores were open.
You might think so, but you are thinking too narrowly. The old downtown had bars that were open until 2:00am, and had public parks that were open other hours. The majority of malls don't have that. The on-street parking itself was used by residents or visitors all night long. Cars would pass through old downtown essentially all night long.
It makes little sense that Wal Mart gets more business from people who are there 30 days per year than folks who are there for about 350. The average household income of a wal mart shopper is just above $40k.
What nei said, plus the winter season is about six months long there. The ski industry workers are only employed that long, too. There are a few other people living in Steamboat, ranchers and such. We have a Walmart in Lafayette, where the median household income is ~ $70K. Lafayette (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau
The only mall that's really hurting in my immediate area is the Downtown Plaza in Sacramento, it's just being bled out by the new, nicer malls in the suburbs. Less pointless driving, less paying for parking, less hassle from weirdos that hang around K Street, better selection of stores. JMA Ventures just bought it for a song and a dance, around $30/square foot, or about 20% of the market rate of average retail business. Kind of amazing how close to utterly worthless it is considering it's right in the middle of downtown Sacramento.
Off the top of my head, we have approximately 10 malls in the metro area, I'd say 3 are very healthy. Four are struggling, the remainder are nearing closure or redevelopment. Two were been redeveloped as big box centers.
What?? Now, some don't open until 10 AM, which annoys the early risers, but most are open until 8 or 9 PM during the week, more hours than the old downtown stores were open.
Another issue is the fact the the hours of a mall can be limiting. It could make sense for a restaurant to open at 6 a.m. for breakfast but if it is in the food court of an indoor mall that is no go. If you are opening at 10AM you may be missing a large chunk of the "I need to get this item before I go to work" crowd and the "I just got off night shift and need to make a quick stop". At 10 Am you are a lot more dependent on someone who either works a weird shift or is not working(housewife, a retired person...).
A store in a downtown can open or close at will. Stores in the mall are much more limited in that(i.e. only a store that has an entrance from outdoors can do that.) and a store that has an entrance from the outside that closes would cause problems for the stores inside the mall(changed traffic patterns ect..).
Of the 5 traditional drive and park enclosed malls in this area that have existed in this area:
3 are dead - in some sort of re-development
1 is dying a slow death - still has a decent anchor - so it's alive for now. . .barely
1 is doing ok I think
There are a number of strip malls and open air shopping centers that pre-date "lifestyle centers". These are in varying states - some decaying or dead, others thriving.
The only new major shopping centers built in last 10 years have been open air strip or lifestyle centers. The most successful in town (currently) is a lifestyle center.
The last time an enclosed mall opened here is 1996. As far as I know there are no plans to do another and it seems incredibly unlikely another enclosed mall will ever be built.
And it has been boom-boom times - economy is roaring.
As far as what to do with these things - I would suggest with the ascendency of zombie films - dead malls make for PERFECT film locations, both logistically and symbolically.
"A shopping mall, shopping center/centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct, or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area – a modern, indoor version of the traditional marketplace."
I know that it wasn't your video, but I was just sayin. I didn't even watch the video.
I agree with the wiki definition. A large store like Macy's is not a mall because a mall is a collection of stores and not just a single store. Rodeo Drive is not a mall because for the most part it's a city street with buildings that are individually owned and as such are not a "complex". It does have a small complex of stores and maybe the video focused on that, but it's only a few stores.
If malls are dying, why are the parking lots so full?
Depends on where you are. They are maybe doing better in cold weather places than they are here.
In Southern California, not only have many closed but many of the ones that are still open seem only a shadow of their heyday. I remember at Christmas that some malls would run shuttle buses on weekends to nearby office buildings because their parking lots would get too full so people would have to park far away. Now I go during Christmas (almost the only time that I go) and except for maybe the weekend right before Christmas, the parking is fairly abundant. And at other times outside that season I often see malls that used to have parking lots that were teeming with people look pretty empty.
Others have mentioned what's been happening here and I agree with them.
Another issue is the fact the the hours of a mall can be limiting. It could make sense for a restaurant to open at 6 a.m. for breakfast but if it is in the food court of an indoor mall that is no go. If you are opening at 10AM you may be missing a large chunk of the "I need to get this item before I go to work" crowd and the "I just got off night shift and need to make a quick stop". At 10 Am you are a lot more dependent on someone who either works a weird shift or is not working(housewife, a retired person...).
A store in a downtown can open or close at will. Stores in the mall are much more limited in that(i.e. only a store that has an entrance from outdoors can do that.) and a store that has an entrance from the outside that closes would cause problems for the stores inside the mall(changed traffic patterns ect..).
I don't think there ever was a large segment of people who went shopping before work, unless they were working an evening or night shift. I know few people who even go to McDonald's before work to get a cup of coffee. In the downtowns of yore, stores were usually open 9-5, with some limited evening hours. In the downtown of my hometown, the stores were open till 9 on Monday and Friday nights, closed on Sundays. Most malls that I am familiar with have an opening that is not into any store. My local mall has an opening into the food court. There are stores in the mall that keep different hours than the majority. Chick-Fil-A has long been closed on Sunday, for example. Another mall in my area has a Walgreen's that opens at 9 AM.
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