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Going To A Dead Mall With $20: How Long Will It Last? | Retail Archaeology
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- Опубликовано: 10 июн 2021
- In this episode of Retail Archaeology I document an experiment to see how long $20 will last at the mall.
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I weep for the children who will never know the joy of a mall arcade...
Same here, my mall had the full on arcade with the tickets and prizes.
Thankyou to corona /germaphobes for screwing that up
I say this all the time!
@@MaddSweetGT500 My mall's arcade when I was a teen was slightly bigger than the mall's Bed, Bath & Beyond. Took a good half- hour just to make a circuit through.
Me too
Malls are getting super unfriendly to go into. I miss the days I could wander in a small bookstore inside the mall and then look at random import Japanese items across the food court.
Agreed, and in my mall you better not be carrying your wallet in your back pocket, same for your phone. The rare times I go for Lenscrafters, or Shoe Show Encore I put my stuff in a locked sling bag across my back, or chest, and we(usually me, and my girlfriend)walk fast to where we need to be, and I keep my pepper spray hung on my bag at the ready.
@@CommodoreFan64 Must be a Democrat city?
The knives and karate movies store 😂😂
@@testosteroneinc.3800 who asked
@Danny M Time to go there, gotta find who asked
Watching the skill cranes claw open early and drop the plush genuinely pissed me off lol
Owners of crane games usually can adjust the factory-set difficulty settings if too many people are winning.
Would definitely be putting counterfeit money into those machines.
@@HARRYAZZHOLE the counterfeit money, that's good enough to fool a bill reader, will cost you more money than the toy you get, even if you get the toy on the first try.
@@R32R38 They set it to be literally impossible to win anything at all.
I'd come out of the mall still holding the $20...ours no longer has any stores with anything I care about 😔
The Netflix/Amazon effect. You'd buy any crap from the store preweb. Put it on the internet and you don't want it anymore.
They have a FYE at Concord mall. I wanted to renew my membership but apparently you have to do it online. I'd rather do it in person with cash. Needless to say I didnt. If I need to go online I'll just go to Amazon or eBay.
@@jimfaust6342 I'm surprised you still have an FYE! Ours closed years ago. The last time I was at our mall was about 6 months ago, and the only shop I would've had any interest in going into was Spencer Gifts....BUT...it's now literally the size of what amounts to a hallway - 2 aisles jammed with products that often stuck out into the already limited walking space, almost guaranteeing you'd knock items down while crab walking through. No thanks, I'll pass. Arcade: long gone. Food court: I think the McDonald's was still open, but I don't need to go to the mall to get that. One of the empty stores was being used as an Alfa Romeo showcase...again, I'll pass. Yeah, there were several (maybe 20 or so) clothing stores open, but 2 of them were kid's clothes & I'm bored to tears looking at clothing anyway. RIP WVM: 1973-2021.
Same unless I'm going every few years to Lenscrafters for new glasses, or the rare times I can't find my shoes some place else, or online, and end up in the Shoe Show Encore. Also with rising gas prices, I'd spend a fair chunk of that $20 in gas just to get to the my local mall as it's a 30 - 40 minute drive depending on traffic. Not worth it for me
The mall nearest to me had a local buy/sell/trade and a good gyro place. If those are still open, they're the potential dangers.
To explain why arcades use quarters instead of tokens, it costs money to create tokens. It used to be, back in the day, tokens were preferable because it would guarantee return business if arcade patrons had leftovers. However, the amount of foot traffic into arcades is so low, the odds of return business so diminished, and the cost of producing unique tokens skyrocketed as suppliers faded with less arcades, the cost benefit flipped. It was no longer worth the extra cost to guarantee return business. They also know that with the prevalence of plastic and smartphone payment options, people were just sitting on spare change with no logistical means of spending it, so arcades could benefit as being a last-ditch repository for those decade-lost coins waiting under your car seats.
I'm part of the problem. I like to collect different arcade tokens. I will always keep one if it's a unique one I don't have.
@@Muertenoir Same, I have a decent coin collection I've gathered myself since childhood, and then inherited a lot when my grandmother died in the late 00's(her's and my grandfather's), and then when my step father died a few years later, and part of that collection is unique tokens from arcades we as a family had been too over the years, mainly back in the 80's, and 90's that they had saved for me. I've always love the one from my long since closed local mall arcade that had Namco on one side with Pacman on the other of which I keep sealed in plastic on display with my small collection of other Pacman items.
Timezone in Australia uses swipe cards
@@tbohlsenNSWSSMRC Corporate arcades like Dave and Buster's use swipe cards now, and have auto-dispensers built into games that need tokens to do any interaction with them, basically like an auto-loader of tokens instead of using physical insertion.
Godzilla had a fuking stroke trying to read this and fuking died
Prices and inflation always going up faster than my paycheck
wish their was some way to fix it
Of course, what else do to think the point of inflation is?
You, and everyone else but the really rich. I'll be 40 in July, and I'm thankful my house, car, and truck have long since been paid for, and I'll use my car/truck till the wheels fall off, and can't be fixed.
