To really round out the viewing experience for those who didn't experience a northeast mall in the winter, imagine this place smells like a bizarre mix of cinnabon and candles, and you now don't know what to do with your jacket because it's hot as anything inside, but too cold to leave your jacket in the car when you walk across the parking lot.
Malls today are nothing like this around the holidays. Online shopping pretty much did away with going out against the masses. But even so, there is always that journey I do miss doing every now and then.
Some malls still kinda retain the old feel even today but a lot of the ones I used to go to have completely fallen into disrepair. As much as I have fond memories it's probably for the better as malls are relics of 70's and 80's decadent mass consumption and phony class snobbery.
I loved the mall experience when I was 10 years old in 2001. It is always a bitter sweet to see malls closing in favor of online commerce... though I understand why.
I went holiday shopping at a mall this year. There were maybe 1/3 as many people as you see here, but I thought to myself how busy it was. Amazing how much changes in 20 years.
For this Holiday season it was probably the hardest one in 2001 because of 9/11 and some people lost families and loved ones and it would be their first Holiday Season with out them and some of the people to were going to war on terror and this is a time too where most of America came together especially on Christmas.
A serious ‘mini-hike’ thru the parking lot from the car to the mall, for some… A celebration would be in order for finding a convenient space up close at this mall😅
Good times. I was 10 in 2001, our local mall was relatively small. JC Penny's on 1 end and Sears on the other. A food court and about 25-30 stores plus a huge arcade. Now it's almost completely empty... Bass Pro occupies one of the larger spaces. Maybe 1 place to eat, and some of the empty shops are used as boat storage.
I just watched a video of a Christmas walk through of this mall now called Westfield Garden State Plaza uploaded a month ago. Looks very nice but way fewer shoppers than in this video in 2001.
So sad to see malls abandoned now 😢 I was only a 4yr old when this video was taken! I was so excited to grow up because i thought the world would still be the same, It's crazy how much has changed.
It is sad. I grew up in the 80s and 90s and spending time at the mall was such a huge part of adults my age childhood. Small town malls are virtually nonexistent, and even the malls in bigger cities aren't like it was in this video.
Shopping Centres, as we call them in the UK, are still a thing but not as many as before. I don't miss the busy Christmas shop, its fine to see it for 10mins but then I want out :) but I miss the look of things. Its a style thing. So the 80s and 90s were, for me looking back only, cool looking "mall wise". Its why I like the part of the film Commando when he's in the mall with the see-through lift :)
@@candy2325 I think they sold mostly books back then. That's how they started. now it's saturated with 3rd party vendors selling chinese merchandise. I avoid the middle man.
@@candy2325 I do agree though there’s just stores that aren’t familiar anymore. I do like the area because there’s so many surrounding stores. Well. Until they closed Christmas tree 😭
Only way to bring anything close to this back would be if the government cleverly “mandated” a shutdown of smartphones and Amazon / online shopping. People would go back to mall shopping if they HAD NO OTHER CHOICE.
(not pictured) the trauma and stress of a post-9/11 populace trying to cope with a new world they were forcefully ushered into with unabashed patriotism and attempts at maintaining the previous status quo.
Finally GSP. I have a photo of my siblings in the back of my dad's outlander coming from the mall. My mom bought a new camera and my dad bought some shirts
I miss the the way malls used to be. Shopping at the mall is so much different now than it was in this video because of online. I enjoy buying stuff online, but I miss the way malls used to be.
I can remember driving around the parking lot for 30 minutes looking for a parking space back in these days. Long gone, never to return. Our best days are behind us. So sad.
Really sad that these days most stores don't play any Christmas Music and they only sell shopping bags that say "Merry Everything"🤢🤮and Free People commercials give SPIRITED Gifts???🤢🤮
@@braidena1633 Because it's annoying and sad they they will do anything to avoid displaying Christmas items or items that say Merry Christmas. There is not even one thing that's both red and green and says Merry Christmas at the same time. That's how pathetic they are. They don't even sell anything with Feliz Navidad.
