Who misses the days of going to malls?

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I liked the mall when I was a teenager. I don't like them anymore, though they are sometimes useful. A few weeks ago I went to a mall because they have an ecco shoe store. They are one of the few brands of shoes that I can usually find my size. I was tracking my walking. I had to walk over a kilometre to get from the car to the store and back to the car.
 
Malls around here are ridden with crime and gang violence. It was not the case when I was a young teen. Mom could drop us at the front of the mall. We would go to Spencers, Claire's, and then shop the clearance racks until we got hungry. There was a cafeteria near the mall entrance. Prices were low enough to compare with K-Mart's cafe, and you could watch those coming and going. After lunch, we would go to Aladdin's Castle to play PinBall until it was time for Mom to pick us up.

At the time, it was a safe place for teens to "hang-out." And we would not think of acting out as we would not be going to the mall again if we did. Same as with the local skating rink. Now, trouble is always at them. Back when, it was a safe place for kids to go....and any mischief would be dealt with by parents who would meet with the rink owner waiting with us for them to show up....or we would not be getting in again.
 
Since I don't enjoy shopping (except for book stores and kitchen supply shops) I never liked malls. They are closing down around here. Tenants moving out, management not able to meet utility bills, and general disinterest by shoppers. On-line shopping has killed some small retailers, and has made a big dent in malls.
You know, it's funny, but other than groceries, I don't really enjoy shopping that much either. At least not like I did when I was in my teens and 20's. And that was a time when malls were the "in" thing. Anytime my friends and I would talk about going shopping, the mall is where we would always end up.

These days, I'd rather get on Amazon.

But yeah, even department stores were inside malls. I remember going to Gold Circle (kind of a Walmarty type of place) inside Westerville Mall. I liked Gold Circle better than K-Mart. K-Mart, ugh. I hated that place and avoided it at all costs. So it was always the mall for me. And I didn't really find the malls to be overly expensive back then. Many of those shops would have nice sales going on and that's usually what I would hit up.
 
I used to go to the local mall to walk around on a hot day. I''d walk the entirety of both levels. I'd sometimes buy something, or stop for lunch in the food court. Or, just a snack at Paciugo gelato.

I need to stock up on hand soaps from Bath and Body Works. I'll walk the mall while I'm there.

I'm a bit too old to ride the carousel without a kid with me.

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CD
 
When I was young (pre-teen) my mom would take me on public transportation to downtown Boston to shop. She'd drag me through stores all over the place. There was usually a stop at the Essex Delicatessen for lunch. Hot pastrami and half-sour pickles. That part was great! As a result . . .

I've always disliked shopping. I prefer just buying. That is, I don't go to the mall wandering around looking for something, I know what I want, go to the store that has it, buy it and go home.

A woman I once worked with suggested there was a parallel to our "caveman" ancestors. The women had the job of foraging for food. This entailed searching the countryside for edible plants. On the other hand, men were the hunters. They sought out a certain prey killed it and brought it home. Different focuses.

Amazon was made for me.
 
I used to go to the local mall to walk around on a hot day. I''d walk the entirety of both levels. I'd sometimes buy something, or stop for lunch in the food court. Or, just a snack at Paciugo gelato.

I need to stock up on hand soaps from Bath and Body Works. I'll walk the mall while I'm there.

I'm a bit too old to ride the carousel without a kid with me.

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CD
You're never too old for carousels! Get on there :D
 
It might be interpreted differently if a man gets on the carousel and isn't accompanying a child. Think about it. Well, maybe not if there are no kids around.
I get what you're saying. But still... it's sad people even think that way. But then people are more cautious these days. And if they don't pay attention to their surroundings, bad things can happen.

The ole double-edge sword.
 
I stay away from them now with a vengeance, unless I have no alternatives....shout out to amazon. Now I prefer the previous street shopping which has been on a resurgence in Ontario at least for the last decade or so and of course the less corporate vibe with the many individual entrepreneurs, but that's just my lifestyle speaking and of course many people love going to malls today.

I remember in my youth when they were first introduced, myself and friends would seek out a few specifically, mostly on weekends and make special pilgrimages and hang out for hours mostly in downtown Toronto, known as Dundas Square and also Sherway Gardens in Etobicoke.
 
My main reason for hating to shop is I go for one item and come home with 10. :mad: Most of which I probably don't need.
A cashier once wisely said to me "When you come in for just 2 things, automatically add a 0 onto that, cause you will walk out with 20."
Tarnation!!! They were right!

Costco is always around $300 of which I probably only needed $50.00. I try to limit my visits there to once a year.
 
It has been quite a while since I have eaten at the food court and walked the mall. I generally just look at things, to see what's new.

Sharper Image is gone, so there is not a place to waste 20 minutes looking at stuff and wondering, "Why would I pay that much money for something like that?" Oh, and 10 minutes in the massage chair.

Williams Sanoma is still in the mall, and I can wander around in there for quite a while.

In Nordstrom, there shoes from an Italian designer who has my last name. They start at $1,000 and go up. I daydream that he is an uncle of mine from Italy.

CD
 
I liked the mall when I was a teenager. I don't like them anymore, though they are sometimes useful. A few weeks ago I went to a mall because they have an ecco shoe store. They are one of the few brands of shoes that I can usually find my size. I was tracking my walking. I had to walk over a kilometre to get from the car to the store and back to the car.
Yeah, that's another thing for me, I can't do the walking anymore. Between my poor hips and the sciatica crud, plus the neuropathy in my feet... can't do it.

Getting old sucks.
 
I don't like shopping. We needed to go to walmart the other night, for one thing, they didn't have what I needed, I bought one sketch book. The entire store smelled like fried chicken, my mouth could almost taste it (and if you know me I don't eat chicken) and it was torture! I was so glad to leave that store.
 
I don't like shopping. We needed to go to walmart the other night, for one thing, they didn't have what I needed, I bought one sketch book. The entire store smelled like fried chicken, my mouth could almost taste it (and if you know me I don't eat chicken) and it was torture! I was so glad to leave that store.
Fried chicken is one of my most favorite things in the world. And you're right, the smell is enough to drive you nuts. There's no mistaking the smell of fried chicken.

I've met a few who would argue that. Especially along with other circumstances in their lives.
There are fates worse than death. I totally believe that.
 
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