@@vagamer522 I legitimately can't tell if you're joking but wages, minimum most importantly hasn't been kept up with the rate of inflation
Your wish for this to be fixed is what people advocating for a living wage are talking about partially.
@@LunaTulpa "living wage" means even higher costs of operation i.e. even higher prices. Inflation is due to the massive printing of money devaluing the dollar.
Most malls lack entertainment of any kind. When I looked forward to heading to the mall there was often live music, maybe just a piano player. Demonstrations like toy helicopters, places demonstrating cosmetics, nail products and even places where you could try on a wig! There were kitchen appliance centers giving cooking demonstrations.
Now? Nothing.
No more packs of teens run amok. 🙄 That occurs way too often 2020s era. CoVid19 seemed to of ended that 😷...
Our biggest mall in state actually still gets lot of people in
Lol probably a problem on in USA.
@spirals 73 My metro area will always get a large number of foreigners, tourists, travel professionals. It has many theme parks, attractions-resorts. Also many overseas buyers go to retail mall places 🛒, buy large orders to re-sell overseas. The $$$ is big for clothing, 👜👛🛍🧳, ⌚, perfumes. Factory outlets & strip malls are big.
dont forget food samples, but obviously, covid decided to pull the plug on that
This needs to be an indie Japanese horror game. You spend an evening at the mall and things get progressively odd then disturbing. Thanks for the videos!!! 💸💸💸
I've been to this mall and it has the elevator from every horror movie outside and people regularly get trapped in it.
I didn't have enough room to film me (in a wheelchair last time I visited) going on it. Lights flicker inside. The outside isnt lit.
It looks more abandoned and foreboding each time I see it.
Oh and the other elevator electrocuted me. Perfect game material.
Retail Archaeology, I'd be happy to arrange to meet you there and film the Hell elevator. It'll fun. I'll even get the fire department if you get trapped.
"Even though I wanted to spend $20 at the mall, I really couldn't."
This has been my problem with malls too. I grew up in the 90's when they all had Radio Shack, Sears was still good, and when all else failed there was the bookstore.
Much of the retail apocalypse is self-inflicted.
I agree with this! When I was a kid (early 2000's) the mall was an experience now it's like whatever do you wanna go to the mall.
Kmart toys r us
Man i hope you never change that intro, such a cozy nostalgic trip.
There’s another channel I follow that did a similar thing, but he ends his video with that scene.
TMW the Gracy Film logo brings up better feelings than current episodes of The Simpsons....
I thought this was going to be a Simpsons video
... $20 would last me about 2 seconds in a nice mall with a sephora or a candle store or an H&M....
Same here. Those places are my weakness ☺️.
Chicks, amiright?
Mall where i work has all 3... youd be screwed there lol
My mom owned a pizza restaurant at the mall and I use to work there on the weekends. I remember a large slice of pizza, 2 bread sticks, and a medium drink with a side of marinara sauce was just under 5.00. This was maybe 2004?
That's a good, filling meal. I miss prices like that.
The good ol' times. I mean the only other place that comes close is Mcd but their food is meh.
Though I have learned via my mall's food court sometimes it's cheaper to not order the meals but ask for sides. I do sarku's white rice and panda's chicken teriyaki as a side, then mcd for soda. All cost me like $6/7
I remember my high school allowed us to leave campus for lunch,we would go to two pizza places that had two slices and a drink for like $5,this was in the 90s,I don't think high schoolers are even allowed to go out anymore for lunch.
in the year 1200 bc you can buy a whole dinner for a handfull of rocks and two leaves and still have pebbles to spend
If there was a pizza place in a mall now, that meal would cost $20
No toy stores, books sellers, or even a variety of game stores. I remember back in mid-90s to early 2000s there were Babbages, Software Etc., and Electronic Boutique with same mall I visited....also miss Saturday Matinee....malls are now relegated to a secure safe place for seniors to walk around and get exercise....
Don't forget having 3 records stores 1 in each wing of mall
The mall i go to locally is starting to hit that. The place still holds a decent crowd, but some of the major stores went out. Places like Nordstrom, Sears, Disney and Microsoft. The stores I really liked going to are still there, but it just doesn't captivate me like it used to.
there needs to be more variety tbh, like, why not add a retro game store to buy 2nd hand game cartridges or consoles (or even reproductions but i assume there would be legal problems with that), and where's the stores to purchase stuff like board games and such, how about thrift stores
I would have went and got another slice of pizza.
Me too.
8 dolla for pizza and soda is a scam. id go to costco lol
Me too. Just to spend the rest of the money. Lol
@@carbonado2432 Dang right because even at Little Caesars you can get an entire lunch combo of a personal size pepperoni pizza, and bottled soda for $5 plus tax.
Was the Cinnabon store closed for the evening?
Sad to see the mall in this shape on a saturday night. I can remember when Saturday nights were golden for malls. Well, last year at JCPenney, everything was on clearance because they were trying to get rid of their summer stuff. I got 4 shirts and 3 pair of shorts for 14 dollars. I was amazed. Unless i go to.a thrift store, that will never happen again.
