slo’s SATURDAY poll - Shopping Malls

[_19disnA]

Used to enjoy the malls before the days of online shopping since you could go to one location and visit several stores with the various products you were looking for. Unfortunately, many malls seem to have become hangouts from teens with nothing better to do and groups get into arguments or fights which deters actual shoppers. Malls have never really figured out how to deal with that problem and since online shopping is way more prevalent now, rather shop online. More efficient use of my time when I can easily scan 5 stores online for a certain product instead of driving all over town for something.

I don't think many people now make a day of 'shopping at the mall' like they might have done in the past. Likely, that is also part of the reason for their decline.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I go around Christmas sometimes. Malls used to be a big deal, but now I know I can find the same sort of thing for less money elsewhere. The closest mall to me is Cherry Hill Mall, and they renovated years ago and brought in a lot of expensive stores. I don't go there at all anymore because why should I buy a pair of $100 jeans when I know I can buy at least three or four pair in Walmart for the same price?

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I so rarely go to a mall anymore. My younger self loved malls, and I would go every chance I got. I remember how exciting it was to go to the Mall of America. Now I just find malls depressing.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

My local mall is in sad shape. It was even before the pandemic. So many stores have closed. There is not much that interests me at the mall. I do like to go with my daughter when trying to buy new clothes for her for sizing purposes. I find that the few clothing stores that remain have little inventory and end up having to buy on line anyway.

 

[mamamary]

Once every few months. Usually when I go it’s to hit the bigger anchor dept stores. I went a few weeks ago with dh to a mall but we only went to Boscovs. We didn’t even get anything. I have a small mall by my house that dd goes to once or twice a month. When my dd was a lot younger we would go there more often but I don’t even like the stores that are still there.

 

[ronandannette]

So what remains of Canadian national retail chains, just The Bay? Canadian Tire?

I know Eaton’s went kaput and Target failed in Canada.

Department store-wise, it's Wal-Mart, the Bay (which is several notches more expensive than Sears used to be), then it jumps up very high-end to Holt Renfrew, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. These last three only exist in the major cities; probably 8 or nine locations nation-wide. The venerable Canadian Tire is still everywhere but it's a hardware/home-improvement store.

 

[evilmommie]

I’d say I’m at the “mall” for shopping and lunch 6-12x a year.

We live near a couple of gorgeous mall/shopping centers. Newport Fashion Island is beautiful, as it overlooks the ocean and is outdoors.

South Coast Plaza, up the road in Costa Mesa has all kinds of choices of retailers. Lot’s of eye candy. It’s a tourist destination as well.

Irvine Spectrum is really cool too. Outdoors, large Ferris wheel. It’s more known for it’s restaurants and entertainment but more stores have been coming in that make it worth it to go there. Sephora, Apple, Gorjana, Nordies..

 

[scbruno]

Haven't been to a Mall in a while. however we have two outlet centers both within 30 minutes so we go there.

 

[disneychrista]

We don’t have a traditional indoor mall in my town. When I need to go work clothes shopping I go to the larger city an hour away and go to the mall there. Really need to do this soon, haven’t bought any new work clothes since pre-COVID.

Last time I went to the mall was to buy pretzel bites from Wetzel Pretzel.

 

[RedAngie]

Department store-wise, it's Wal-Mart, the Bay (which is several notches more expensive than Sears used to be), then it jumps up very high-end to Holt Renfrew, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. These last three only exist in the major cities; probably 8 or nine locations nation-wide. The venerable Canadian Tire is still everywhere but it's a hardware/home-improvement store.

Ah, I had forgotten about Holt Renfrew. I was in the one in Toronto once.

I considered The Bay and Eaton’s to be on the same level as Macy’s in the US. Moderate but also some high end selections.

We stopped at a Canadian Tire in the suburbs of Toronto because DH needed something for the car. I was expecting strictly auto supplies but was amazed at the variety. Right, it was mostly hardlines but there was a selection of athletic wear/hockey jerseys, etc.

