How does /r9k/ feel about the death of big box stores? Part

I used to work at one of the big box stores when I was still in high school. It was a good time, very positive. Sad to see them go.

Online commerce destroyed the mall.

If you look on youtube, there's a guy called "Dan Bell" that walks through dead and dying malls, it's sad and nostalgic.

https://www.youtube.com/user/moviedan

Ah, nostalgia. It was insane how as a kid I'd just be excited to go look at shit in the stores in malls on weekends. Play the video game demo units. Getting old is the worst. I haven't been to a Sears or Kmart in forever, so I don't really care, the thought just gives me a shot of nostalgia

>>38287972
Love this guy and his videos. There's just something eerie about places that are supposed to be really populated with a happy atmosphere being completely empty with maybe a few businesses trying their best to hang on. Makes it even worse if there's upbeat pop music barely playing in the distance, echoing through the empty halls.

Big box stores are dead, bury them.

No way you're getting me to feel bad about some shitty corporation for pedaling mostly cheap, overpriced, foreign-manufactured crap. They're bad business, let them fail.

>>38288006
Yea, I know, the upbeat music really gives a post-apocalyptic feel to it, like it's soulless, echos of a time long past.

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>>38287972
This is actually pretty cool.
Good find anon

>>38287972
What is it about dying malls that makes me feel such overwhelming sadness?

a shit ton of retailers are closing stores this year

http://clark.com/shopping-retail/major-retailers-closing-2017/

Sears, JC Penny, Macys, etc

>>38287972
Dan Bell is a top tier YouTuber.

>>38287972
>>38288006
>>38288121
>>38288139

what about abandoned amusement parks?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u1gcSbrTWw

vlogger guy is kind of douchey but whatever

>>38288121
Yea, so aesthetic.

It's sad to see a mall in my city on the list of dead malls.

>>38288139
I think it's a reminder of the fact that everything dies, that the eventual end of even powerful things is dust.

And, malls have beauty, in their own way. They're comfortable, well furnished, safe (or should be).

So, a disclosure, I do some work in real estate. And recently, after viewing these Dan Bell videos, I got to thinking that if someone were to buy one of these dying malls for really cheap, they could be converted to condo complexes for sale. Because it would be in bulk and have no real outdoor spaces like balconies, the condos could be sold pretty cheaply.

Would anyone want to live in a converted mall, or would that be weird?

>>38287909
What are you talking about OP, big box stores are bigger than ever

Do you mean shopping malls?

>>38287909
I like brick and mortar because you can try the product same day. That's about it.

I get the same or better customer service online.

Selection online can't be beat, but sometimes that is a curse too. Too many choices makes it hard to make a decision sometimes.

Price is also usually better online.

>>38288263
Kinda weird, but I could see it being a niche thing.

>>38288280
>What are you talking about OP, big box stores are bigger than ever

What's your data on that? They seem to be drying up everywhere as a result of online shopping.

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how is black friday still a thing when you can find cheap prices online all year

>>38288263
>Would anyone want to live in a converted mall, or would that be weird?

like the stores would be rooms? what about that massive walkway space

>>38288263

They're doing that to one old mall near where I grew up; the upper level is being redone into condos overlooking the bottom floor, where they are trying to keep some retail.

>>38288458
The walkway space would essentially be a shared community space. Not quite outdoor space, but with some skylights, it would be indoor but feel like outdoor.

>>38288492
That's exactly what I was thinking. The mall would be converted to mixed-use. First floor would be retail (groceries, etc.) and second+ floors would be living areas.

The mall near me is deteriorating fast.
Shit sucks, it was so lively during the 2000s.

>>38287909
cycle of life, we've seen it with Blockbuster who raped small video stores and eventually it was its turn to kick the bucket.

Up in Canada too it was happening a bit earlier on with out own stores like Zellers and The Bay. Target bought Zellers and replaced them all, but then Target Canada went bankrupt like 11 months later - they're now all Wal-Marts and Wal-Mart seems to know what it's doing. Best Buy bought Future Shop and idk how they're doing, anytime I've been in a Best Buy the place was always empty. Gamestop/EB Games also starved off most if not all indie game stores, etc.

The same thing with music stores. We had indie but big record shops who were bought out or killed off by HMV Canada over the years, and HMV Canada also went bankrupt last year. I buy my music from itunes or bandcamp or something, the only CDs I buy are Japanese imports from otaku EDM artists. If anything I can always buy a Celine Dion or Drake CD from wal-mart if I really need one.

>>38287972
Dude is comfy af, I really really wish he would go back to doing urbex and dead mall videos instead of his wacky loud shitty motel series.

>>38288621
There are a bunch of different malls where I live in the suburbs of a major city and so many of them are long-dead and demolished, half-demolished or have been successfully playing a game of musical chairs with different stores and businesses to fill in the spaces.

Only one of them is big enough to stay relatively healthy even though it's lost more than a few anchor stores over the years, replaced them, lost one or two again, replaced them again - and again the stores inside the mall have all been one thing or another over the years.