I secretly love how everyone in the comments is bitching about the present when they themselves birthed & raised the kids they're complaining about 😂😂😂 times change get over it. Out with the old, in with the new. Yall love living in the past.
When will be people act like December 2013 when cell phones were not so popular for the final time? What’s taking so long for that and for them to not wear any clothes that are too futuristic? What’s with this little respect? Same with selfie’s. Same with RUclips going back to normal? No one is allowed to say “It’ll never happen because back then the world was very limited and boring.”
Also going to the mall back then without one sucked. If you got split up from your group you’d be doomed! Can’t remember what someone wanted? Too bad can’t call them. Couldn’t read a review of a product before you bought it… so many more!
Here for all the millenials reminding everyone the past was disgusting and sucked and current year is the best ever except it's also horrible selectively
This is what Americans truly yearn for? To stand shoulder to shoulder with randos and spend money on garbage for things they don't even need with money that they don't have. How does one look back and say to themselves "Boy, I sure do miss the old days of nostalgic consumerism from the early aughts!". America is and will always be a laughing stock of a country; a cultureless culture.
10:30 The switching of filters from cold to warm gives the mall atmosphere so much more of a cozy and inviting, Christmasy vibe
Impressed you made it that far
@@vampirerobot 😄🙌🏽
Still has that 90's vibe. Man I miss the old days. Now I'm just getting old!
Ditto!
Closest thing to a time machine. I enjoy these videos so much. Thank you for the nostalgia ❤ Happy Holidays everyone! 😊
Yes I remember the flags on cars after September 11th thing like it was yesterday.
So do I
Never again😢 this ain't what I had signed up an bout died over, and I'm ashamed for those who did. Evil Men in high places
Crazy how things change. Now when you see someone with an American flag on their car they’re usually a racist maga person.
Great Time Capsule. What a time to grow up! We were lucky.
Yes we were lucky ❤️
Yeah we was
Kiddo
@@Du808-o8k were not was. Plural
You know everyone is in there lining up for that sweet Playstation 2. Lol
Would have not been that bad since the ps2 was released on March 2000
@@charliemartin-k7mwell yeah but it was still popular and there were holiday deals going on
I was 10 1/2 years old in December 2001. Crazy how time flies so quickly, It’s scary!
To really round out the viewing experience for those who didn't experience a northeast mall in the winter, imagine this place smells like a bizarre mix of cinnabon and candles, and you now don't know what to do with your jacket because it's hot as anything inside, but too cold to leave your jacket in the car when you walk across the parking lot.
Also, their was a light scent of leather and women perfume in the air.
@@mikeconner9905 you must be on the wing with the Macy's.
Omg yes the jacket part 😂 I had to hold it or put it in some bag
I miss the old America.
Me too
Me Three..
She's never coming back. Societal nosedive over the last 25 years. Social media ruined our country.
@@dougr.6734 no it’s 10 years, and it can come back
@@MorganNye i wish I shared your optimism.
Don't see this much anymore . Now everyone is struggling .
Bernini: "The best world has to offer". Amazing how that made it past any sort of proofing process.
Malls today are nothing like this around the holidays. Online shopping pretty much did away with going out against the masses.
But even so, there is always that journey I do miss doing every now and then.
People should stop the online shopping
@@McCloud06 They really gotta be more independent.
Some malls still kinda retain the old feel even today but a lot of the ones I used to go to have completely fallen into disrepair. As much as I have fond memories it's probably for the better as malls are relics of 70's and 80's decadent mass consumption and phony class snobbery.
@@mikesteelheart ok
@@MorganNye That will happen 🤣
Thanks again for an awesome upload of a mall's past life.
Thank you Mark. Merry Christmas 🎁
Merry Christmas to you too VR
Hey look, no one zombified by cell phones lol
Of course not, when will that come back?
Never heard that before
I loved the mall experience when I was 10 years old in 2001. It is always a bitter sweet to see malls closing in favor of online commerce... though I understand why.
I went holiday shopping at a mall this year. There were maybe 1/3 as many people as you see here, but I thought to myself how busy it was. Amazing how much changes in 20 years.
