When was the last time you were in a mall?

For shopping, a couple of weeks ago I entered via an anchor store. They had something I wanted.

For walking, I’ve been to malls other times to avoid the extreme heat or icy & very cold weather.

I often end up at strip malls.
 

I walk in the mall every morning now. I have stores that I visit from time to time, i.e., Winners, Shoppers Drug Mart, Hudson's Bay, Northern Reflections, Dollarama, Laura Secord, Smoke Shop Convenience store (for magazines and Lotto tickets) that has been there since the Mall opened in 1972 and a few other stores. In the nicer weather it is outside. We are only about 20 min. walk to Lake Ontario.
 
In 2020, during the pandemic, when everything was closed. expect the Malls book store and restrooms.

My husband was at the hospital going through a 7 hour chemo session. NO visitor's were permitted in the hospital, so I visited the Mall, used the restroom, then went over to the book store and bought several books to read while waiting in our vehicle from him to come out. "Where the crawdads sing" by author Delia Owens, was my favorite book to read.
 
There are no men's clothing stores or shoe stores in my town, so if I need anything like that it has to be the mall, 35 miles away. I never buy clothes or shoes without trying them on, and I don't order anything online.

Most people I know want to get everything delivered to their house, or call up Walmart for even groceries, then drive to Walmart and have someone bring it out. I wonder, don't they ever want to go inside for a walk, or pick out their vegetables?
 
We have a beautiful mall just 20 minutes from our house and if I don't feel like going to the gym I go to the mall and walk both stories. I think both stories = 1 mile. There is also an AMC Theater there and if I go during the week and early afternoon they offer 25% discounts. NorthPark Center in Dallas is thriving. I was there last week. There is also the Galleria if I feel like driving further. I was there a couple of weeks ago.

Both attract lots of tourists as well as locals.
 
There was a mall down the street from me. At one point it had 5 major anchor stores and I enjoyed having it close by. The major anchors started to vacate around ten years ago and the mall was torn down two years ago and the land is now being developed for luxury apartments. The first tower opened a couple of months ago. Rent for a 500 sq ft studio starts at $1800/month. I guess it is good for my property value but I do miss the mall.

The closest mall to me now is about a twenty minute drive away but it is a high end mall and caters mainly to the snowbirds who come here during the winter. It can be very busy there this time of year. The last time I went to that one was about a year ago. The trend here is to have outdoor shopping malls which I don't understand because of the summer heat but they seem to be doing well.
We have a mall in Plano, TX about 25 miles from Dallas in a wealthy suburban area. Many of the shops have closed and they are tearing down half the mall to make it an outdoor shopping area. Like you, I don't get it. We also have unbearable heat here during the summer. 🤷‍♂️
 
Last one was while in the military and deployed to South America in late 90's.
Went to a mall in Ecuador while on liberty, but didn't buy anything.
It was crowded and I basically just wandered around looking at a culture different from mine back home.

Last time in a mall in the U.S.A. was prolly in the 70's. Used to be a hangout and meetup place locally.

EDIT: After further thought, last in a mall ... Dubai UAE, 2004/2005 time frame
 
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We have a mall in Plano, TX about 25 miles from Dallas in a wealthy suburban area. Many of the shops have closed and they are tearing down half the mall to make it an outdoor shopping area. Like you, I don't get it. We also have unbearable heat here during the summer. 🤷‍♂️
If you ever have the time, you and hubs should go out to Southlake Townsquare. It is a fun walk and browse around at Christmas time. My hubs used to take me, could not afford a lot of things but did come home with a few tasty goods. Most of all it was just the atmosphere, it was very jolly!!
 
I'm so lucky we have 2 very large Malls very close to my home. This is where I do most of my walking because I don't like walking in extreme heat.
Just for the month of December I have walked 35.38Km, walking time 9hrs.55m. It's a great place to have a Coffee and to do my weekly shopping. I always manage to meet up with a few friends along the way.
 
I haven't been in a mall since I got my first bird back in 2001! Twenty four years. For all I know all the malls have gone sour and people mostly shot online now.
 
We have a DSW shoe store and a JCPenneys on either end of the mall. I get running shoes at the shoe store, but they had NO LEATHER dress shoes in the store that I could find (can you believe that!) I also get some nicer dress clothes or shoes at the JCPenneys. So I visit about 1 time a year on average.
 


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