There used to be two major competing music stores until one died off, and then the surviving one over the years had to convert itself into a sort of "everything store" full of like Minecraft toys and Meme Shirts and video game accessories. Same thing with video game stores, there were three independent ones over the years and now only the gamestop. Movie stores were a thing for a while. We also had Hot Topic and our local Hot Topic equivalent that is now mostly a skate/snowboard/piercing place, etc. Radio shacks, pet shops, comic book stores, etc.

Ironically some of the healthier malls are ones that appeal to off-beat hobbies and old people like the one that has a shop that sells collectible stamps & coins as well as Magic The gathering Cards and retro video games and D&D. It's been around for like 30 years and has lived through all sorts of fad like POGs and beanie babies and I'm sure it has Fidget Spinners in its store right now. Another store always sold stuff for miniature models like RC cars and train sets and military models and gundams that you'd assemble and glue and paint yourself. These days they also have drones, obviously.


Some stores can adapt easily and live through fads, turtle and the hare sort of thing, not a lot of them though.

>>38288668
Yea, I'm from Canada originally and I remember Zellers and HMV. They were so big at the time, people thought they were taking over completely.

Now, all dead. Is there no future in retail?

I saw this show last night, "The Profit" on Hulu, it was this guy who invested in mostly retail stuff. It was really hard to watch, since I kept thinking "Why the fuck would you invest in some shit-ass money-losing snowboard shop or whatever?". Fuck, either the guy had more money than he knew what to do with, or he was a genius.

I'd never put a single dime into anything retail, fuck that shit.

>>38288916
Well, I wrote in another post examples of stores that did well >>38288862

I'm old as shit (32) and those shops were in that shitty shopping mall before I was a kid and they're still around today owned by the same people and in the same spot they haven't even had to move to a smaller spot or anything.

People will just go to Wal-Mart or Costco if they need shoes or something, there's no point in doing as vague and general like a shoe shop. The shops that stood the test of time were those that offered something that you could never get at Costco or Wal Mart or Sears or Target or Zellers or HMV or any other big-box store.

I never saw The Profit, but a snowboard shop -might- do good as long as it offers something other than whatever someone could get from just buying their board and boots from Amazon or even a sports store during the winter season - and if they're in a good location too.

>>38288263

Used to work in a mall converted to an office park.

Pittsburgh Allegheny Center.

It was kinda neat, wish it had more food court or reason to be in the central area though.

>>38287909

I couldn't be fucking happier to be honest.

Now they can use that space for something good for a change.

>>38287909

Now the next generation of kids won't have to suffer the grieving hours of having their dumb moms take too long choosing clothes and fitting them in the changing rooms only to not buy the clothes anymore. Fuck those stores.

>>38289551
That's the key to it, to utilize that center space correctly. If you lived there and just came home, the food court or grocery store would be right there. I think the convenience of it would revitalize the place. And, you'd get a sense of other people around, a little bit of community, even if you didn't really know them or need to know them

>>38288385
Low IQ people.

>>38287972
>first video I see
>the place is in my town
>the very building that my family used to use a bunch
>closed now
>just another vacated building that may never be used again

Out of all the possible places, it was right outside my backdoor. Pretty spooky

>>38287909
walmart is here forever ;^)

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the saddest of all
silent escalators
tears in a dead mall

>>38288263
Funnily enough, the guy who invented malls envisioned them as a sort of indoor town square with people living and working there. What you're proposing isn't far off from that.

>>38288385
Baby boomers who refuse to use the internet just because they like to be obstructionists, even to themselves

>>38289602
You just gave me vietnam flashbacks.

Fuck I hated shopping with anyone but myself, I think I had my first existential crisis in a fucking target while my mother was inspecting literally every single item in the store only to buy fucking nothing, no sense of purpose, no intention to buy anything, just fucking browsing.

And i'm still mad about it.

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>walking through the mall recently
>places are closing and shit's shutting down
>hot topic is still there
>remember when i was 13 going through a rebellious phase getting black shit from hot topic
>jack ass wrist bands and viva la bam gear
>black cloths hanging out with the goths,wasn't interested in the culture but they accepted me so I tried to blend in
>walked in and it's full of anime shit like pokemon and dildos in the back
>gay ass Mario mushroom shirts
I walked around and the pretzel place and hot dog place was still there pumping out that aroma. Most places were closed, sees was still open. I do miss that arcade with the cat logo, shame it has been taken down.

this guy has a pretty comfy series about abandoned places (including a few malls) and cancelled things

https://www.youtube.com/user/BrightSunGaming

>>38290479
What the fuck? Hot Topic sells dildos now?

>>38289914
The second line is supposed to have 7 syllables

>>38287909
i live in NY the mall is LIT af bros

I miss malls, this thread hit me right in the feel nag

>>38290782

i hope you get shot by niggers

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I live in a semi populated town here in Australia (about 150,000) and we only got one shopping mall here. Surprisingly it's still pretty populated, lots of stores there get plenty of business and I hardly see any places shut down. In a matter of fact the council just finished doing some renovations and adding a new section to it, so now we got 5 new businesses there and the place is as lively as ever. We also got a cinema next door that gets plenty of business there too.