 

[Micca]

It's been several years since I went to a mall, anything in those stores I can have dropped on my porch. I'll stay home to shop.

 

[RedAngie]

I go around Christmas sometimes. Malls used to be a big deal, but now I know I can find the same sort of thing for less money elsewhere. The closest mall to me is Cherry Hill Mall, and they renovated years ago and brought in a lot of expensive stores. I don't go there at all anymore because why should I buy a pair of $100 jeans when I know I can buy at least three or four pair in Walmart for the same price?

I lived in Cherry Hill as a teen but Echelon Mall was closer. I went to CHM about 5 years ago and didn’t like what they did to it.

I was looking at shoes in Nordstrom and found a nice pair that seemed reasonably priced. $95. DH said look again. They were $950.

 

[ronandannette]

Ah, I had forgotten about Holt Renfrew. I was in the one in Toronto once.

I considered The Bay and Eaton’s to be on the same level as Macy’s in the US. Moderate but also some high end selections.

We stopped at a Canadian Tire in the suburbs of Toronto because DH needed something for the car. I was expecting strictly auto supplies but was amazed at the variety. Right, it was mostly hardlines but there was a selection of athletic wear/hockey jerseys, etc.

Oh what I wouldn't give to have a Macy's and JC Penny here, in the absence of my beloved Sears. I do order on-line from both of them, once in a blue moon.

 

[loves to dive]

I said never. Our local mall shut down all the big stores except Belks. I don't even know what's in there any more. I'm guessing it's been at least 7 or 8 years since I've stepped inside and that was going to Sears for something. I'm not a huge shopper but when I do I like to go to our downtown area. It's mostly high end yuppy shops which I can't afford and have nothing I would wear or use but it's fun to look and our downtown and really pretty (stinks of beer though since every other building holds a bar, gotta love a college town).

 

[mjkacmom]

I have 4 very large indoor shopping malls under 20 minutes from me, rarely go anymore. I think NJ will always have them.

 

[mjkacmom]

Department store-wise, it's Wal-Mart, the Bay (which is several notches more expensive than Sears used to be), then it jumps up very high-end to Holt Renfrew, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. These last three only exist in the major cities; probably 8 or nine locations nation-wide. The venerable Canadian Tire is still everywhere but it's a hardware/home-improvement store.

We seem to have several Nordstrom and Nordstrom racks here.

 

[Babs Johnson]

Unfortunately, many malls seem to have become hangouts from teens with nothing better to do and groups get into arguments or fights which deters actual shoppers.

Hey, that doesn't sound too much different than when I was a teen in the mid 70s. We'd hang out at the arcade or outside the entrance, smoking or getting into other minor trouble. Occasionally arguments or actual fistfights broke out. A few times security chased us away.

I try to avoid malls as much as possible these days. Yeah, I'll go into the anchor department stores, but I prefer outside big box shopping centers. One mall near me closed completely a few years ago, and one or two others are struggling.

 

[tvguy]

No since the pandemic started two years ago. And even before then we might only go 2 or 3 times a year. Not big online shoppers either. We just don't need to buy a lot of stuff anymore. Not like when our now adult children were little and would outgrow clothing every two months.
And anymore, the stores we do shop at are either in a small strip mall, or stand alone like Walmart.
I think the last purchase we made in a store in the mall was going with our daughter to buy a washer and dryer at Sears in the mall 3 years ago. Lowes and Home Depot had available in stock, it was all "we can get it in a few weeks". Sears had everything in stock and delivered the same day.

 

[NAB]

Department store-wise, it's Wal-Mart, the Bay (which is several notches more expensive than Sears used to be), then it jumps up very high-end to Holt Renfrew, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue. These last three only exist in the major cities; probably 8 or nine locations nation-wide. The venerable Canadian Tire is still everywhere but it's a hardware/home-improvement store.

We have Giant Tiger too but it’s in the next town. I miss Sears and there catalogs they send out …miss that Wish Book and bigger ones for Seasons. Plus I used to get our family picture done there every Christmas for 15 years.

 

[Wendy1985]

Non unless you count grabbing food