Thank you for sharing this means a lot to me
I miss these times 😭😭
Good ol Jersey
For this Holiday season it was probably the hardest one in 2001 because of 9/11 and some people lost families and loved ones and it would be their first Holiday Season with out them and some of the people to were going to war on terror and this is a time too where most of America came together especially on Christmas.
A serious ‘mini-hike’ thru the parking lot from the car to the mall, for some… A celebration would be in order for finding a convenient space up close at this mall😅
Good times. I was 10 in 2001, our local mall was relatively small. JC Penny's on 1 end and Sears on the other. A food court and about 25-30 stores plus a huge arcade. Now it's almost completely empty... Bass Pro occupies one of the larger spaces. Maybe 1 place to eat, and some of the empty shops are used as boat storage.
Pretty cool watching these old videos from the past. Time traveling 🧭
Can taste the orange julius now and the deal at payless lol
excellent content
I was a sophomore in high school 😢 the memories
Same.
Me too! 80s babies are the best
Fantastic footage 😊😊
I just watched a video of a Christmas walk through of this mall now called Westfield Garden State Plaza uploaded a month ago.
Looks very nice but way fewer shoppers than in this video in 2001.
So sad to see malls abandoned now 😢
I was only a 4yr old when this video was taken! I was so excited to grow up because i thought the world would still be the same, It's crazy how much has changed.
It is sad. I grew up in the 80s and 90s and spending time at the mall was such a huge part of adults my age childhood. Small town malls are virtually nonexistent, and even the malls in bigger cities aren't like it was in this video.
Me too! 97 baby
We have no abandoned malls here..Especially Now..close to xmas..they are packed...
Shopping Centres, as we call them in the UK, are still a thing but not as many as before. I don't miss the busy Christmas shop, its fine to see it for 10mins but then I want out :) but I miss the look of things. Its a style thing. So the 80s and 90s were, for me looking back only, cool looking "mall wise". Its why I like the part of the film Commando when he's in the mall with the see-through lift :)
😂 that person at 1:11 needs a mechanic
Haha that sign; "the best world has to offer"
You think my friends will like it if I get them all copies of Windows XP?
*Seeing the vehicles drive around with the American flag just shows you how patriotic America is 3 months after 9/11* 😢
7:05 POV escalator rides!!!🥳
All these old cars.. this is how I remember life as a kid.
where do you get all the footage on your channel from?
Ohh.... Boy, what a great day for shopping.
Malls were jammed, people had money to spend. Amazon didn't exist. Good times.
Amazon existed in 2001 but it wasn’t widely used like it is in this era, but I get what you mean 😊
@@candy2325 I think they sold mostly books back then. That's how they started. now it's saturated with 3rd party vendors selling chinese merchandise. I avoid the middle man.
OMG THAT'S GARDEN STATE PLAZA!
I recognized it with the old Best Buy building next door ! That mall hasn’t changed too much
Nice vid happy holidayz
Back at ya Daniel 🎁🎁🎁
If you wanna see a busy mall these days and live in Massachusetts, the best ones are Natick Mall in Natick MA or Buckland Hills in Machester CT.
Buckland hills mall was so fun in the early 2000’s now it’s so cold and empty 😅
@@candy2325 I do agree though there’s just stores that aren’t familiar anymore. I do like the area because there’s so many surrounding stores. Well. Until they closed Christmas tree 😭
I was 6 so it’s not like I remember things being like this, but it’s really cool to see
Now, there's plenty of parking all the time.
I see time so different. It seems like yesterday cuz i keep time close to my heart not to the brain.
When life was a little less complex and crazy as it is now.
What are you talking about. I can do all my shopping in bed having it delivered. A mall back then way a shit show. Also 9/11 just happened
And America was heading into an endless and pointless war that it lost. Sadly.
Depends. Some things are simpler now, and some things are definitely crazier.
Only way to bring anything close to this back would be if the government cleverly “mandated” a shutdown of smartphones and Amazon / online shopping. People would go back to mall shopping if they HAD NO OTHER CHOICE.
How do you get all of these videos?
(not pictured) the trauma and stress of a post-9/11 populace trying to cope with a new world they were forcefully ushered into with unabashed patriotism and attempts at maintaining the previous status quo.