I usually check the clearance section first as they always have some hidden treasures. Great cloths and stuff like that. All for really cheap
@@whatzittooya9323 Yup. I don’t get clothes unless they’re under $8, excluding pants because you’ll hardly find a $8 pair of pants.
Since our Penneys closed in the now-closed mall in my area, I've found cheap clothes mecca at Old Navy. Brand new tops for $3.18? Count me in. Coupons is what it is all about!
It's sad that malls are dying. They seem like they would be good mild exercise and entertainment, but I guess the business model just isn't feasible anymore.
i still think its kinda feasible, its just the lack of variety thats probably killing them off, malls to me today just seem like 75% clothing and shoe stores
if malls had more variety that catered to more niches then i could see them breathing more life, like add a dave and busters or small arcade, maybe have some stores that sell electronics that best buy doesnt carry, have a few small candy shops, introduce some toy stores, maybe add a photography equipment store, maybe have a craft store and a variety of stores that cater to hobbies (like miniature scale models, resin molding, etc.) because honestly sometimes i want to obtain things on the same day rather than pay a few bucks extra on shipping and waiting a few days to several weeks.
@@spootymaniacs malls do have these stores. Everything you listed my mall has.
The ones around me still are busy.
@@s-wo8781 that's good to hear.
$20 at the mall ain't gonna getcha very far nowadays. Could have sworn things weren't so expensive when I was a kid.
The economy is pretty damn insane today and is mostly the reason why stuff is so high to boot (hope I didn't come off political).
Even McDonald's is so expensive now
@@vagamer522 The kind of "want" items a young person bought at a mall 15-25 years ago are actually cheaper they just are not for sale at the mall. For example for the price of that $15 cd at the mall you can get 2 months of a streaming music that has hundreds of thousand of albums you can stream and listen to anywhere. Clothing is literally the same price or cheaper for comparable fashion at your Ross,Marshalls,Burlington type stores. Online has also made video game purchases unncessasary at the mall as well. In general the only place that makes sense to pay a high storefront fee are niche or local items that are expensive and you can make money even with a small amount of costumers.
@@vagamer522 Yeah. The paychecks then weren’t $15/hr lol.
Reminds me of the days when those 3.75 inch Star Wars action figures used to cost like $8 a piece (this was also back when they had a lot of extra stuff included). Now, the stuff from the Vintage Collection is like $16 a piece
It’s a surreal experience walking through my dead mall and remembering all of the stores I used to go to. It’s pretty much like walking through a graveyard of storefronts
1 slice of pizza is almost $5? F' that!
Also, that claw game is obviously rigged as 2 out of 3 times you had the toy and the claw was probably programmed to drop it.
That's basically the kid's version of a slot machine.
@@craigjensen6853 - Thank you for taking the time to do a full analysis as it confirms my suspicions about the game being rigged.
It is like a pinball machine ... you have to borderline go TILT and swing the claw hoping the toy drops in the slot.
Is this news to you? LOL. They all are rigged. Every single one of them either speeds to the top and abruptly stops, has spring loaded claws that can't stay closed, or open up/don't close towards the top. Or the good ones, like the one in the video, are a combo of all three.
@@littlejackalo5326 - Nope, not new news. I was just making an observation.
I chuckled at the Old Country Buffet line. Hope you're having a good day. Enjoyed the video. I used to live in the malls. Now I dont even go.
the guy that ran OCB was a Jackass and Crook, esp how he treated his employees(coming into work and the place is locked up and closed down). we even had like $100 of giftcards we sent in asking for a refund..you guessed it we never saw a damn thing. No wonder why he went under
I think most stores now are more literal "niche interest" places and you really don't find a truly frivolous store anymore with just literally useless crap.
Erik, I think you hit on at least part of the problem concerning malls losing their 'draw', for the mall kid generation. Lack of toy stores, music & video trends towards streaming content, loss of book stores, no electronic stores like Radio Shack or Fry's, etc... There's getting to be fewer places, where we would like to shop, at the traditional malls.
In addition, and this is a sad one for many of us... people don't have the social interactions, that they had in years past. So much has transitioned over to social platforms, that in-person communications has dropped drastically. The malls of our youth were a social gathering place or center for the community. We'd go there to meet with family, friends, or simply to 'people-watch' (as my wife calls it).
The younger generations seem to have lost interest in this sort of thing.
There are other factors as well, such as shopping trends towards online, over brick-n-mortar.
In a nutshell, the world of today, sadly, is not the world of our youth. There are still a great-many things to enjoy, with friends & family. As they say, some things have a way of coming around. Perhaps the mall scene will see a resurgence in the future.
I’m in my early 30s so I feel like I had missed the tail end of that sort of socializing at the mall experience I had seen on TV growing up. Then again, the closest mall to me growing up was on the other side of town with no means of getting there without driving. As a kid, meeting at a park in my neighborhood was more economical and by the time I was old enough to drive we’d just hang out at a friend’s place after school. Closest we did have to that experience was a short-lived comic store in a strip mall full of local shops and a laundromat near the high school.
