I watch a lot of Dead Mall videos on YouTube and I wanted to see what everyone’s thoughts are on why there’s so many dead malls now.

  • s_s@lemm.eeEnglish
    311·
    5 months ago

    Malls were just a way to privatize mainstreet and allow the ownership class of capitalists to extract more money from a local economy through large chain stores and to give them private control over what used to be public space.

    Now the middle class is worth a fraction of what it used to be, their purpose has dissolved.

    • Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world
      13·
      5 months ago

      People use Amazon instead of the mall because they can still afford the Temu-level garbage Amazon sells.

      I mean a few reasons.

      • Pricing is better on Amazon vs mall. I can get a Gangsta Luffy T-shirt at $12 vs $20 at hot topic
      • Inventory is significantly bigger. Outside of clothes, I can’t imagine not finding the exact online version and compare
      • Malls are kinda ugly now. Many are indoor and just wall to wall commercialism.
      • People suck. Naked dude stealing stop signs and angry Karen about the take a dump on the escalator.
      • Driving vs ship to door.
      • Both have temu-level garbage, but it’s cheaper on Amazon.
      • s_s@lemm.eeEnglish
        91·
        5 months ago

        Both have temu-level garbage, but it’s cheaper on Amazon.

        Currently, as they are dying today, yes.

        This is not how malls have traditionally worked.

        In the past, malls provided a plug-and-play way for national chain retail to offer premium, private-labeled goods that allowed them to extract money away from a community’s locally owned stores found on main street.