Two things I didn't see mentioned: stagnant wages and rising healthcare costs. I don't think it's a coincidence that malls, especially non-upscale malls, are d

Two things I didn't see mentioned: stagnant wages and rising healthcare costs. I don't think it's a coincidence that malls, especially non-upscale malls, are dying at the same time there's a proliferation of dollar stores and thrift store chains like Savers (basically a for-profit Goodwill). Near a mall where I live there once was a Circuit City. Now there's a dollar store and a Savers. Malls are failing because we simply don't have as much disposable income as we had in the 80s and 90s. The malls that seem to be doing well are the upscale malls whose clientele still have plenty of disposable income.