I can’t speak on how kids hang out nowadays since MySpace of all things was just beginning to fall out of style by the time I was 15, but I feel like spending time and money at a mall as a leisurely activity is certainly a bygone thing now. That same mall i mentioned isn’t doing bad per se but it’s glory days are behind unless it can revitalize itself to be a place to go to again
Another reason is because the malls don’t want unsupervised teens hanging out. The trouble makers made it bad for the good kids.
@@tonithomas6143 That does play a factor, but it varies from area to area. Lack of free money is another. Realistically speaking, most young families don't have the extra funds, to freely spend cash at the mall.
@@arbutuswatcher It's not just the young, I'll be 40 in July, and with the way inflation, and rising gas prices are going(we live in a simi-rural small town so we have to drive 20 mins to the closest full grocery store and almost an hour one way for some major stores) I have to watch every $1 me, and my family spend these days, and make it go as far as we can.
@@kingatticus5371 it's funny you mention the mall being too far away as a kid as a hangout. The four main malls worth mentioning in my area in Australia all have dozens of bus routes going to them. One of them even has more or less direct rail access (about a 10 minute walk). All of them are absolutely bustling with activity. Two were even considering renovations pre rona (no clue where those plans are at now) Coincidentally, the two that I can solidly say are failing have no public transit access to speak of and it definitely hurt their bottom line. Teens might not have much money, but I know damn well when I was a teen all the money I did have would go to things I wanted and not to lame adult stuff like rent.
Malls dont have much retail variety anymore. Back in the early 2000s when I was a teen I used to haunt FYE for some bargain cds, head to Borders for some books, run into Babbages for some PS2 games and then buy some nice cheap sportswear at Steve and Barrys 😅 Too many chains I enjoyed or could afford as a teen are no longer around :/ I can only imagine how it worse it feels for those who grew up in the 80s or 90s.
Child of the 80's yes it's horrible.
^THIS^ Even the small local mall that I went to in the 80s/90s had a B. Dalton, Walden Books, KB Toys, various music stores, Radio Shack, Service Merchandise, and so many more. You could spend hours just looking at things. Those don't even exist any more. Malls today seem like they only have have overpriced/tacky clothing, shoes, jewelry, and salons. Nothing really fun or entertaining anymore.
I was born in July 81, and it's a sad sad time we live in if you liked going to the malls in the 80's, 90's, and very early 00's.
@@CommodoreFan64 going to the mall in those years was an all-day experience. I was a teenage mallrat in the 90s, and I could spend an entire Saturday at the mall and not get bored.
@@FunSizeSpamberguesa In the 80's we started out with 2 malls in my area the Now long since closed Regency Mall(there are a few good videos on it, and kind of a tragic story of it's history), and the Augusta Mall that opened one week later(still kicking, but don't let looks fool you. The rare times we go these days I carry a locked sling bag with my stuff across my back/chest, and we get to where we need to be, and leave ASAP due to crime rate), and they where at least a good solid afternoon, and longer if we were also going to see a movie, or go to the arcade right behind the old regency mall. In 89 we got a single story mini mall the Aiken Mall in Aiken SC(about to mostly be torn down for "market rate" apartments with only Books a Million, and Belk's left accessible from the outside doors) and it was a solid Sunday afternoon with a movie behind the mall, or going to the small arcade.
It's really sad that 2 out of 3 malls in my area are gone, and no one knows how long the Augusta Mall is going to last even with outparcel expansion a few years back after SEARS shutdown in 2019, and now Macy's, and J.C. Penny's about to have the same fate if they can't turn things around, along with petty ghetto crime.
I hope you give us a follow-up on the Gila monster slide someday. It's so gloriously ridiculous that it deserves it! 😂
Yeah what the hell. Until this video I could never find out what mall had that slide, and the trail of western/prospector scenes. Early 90's was dope.
The slide is located at the sundial in old town cave creek past carefree highway. It's been there for at least 20 years
@@johnrandy7140 yeah at least, maybe even 30 years or close to it cuz I'm 35 and I was going there really young
Back in my day, I could get a slice of pizza and see two movies for that $20.
Lucky I still can and maybe even have money left over for a soda or another slice
I
HATE
INFLATION
AND THE GOVERNMENTS LACK OF MINIMUM WAGE POLICY
Was that before or after you got rescued from the Titanic? On a serious note, cheapest I can remember moves ever being was like 8.75 to 9 bucks, and that was like 20 years ago. What is it now, 12 or 13? 14 to 16 for IMAX?
@@CharlesBrusch in the mid to late 90's, my local theater was $3.75 during the day for tickets and $5.75 for shows at night. I collected my ticket stubs back then so I'm positive on the price. So $20 could and did go a long way back then. I used to get dropped off in the morning during the summer, see 3 movies and eat lunch and that was a little over $20 total.
Outdoor malls are still going strong. However, there is a dead mall down the street. It seems like these big building malls are in decline, yet the outdoor ones seem to be doing well.
outdoor ones are doing well mostly because it’s cheaper to keep up with tbh
Its also something for people to do like walk around on a nice day
I have an outdoor mall in my town, it’s definitely dying besides the restaurants. sad cause they only built it in like 2008 I think!