Finally GSP. I have a photo of my siblings in the back of my dad's outlander coming from the mall. My mom bought a new camera and my dad bought some shirts
Ha - Lidz still runs that same exact BOGO sale to this day!
Damn, it suddenly hits you that this is just a few months after 9/11.
Where do you get these clips from?
Still wondering where you have gotten all of your footage from
I was 9 years old and I think my favorite gift that year was a Bratz doll
Almost feels like yesterday
How was 9/11 23 years ago?
When everyone was sane even after a devastating government attack.
💯
The aspect ratio of this one seems to be 4:3, but it's stretched to 16:9
I miss the the way malls used to be. Shopping at the mall is so much different now than it was in this video because of online. I enjoy buying stuff online, but I miss the way malls used to be.
I wonder what mall this is.
Garden state plaza mall Paramus NJ
Rest in peace Body Shop
Anyone know what mall this is
very few people were on their phone. then compared to today.
Do you have any Footage from Paramus Park Mall or More GSP or anything from Northern NJ?
Hey I was wondering were you getting the footage from
Surprised to see most of these people in good moods despite this taking place just months after 9/11.
Life just goes on 😮💨 we still gotta live our lives
I was 1 years old
I was 11 months old.
One year, not years
@@tehjamerz Your comment is missing a period at the end.
@@SpookyDollhouse it was a jotnote
@@tehjamerz 'It' should be capitalized and a period is missing at the end again. There's no such thing as a "jotnote."
Golf America was there.
4 Days Left
I was broke so I admittedly went to the mall ONLY to see hot girls. Where do youngsters go now to look at good-looking women? 😂
7:33 😂
No cellphones💕
I can remember driving around the parking lot for 30 minutes looking for a parking space back in these days. Long gone, never to return. Our best days are behind us. So sad.
Now everyone orders online fewer people that go to malls in some places.
Two years before I lost my uncle.
Sorry to read this.
Thanks, I hope you're well.
Really sad that these days most stores don't play any Christmas Music and they only sell shopping bags that say "Merry Everything"🤢🤮and Free People commercials give SPIRITED Gifts???🤢🤮
I don't get what the issue here is.
@@braidena1633 Because it's annoying and sad they they will do anything to avoid displaying Christmas items or items that say Merry Christmas. There is not even one thing that's both red and green and says Merry Christmas at the same time. That's how pathetic they are.
They don't even sell anything with Feliz Navidad.
I secretly love how everyone in the comments is bitching about the present when they themselves birthed & raised the kids they're complaining about 😂😂😂 times change get over it. Out with the old, in with the new. Yall love living in the past.
💔
When will be people act like December 2013 when cell phones were not so popular for the final time? What’s taking so long for that and for them to not wear any clothes that are too futuristic? What’s with this little respect? Same with selfie’s. Same with RUclips going back to normal? No one is allowed to say “It’ll never happen because back then the world was very limited and boring.”
2 months after 9/11…
Here for all the comments from boomers condemning cell phones while they post their comments on a cellphone. 🍿🍿🍿
Also going to the mall back then without one sucked. If you got split up from your group you’d be doomed! Can’t remember what someone wanted? Too bad can’t call them. Couldn’t read a review of a product before you bought it… so many more!
Here for all the millenials reminding everyone the past was disgusting and sucked and current year is the best ever except it's also horrible selectively
@LaurenAnyone They are going to defend this, essentially saying being inefficient and wasting time was part of the experience or something. 😂
@@LaurenAnyonewhy do you act like the world sucked originally without the flip cellphones at least? They could’ve had those in their pockets at least.
@@SpookyDollhouseWhy do you think the past sucked?
When kids grew up in dirt eating dirt an getting sick. Thats life.
🙄
This is what Americans truly yearn for? To stand shoulder to shoulder with randos and spend money on garbage for things they don't even need with money that they don't have. How does one look back and say to themselves "Boy, I sure do miss the old days of nostalgic consumerism from the early aughts!". America is and will always be a laughing stock of a country; a cultureless culture.