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I still don't get why malls don't have supermarkets. Almost every shopping center in Sweden have them, and guess what? People shopping at the mall pick up foo

I still don't get why malls don't have supermarkets. Almost every shopping center in Sweden have them, and guess what? People shopping at the mall pick up food. People grocery shopping browse the mall.

wallflower 18y ago
My guess is the grocery carts. Shopping for food can be a high volume experience. In a place where store owners can get reprimanded or penalized for closing before 9pm (it's usually in the mall lease), I think carts would detract from the shopping "experience".
- pchristensen 18y ago
  Makes sense. People in Sweden used baskets, not carts, so it fit with the other shop experience. But what grocery store closes before 9pm?
  - wallflower 18y ago
    Not the grocery store, the mall. Most malls in the U.S. close at 9pm or 10pm. If a mall store closes its storefront before then, it looks bad (similar to a block with abandoned buildings, a couple not open storefronts break the RetailLand experience).
Xichekolas 18y ago
Amusingly, the opposite is happening. Most supermarkets (in the midwest anyway) are starting to sell non-food items. The one I went to when I was recently living in Texas sold flat screen TVs, DVD players, books, kids toys, and clothes, in addition to food. Many Wal-marts are adding grocery stores. From the consumer's viewpoint, they can still get everything in one place (just like a mall), but the economics for big box retailers are better than a bunch of small stores that happen to gather in one building.
cmars232 18y ago
I'd like to see malls in the US become more like those in Singapore. Supermarkets, fresh fruit stands, top-notch restaurants and amazing food courts. A reflexology clinic here & there would be nice too :) Of course, malls in Singapore (and probably elsewhere outside the US) benefit from being placed within walking distance or directly on top of/underneath mass transit hubs. When you have to drive to a concrete island, it won't be quite the same.

wallflower 18y ago

My guess is the grocery carts. Shopping for food can be a high volume experience. In a place where store owners can get reprimanded or penalized for closing before 9pm (it's usually in the mall lease), I think carts would detract from the shopping "experience".

pchristensen 18y ago
Makes sense. People in Sweden used baskets, not carts, so it fit with the other shop experience. But what grocery store closes before 9pm?
- wallflower 18y ago
  Not the grocery store, the mall. Most malls in the U.S. close at 9pm or 10pm. If a mall store closes its storefront before then, it looks bad (similar to a block with abandoned buildings, a couple not open storefronts break the RetailLand experience).

Xichekolas 18y ago

Amusingly, the opposite is happening. Most supermarkets (in the midwest anyway) are starting to sell non-food items. The one I went to when I was recently living in Texas sold flat screen TVs, DVD players, books, kids toys, and clothes, in addition to food. Many Wal-marts are adding grocery stores. From the consumer's viewpoint, they can still get everything in one place (just like a mall), but the economics for big box retailers are better than a bunch of small stores that happen to gather in one building.

cmars232 18y ago

I'd like to see malls in the US become more like those in Singapore. Supermarkets, fresh fruit stands, top-notch restaurants and amazing food courts. A reflexology clinic here & there would be nice too :) Of course, malls in Singapore (and probably elsewhere outside the US) benefit from being placed within walking distance or directly on top of/underneath mass transit hubs. When you have to drive to a concrete island, it won't be quite the same.