An old indoor mall near me was turned into an outdoor mall a few years back... they basically tore down the main mall and kept the anchor stores and restaurants as separate structures. Suddenly, all these high-end brands like Apple started moving in and now the place is always packed. I don't get it... seems like people prefer walking across streets to go between stores in the cold and rain rather than parking once and being comfortable for the duration of the visit.
@@hlavco I know. It doesn't make any sense at all. These are all the more reasons why indoor malls should thrive.
That third claw grab was absolutely shameless lol
3:45 empty drink cup still makes a cameo😄
Right? There's ALWAYS one XD
All the stores we went to as younger people (we are in our 60's now) are either gone, changed or become as scares as hen's teeth. Just shoes, younger lady clothes and a Hallmark or 2, which is Ok sometimes but is carbon copy store. We miss the small owner operators of Candy, Electronics and other niche stores and the rip stores Radio Shack, Disney and such ( We Spent and average of $100 each visit to a Disney Store). There is Zero Variety in the stores left, What's left looks and feels like leftovers, can almost see the dustbunnys rolling like tumbleweeds. We miss them so much.
Child of the 80's but I feel you.
Even the Disney stores that are still around aren't great. Went to one recently and there was nothing that caught my eye except some dolls and plushies. When I was a kid there was sooo much I wanted to get. Also I miss Warner bros stores a lot
Most of my Friday nights as a teen was speng at my local mall walking around with friends where we met new people who didnt go to our school. Could get a pizza from Sabarro and a Clearly Canadian (always peach for me) for just $4.50 and then we would catch a movie for $3.00. The 80s and early 90s were a blast at the mall. I wish this generation could have same experience.
As a 24 year old I'm in that weird period of time where I remember going to the mall but it was never to hang out because crime and for me the mall was to get one thing and leave never to linger but that may be just me
@@duncanblue124 But where do people your age go to socialize, or WHERE did you go, as teens to hang out with friends and meet new people without parents always around? For many of us in the late 80s-early 90s, it was the mall, roller skating rinks, and local basketball courts. I think with explosion of social media, youth became much more ANTI-social. I am so blessed to have grown up when I did.
@@ebgbjo2025 we go to friends houses to be honest
Or go to the park if we want to shoot baskets but most hang outs are done at our houses
You hit the nail on the head: there's nothing in the mall I want. There are no bookstores, no record stores, not even any kitchenware/cooking stores, no QUALITY import stores, no David's Briar Shop, no unique gift stores, nothing except cheap but overpriced corporate junk from companies that are DESPERATE and have been hollowed out by hedge fund managers and leveraged buyouts.
I loved Sbarro. I have so many good memories of eating pizza from there on trips to the mall as a kid and teen.
Two things: A.) it’s amazing that your mall still has a functioning movie theater showing recent releases at that, and B.) On a Saturday night at that mall, you can still catch a new film with ten bucks or less. It’s sad what has become of malls across this country. Yes, as a teen in the 80’s, $20 got me through an entire weekend and left me without wanting a thing.
I’m really enjoying these new style of videos that don’t focus on a mall specifically but themes going on in current retail such as your “not all malls are dying ”. Good stuff, keep it up!
Man, I never went to the mall for one thing because there was always something else you wanted to look at, or decided to do. I actually miss going to places like this and shopping this way.
There’s something relaxing about this video.
An empty mall at twilight. It’s almost nostalgic in a way. Good stuff!
Out here in SoCal, the stores are still closing early, even with people inside. They just won't allow any more customers to enter....
Yea... $20 went a looooong way when I was kid. I spent the vast majority of my time and money at the arcade. Games of choice were Tron, Tempest, Joust (any one else remember that game?) Space Invaders etc. I liked the old school games the best.
I'm in western S. Carolina, and many places are still closing early here as well even though the mask mandates have been lifted(a few stores still have policies to have one when you enter, but not many, and a lot of people are not following it if they do). We have to go over the state line to Augusta, GA(Home of the Masters) to goto a mall as our old one(Aiken Mall, Aiken SC) is about to be torn down for "market rate" apartments.
Joust, where you ride birbs and joust computer opponents.
@@iron1349 that’s the one! 👍
Ikr. The malls closes at 730 amd want ppl out by 7. Its summer and the sun is out wtf.
Tempest was my absolute favorite have!!! My crush used to play "Moon Patrol"!
Thanks for the video. It really reminds me with the time when I was still studying abroad in North America back in 2006-2008.
There's a certain charm about the North American malls atmosphere that brings back some nice memories. :)
Just wanted to say Hi from Indonesia and hope everyone is safe.
This is a very interesting experiment! When I go to the malls around Atlanta I usually take about $60-$80 with me but more often than not, I end up coming back home with the same amount of cash I left with. If the mall has a FYE or Books-a-Million or Spencer's, I may buy a book, a DVD/Blu-ray or a t-shirt that I could buy for less on Amazon or eBay just to walk out with something. And if it's lunch or dinner time I'll get a meal at Panda Express. My father used to say the mall stores sold overpriced goods and he was right but that was just part of the mall experience of spending the afternoon or evening with your family and friends. Very cool video. :)
I don't know why I keep watching these mall videos. They're depressing but also comforting to watch lol
You made a valiant effort to spend that $20. I know for sure that I would’ve headed into See’s Candies for a little something sweet, but it appears that they closed early as well. What a bummer.