But politicians are still pretty anal about online shopping to the point where they've slapped an "E-tax" whenever we buy shit on there now. So I guess people are still wishy washy on choosing retail and online shopping. I like both though and hope they can both stick around for a while.

>>38290857
I hope your mom gets gangbanged by niggers

>>38290913

fuck you

original comment ofc

>>38290948
>original comment ofc

The mods are now banning when you write that at the end of your post

enjoy your ban, friend

>>38290870
Is 150,000 considered a small town in Australia, or am I not understanding the meaning of "semi-populated"?
I only ask because where I'm from a town of 150,000 would be considered a large town or small city, I think.

>le dying malls meme
all the malls by me are pretty crowded
they just built too many malls and some of them will go away in shittier areas

>>38290980

eat my nuts and eat them good

>>38290985

Well we're definitely a large town, that's for sure. I wasn't really sure where I was going with "semi-populated" though so my apologies for that.

>>38291031
I wasn't sure myself, so I looked up some towns in my area.
Then I found this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Settlement_hierarchy

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I saw Dan Bell's name thrown around here, and I have to say- he, too, got me into the idea of America's dying malls and big-box stores- particularly as I have one right in my area.

>Gwinnett Place mall goes up in 1984
>Standard 80s mall aesthetic (Neon accents, courtyards of plastic palm trees). Original stores were Rich's, Davison's, and Sears- and later interchanged with Macy's, Belk, JCPenny.
>in its heyday, GP was one of outer-Atlanta's shopping gems. Entire area of Pleasant Hill was practically developed around this mall.
>Often remember going to GP in my early childhood, where I would buy handfuls of Reese's Pieces from a candy machine and watch the big fountain.
>Mall of GA goes up in 1999. Though a little further, it's bigger, newer, nicer-looking, more attractive to out-of-state shoppers. Sugarloaf Mills (Formerly Discover Mills, also seemingly in the process of expiring) goes up in 2001. GP cannot compete.
>Vital anchor stores begin to close their doors, Macy's moves to a different section of the mall.
>Smaller outlets would soon follow.
>Pleasant Hill area itself begins to deteriorate.
>Mega Mart (A Korean department store brand, the company's first in the US) goes up in the former Davison's/Macy's.
>Hip Hop/Dance studio also opens inside.
>Last time I went was about 7th or 8th grade, just to go to the LensCrafters.
>Would not set foot in GP again, for fear of death by Tyrone.
>Section of the mall recently caught fire.
>Plans have been circling to revitalize the area, none of which include keeping the mall intact.

Sears stores are also getting more and more depressing as years go by.

I go to Wal-Mart for groceries and everyday household items, but pretty much everything else I buy online.

I can't think the last time I bought something at a brick-and-mortar store that wasn't Wal-Mart.

>>38290994
Honestly, the mall by me (good part of town) is pretty crowded. I went to exchange a pair of shoes I bought online in a store in that mall and it was packed to its brim.

However, the mall in the """bad""" part of town is almost always a ghost town. Anytime I drive by it, there are so few cars in the parking lot.

I think people just don't want to deal with """youth""" and unfortunately """youth""" tends to spend a good amount of time at malls since it's free to get in.

>>38287909
I'm glad to see them go. I hate them.
Always have lower-quality products than on the internet for higher prices
employees will deceive you into buying shit that you don't need.

>>38291324
mall stores like nordstrom are more trustworthy for high end goods than a random internet merchant

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>>38288263
I think that would be kind of cool. The sculpted interior and fake foliage of malls often remind me of Logan's Run, so it would be like living in a retro future dystopia. That probably shouldn't seem appealing.

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>>38288139

Huge places like that are essentially "alive" you witnessed something die. Not literally, but it's the same feeling, something once bustling and full of life, now hallow and barren. I worked in a Sears that was closing until it's last day. Seeing it slowly go from hundreds of customers, to dozens to no one, was like watching a patient on life support that was already good as dead.

>>38290672
Either he's in a really shitty hot topic or the place is about to turn into spencers gifts. The hot topic by me is filled with just music shit and anime t shirts

>>38290381
>Baby boomers who refuse to use the internet

I fucking hate this shit. My dad REFUSES to make an amazon account, I had to add his card under mine so he pesters me all the time when he wants something. So damn stubborn.

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Did you try all the flavors?

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>>38287972
This is now a comfy thread: mall edition

Some malls north of me (Olean, NY) are very busy nearly all the time. I was there probably 2 months ago.

To me in Australia, this all seems rather strange.

There are no dead malls in the suburbs here. There was one about five minutes' walk from where I live, but it's long since been knocked down and replaced with houses.

There are very few dead big box retailers either.

In the CBD there's one dead shopping arcade, and a few others have dead levels, but most appear to be thriving.