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The mall in my town is 75% empty, and frequented mostly by older "mall walkers" such as my father, who does four laps a day. Was still cool when I was in high s
by kizer 5y ago
The mall in my town is 75% empty, and frequented mostly by older "mall walkers" such as my father, who does four laps a day. Was still cool when I was in high school (circa 2012). I have no idea how they're still open even after COVID. Dave & Buster's was supposed to open a location there but that fell through.
- smoyer 5y agoOurs seems to be staying open because of a planet fitness that took over a large section. Macys, Penney's, Seats and BonTon were the anchor stores. It's likely a casino will take over half the building.
- kizer 5y agoYou know... I think our's has a planet fitness as well! But same; Macy's, JC Penney, Old Navy, MC Sports, GameStop, Sears -- all gone. Only Kohl's remains.
- smoyer 5y agoWe have a standalone Kohls and Target at the other end of town. The Wal-Mart and Sam's club across the street from the mall are the only thriving businesses.
- tartoran 5y agoYikes, a casino? That sounds like a really bad thing for the community. I thought casinos need special permissions to operate and should not be too easily accessible by the “vulnerable”.
- zer0-c00l 5y agoNo, casinos are not necessarily bad for a community, you’re mistaken. Ohio legalized casinos in major cities and they aren’t bad (whether they’re successful or not is another matter). And idk what you’re referring to regarding “vulnerable”? Vulnerable to addiction? Alcohol is addictive and bars are legal. Casinos are still heavily regulated, but beyond that people are allowed to make their own decisions and gamble if they wish.
- kevin_thibedeau 5y agoThe people who are the primary denizens of hole in the wall casinos are all gambling addicts. The same people who were illegal gambling in the "internet cafes".
- mschuster91 5y ago> And idk what you’re referring to regarding “vulnerable”? Not OP but worked in the industry and enjoying a casino visit once in a while: People left so far behind by society that they see their only hope of escaping poverty in gambling. Or people with issues (poverty, domestic violence, PTSD, ...) who don't have access to other outlets for their frustrations. Lotteries and gambling are called "taxes on the poor and stupid" for a reason! > Vulnerable to addiction? Alcohol is addictive and bars are legal. Yes, but you usually can't drink away your life savings in one night out (expensive whisky, wine and strip club champagne aside). You'll pass out before being able to spend more than 200$ in most bars. With gambling, it's scary how fast you can win and especially lose a lot of money - I watched someone at a roulette wheel winning 35k $ in one round (bet a grand on a single number), and lose that and more the next ten minutes.
- bigbluedots 5y agoThey are certainly bad for the part of the community who have issues with addiction. As is alcohol and bars. I am not convinced that the misery that these people experience is offset by anything positive provided by casinos or bars.
- nradov 5y agoThere always have been and always will be casinos and bars. The only question is whether they will be allowed to operate openly with proper regulation, or be forced underground and run by criminals.
- pkaye 5y agoOur local mall (in SF bay area) will be shrunk down in size maybe 50% and the additional space and bulk of the parking will be converted into housing with some commercial stores in the bottom. Costco will take over a portion of the mall and some restaurant/food court area will remain. Not sure what will happen to the rest.
- nostrademons 5y agoIt's been interesting to watch the decline and fall of some malls and the rise of others. Hillsdale in San Mateo, Santana Row / Valley Fair in San Jose, and Main Street Cupertino are hopping. Vallco in Cupertino and Tanforan in San Bruno are dead already, and Mercado in Sunnyvale is getting there. It feels like there's a certain style of "1980s mall", and another style of "2020s mall". The former is 2 stories of indoor corridors, primarily retail shops, with interspersed fully-enclosed restaurants and few areas to sit down. The latter is mixed-use, with condos, hotels, restaurants, and retail shops surrounding an open-air green space with lots of public seating and lawns. 1980s malls are dying fast, but 2020s malls are springing up in their place, and successfully drawing people to them.
- pkaye 5y agoYes I've noticed the open outdoor malls are more popular now. I live in Fremont so Newpark Mall is the one I was talking about. You can see the plans on the attached link. https://www.newark.org/home/showpublisheddocument/7665/637588314596430000 https://www.newark.org/home/showpublisheddocument/7665/63758...
- dghughes 5y agoSame for my small town mall: elderly mall walkers, multiple jewellery stores, food court, the remaining 99% of stores are devoted to teen girl clothing.
- throwawayboise 5y agoYeah our local mall used to have a pretty diverse assortment of stores. I haven't been inside it proper in probably 10 years, except some peripheral stores that have their own outside entrances (Target, and a couple of restaurants) but last time I was in it seemed to be all clothing or cosmetics. And the air smelled like farts.
- Taniwha 5y agoI stopped going when they stopped having real book stores