Was hoping there would've been a Bath & Body Works and you could've bought some lotion or shower gel from the men's line. Lol!
For some reason i find your voice and this video very relaxing, it has almost a melancholy vibe to it - very cool dude!
I recently found your channel and it's been a delight to go through your videos. I've been interested in stuff like this for years, but have never been really sure how to classify my interest of dead malls, abandoned buildings and towns, etc. "Retail Archaeology" is a fitting name. Watching these brings back so many memories of wandering my local mall during high school, going to the old Aladdin's Castle arcade for Soul Calibur tournaments, checking out the second hand game shop, etc. It's akin to the nostalgia I get for going to Blockbuster stores back in the day and searching for games and movies. Bittersweet.
If I replicated this experiment with my childhood malls, I'd still have the $20. One of them was demolished and the other is hanging on by a thread. The few stores left have either nothing of interest to me or have items way above the $20 budget.
Same here. Even movies have shot up in price recently, so I don't think $20 would get me much in the 1 mall I lived down the street from.
this is a really nice video, just two friends in the mall with $20 having fun
My teenage mall is in a lot worse shape. They even closed off a third of the mall because literally all of the stores are vacant. But I still get nostalgic walking by the old Electronics Boutique and Babbage's locations. The arcade had a sad slow death. They moved it to a smaller location at a quiet part of the mall and then it eventually closed.
I love this simple content. It’s relaxing
What an interesting concept for a video!
There's a mall here in Peoria, IL that's kinda like this. There's an arcade that opened up by the name of "Round 1" and all the locals are jokingly calling it "Round 2" because of all the fights that break out there. I never go there anymore, far too rowdy.
Personally I feel malls will make a comeback in a way, but as electric car/truck charging hubs. . . . However that's at least another 10 years away. People will go there to charge their cars/semi trucks but as their waiting they can shop, eat or just walk for exercise. Anyone getting into owning a franchise should stay away from (or immediately sell out NOW) any gas stations.
Think about it, let's say you switch out your 12 gas pumps for 12 "quick" charging stations. . . . It's still going to take 30-45min for each "fill up" and that's assuming people don't want a full charge. How much money do you honestly think you can get from your customers in your tiny little store during that length of time. We all know you folks don't even break even with just gas sales alone and now your going from 100 customers an hour to just 12? These large malls are going to be much more efficient at generating a variety of sources of revenue not to mention their capability to handle much more customers at a single time.
Love your videos, great great great as always
Stumbled upon you’re channel loved the nostalgic feelings I got from just hearing you’re small stores I’ll be watching more
Definitely agree that malls are NOT that entertaining unless you have a long list of items to buy prepared beforehand
The mall that I still go too is still great. It's has a bunch of stores and food courts for different type of people. I'm just happy that it's still nice to go to today, it's sad to see malls like this nowb
Man, I was just at this mall tonight and it was relatively packed.
Growing up in Gilbert, this is a blast from the past. Thanks for the memories!
Me and my friends use to drive 70 miles just to hang at the mall. We lived in BFE and it was either shooting guns in the woods or go to nearest large college town and have fun or catch a movie, wich was a distance away. It was long time ago, and good memories. I went back to same mall a few years before I moved away and it's not the same. Maybe it's me getting older now in age, but the social experience is gone now. For us it began as freedom of having our own cars as kids to drive around, then when it would be a place to hang out with friends who attended college in that town. Our kids will not get the experience we had sadly, it's all facebook and social media now.
Around here, mall stores have become dialysis centers, rehab and weight loss clinics. More wheelchairs and hardly any kids hanging out.
i remember going to teh mall with the twenty bucks i saved to buy xmas gifts for my family. i sometimes even had some left over.
OMG i used to go to this mall as well! i actually went with some friends here a few weeks ago and it was super boring... doesn’t have the same energy it used to. nevertheless it’s awesome to see we both live in AZ! great video.
I used to love going to Oak Park Mall, or Metcalf South in Overland Park, Kansas in the 70's and 80's. I loved buying clothes, going to Claire's, Everything for 1.00, B. Dalton Booksellers or Walden Books, Woolworth's, and The Swiss Colony - there I would buy flavored teas, which I loved. I could be there for hours! LOL I would have a blast. Metcalf South is gone now, but I understand that Oak Park Mall is still there. I miss it.
Some stores that were in the mall in the '90s that are no longer in the mall today are computer and electronic stores. The smartphone has eliminated those stores. As a result, tech geeks aren't interested in going to mall if it has are clothing and shoe stores.
I'm a geek too, but I still like to look good and get some drip
That crane game is in no way fair. I dealt with ones like that one. I always get mad that the claw would open up like that.
My ex in the early 00's worked for Walmart, and she was friends with the lady who stocked the Sugar loaf crane games in the lobby of her store, and she told her unless the crane game prizes have loop tags on them, or they are kids candy ones that say play till you win, don't bother as 98% of the time you won't win. She even admitted that some companies even if it's against many state's laws that they put clear grease on the craine arms, and program them to open up early before hitting the prize shoots. I have won a fair amount of things from the sugar loaf games with the price loops after learning the trick from her, you have to time it just right, and go for ones close to the prize shoot, which usually means lower value items.
@@CommodoreFan64 Thanks! 🙂
wow! the childhood nostalgia I got from your intro. 10/10 .
I do not go to the mall often, but there are those few occasions that when I go it brings back those memories of childhood and how exciting it was. I wish the malls could bring that excitement back, but we all know that the mall is a dying breed.
I miss the days you could go see your friends. I was recently in pheonix and went to the premium outlet mall and it was really busy, I spent money there lol cool video though thank you
I remember going to malls as a teenager. It's amazing how technology has ravaged so much. Kinda sad.
A lot of malls today remind me of dead store websites that are still up even though all the physical locations are closed like Radio Shack for example. All they sell today is no-name brand junk that is outrageously expensive and leaving the few people that visit wondering "who would ever buy this?". I had only one mall in my area and I would often visit just to buy small things here and there but every time I went another store would be closed. It got to the point where there was no reason to go anymore because there was literally nothing to buy. As of last month, the mall was fully closed and is currently being demolished to make way for an Amazon center.
Interesting perspective. Enjoyed this vid 👍🏼
The reason I don’t go to the mall anymore is because I’ve already seen and done all of the attractions. It’s not as fun to do them multiple times
This is so bizarre for me to see. I live just inside the border or Chicago, and there's two malls I go to in the suburbs. Even when I go there and deem the mall "dead" for that day/night, there's still hundreds of people walking about. I've NEVER seen any mall so empty in person.
You should check out some of my other videos. This mall looks crowded compared to a lot of others I've filmed.
Oh dead malls definitely exist. And they're actually quite creepy. Like, if you've ever been to your high school at night, that's how dead malls feel. They feel like they SHOULD be crowded, but they're totally empty. Pretty spooky.
Funny I've heard Chicago malls are still busy but there also the reason why a lot of malls are failing due to the malls trying and failing to copy them
You hit the nail on the head. For the most part Malls have nothing to offer me to spend my money.
The problem with malls is there is no longer any entertainment value to seeing all the stores anymore. I remember the days of "window shopping" when storefronts used their side displays to entice you into the store to buy something. They use to be cool, the employees use to have fun being creative while putting them together in ways that got shoppers into the store. I can remember the KB toys window displays, the Disney store window displays with their animatronic features. Now companies are too concerned with pinching every .000001 of a cent of labor out of their employees that window displays are a thing of the past. I LOVED going to my local mall during Christmas to see the department stores all decorated during Christmas, but now.......
that intro was pulled straight from my subconscience.
Fun video!
I like the idea of spending a certain amount of cash at the mall. There are a lot of interesting ways to go about it. If I were making something similar I'd probably try to take a themed approach. Like one type of person or another at a given age bracket. Wouldn't need to actually buy things, but looking at prices and tallying it up could be enough. I'll admit it would be awkward trying to do the theme as a young kid or woman, lol. "Can I get a meal, snack, and graphic t-shirt at XYZ mall for $30?", "Can I get a 3-course meal for $30 at XYZ mall?", or "Is a $50 super hero t-shirt haul possible at XYZ mall?" type of thing. Though filming in the store fronts is probably a big hassle. Malls should start making themselves a lot more open to social media and people filming inside.
For mall hours right now covid hours are still in effect. (I work at a mall) Plus it's off season right now. Hours only extend to 9/10pm during winter time aka Christmas hours. M-F most places close at 7pm. Saturday you may see 8/9 pm closures.
stores closing early because they can't find people to work
lol I would've easily been able to spend $20. Some of the things my local malls still have are toy stores, bookstores, groceries, arcades (albeit Dave & Buster's), etc.
This mall was my childhood. The game shops of toys that the old Toys R Us lacked (While it was still in business), the old vendors of random uselessness, The exclusivity of pretzels outside the main food court, The old Carousel, the $2 Movie theater . Seeing it like this, though I knew it was inevitable... It just has a special type of lamentation to it. I had no Idea you were a local archeologist! What a small world.
i work 2 jobs in my mall, back in the day this place was THE place to be on a weekend. we had it all. now spencers and books a million are the only stores still worth going into. it's a shell of its former self
Some of the early closures are probably about saving on staffing costs. However chains that are not following mall hours exactly, is surprising. Considering it is a Saturday, and mall management offices are likely closed, curious to see if it would be the same during the weeknights.
I lose that 20 bucks almost instantly after I walk in because the Lush store is right next to the mall entrance and that store gets me every fucking time. If that one doesn't the American Eagle right next to it does
I didn't know people still bought American Eagle.
@@qr5393 American Eagle and it's sister store Aerie are amazing for basics for work. They always have their jeans on sale and the other store almost always has their tees on sale too. Plus their stuff is good quality and they do have plus sizes now which is always nice.
@@lmao2703 Yeah I remember a few years ago everyone would wear it quite frequently but I stopped seeing it all of a sudden.
Oh yes, thanks so much Retail Archaeology for doing this video over at superstition springs mall. Ya know it reminds me so much of arrowhead mall over on bell rd. in glendale, az i think i have been to both about equel number of times. And having lived on both sides of town a few times. I love both malls there so much alike. I understand arrowhead mall is still be busier mall, I am wondering if at somepoint you might be able to do a possible trip over to arrowhead, i had seen one of your arrowhead mall video about a year or two ago. And now that its not really possible anymore to actually go inside metrocenter or fiestamall and paradise valley mall, so sad those places had to close. anyhow thank you so much for showing this. have a great one.
That was really fun dude thanks for that yeah the mall was a place I used to love to take my son when he was little a real slice of Americana... I do miss it
I hadn't really thought about it, but yeah, there's really nothing I care about in the mall anymore.
so sad to see it's dead now :'( I grew up in Gilbert and would always go there in it's heyday
This is exactly like my recent trips to thee malls in my area. Buy lunch and then what? Walk around like a zombie. Nothing is the same. And Sbarro pizza is good! 🍕
Yeah it's good, but not worth the gas cost, and time just to do nothing else at the mall, when I could get real shopping done at Walmart, Target, Krogers, etc..., and then be home.
Bingo, you got it. Malls used to have at least two toy & hobby stores, two bookstores, a movie theater and a video arcade (a real arcade, not like what you ran into at that mall). Not to mention a Radio Shack. Those are all long gone now. I haven't been to a shopping mall in maybe 15 years now.
that was interesting...you know since Covid I've had zero desire to shop and I've even found that apart from food, there is very little I actually need....maybe others have come to this realization too....hence another reason malls are dying...
Yep. Other than some Christmas gifts for my Mother, I have only purchased food for about 18 months. I am saving like 40% of my income, and I will soon have a down payment for a condo!
Yeah, I haven’t been to my mall in months, I might go 6 times in a year. Nothing there for me really anymore. All my impulse buying is done on Amazon - the new mall 😂
This shit is depressing, honestly. But thank you, again, for the fantastic video... I still have some active and thriving (massive and packed) malls in my area, but this here hits a certain way... I used to work at a mall ABOUT this size for a couple years. At multiple stores in said mall and it was declining then. But I remember what that mall was when I was much younger and it takes me back... It hurts to see this, but it is also nostalgic. Thanks for what you do, man. Taking me back. Looking forward to the out of state content. Cheers.
man i miss malls
thankfully here there are still a lot of open bakeries, trendy food kiosks, nice cafes, art supply stores, and book shops that draw people in, but covid times have really put a damper on mall culture here in my country (philippines) too......hopefully they all survive the next few years
What would make you want to go back to the mall?
No crime, clean, make it more of an outdoor mall and arcades
$20 don't last even at quick trip 😂
I also used to go to the mall as a kid/teen and worry about not having enough money. I'd go to the arcade, see a movie, and look through stores and actually end up buying something. But now as an adult, the most I ever find myself doing at the mall is filming it and taking pictures of it. Even food courts, which usually got a few dollars out of me, haven't captured my attention the past few years. Part of it may be an adult instinct to only care about buying more important things, or maybe not keeping up with the trends in Spencer's. But there definitely is a problem with the mall itself too. It seems as variety has gone out the window. It's the same few shops left in malls, and none of them are really entertaining.
Also, I got sad when you mentioned Old Country Buffet. I used to go there all the time :'(
It’s nice seeing that people still go there. I wish people would take more advantage of places like this. It’s quiet and leisure. I would love to go to a mall like this if it’s still running..😔
When I was a teenager in the 80's, a slice and a pop would be about $3.00
and by the 90's it was $4 - $5 at most on the high end. Thankfully Little Caesars still has the $5 lunch combo of a whole personal size pepperoni pizza, and soda for $5 plus tax. however if inflation keeps going up it's going to be the $10 lunch combo. 🤦♂️
Back in my day
@@CommodoreFan64 inflation goes up while the wage stays same
That was a depressing looking mall.
Actually Superstition Springs mall itself is well maintained and kept up, it's very bright during the day, lots of natural ligting. It's a shame to watch it die along with the others but you can't stop whats coming.
The mall in stroudsburg pa is a-lot worse
This mall was always nostalgic to me. It was the first mall we ever went to when we first moved to Arizona, and Id always go there as a preteen through my teenage years. Going there now as an adult is bittersweet because it's still there but very empty and a lot of the cool things they had are no longer there. But I remember talking to a friend saying that the organ store was still there from what I remembered and has been there for years oddly enough. And I remember that gila monster slide for sure!! Would love to see that again!
A large part of the problem is the malls have transitioned to chain boutique stores, targeting a teenaged audience that the mall security doesn't want to let shop in peace.
In spite of them not coming in as often, the markup on their products and the size of their portfolios allow them to enter into arrangements with the mall holding firms that enable them to outlast the smaller, more niche stores that would have benefitted from the foot traffic those teens would generate on random Wednesday afternoons.