Perhaps I'm getting older and the appeal of the mall is dwindling. Perhaps my patience of crowded stores and not-so-helpful service reps has decreased. Either way, I would say that I've probably shopped at the mall maybe four times this year - opting for freestanding stores like Urban Outfitters or little fashion boutiques here in downtown San Diego.
According to Rich Ottum of MarketingBlurb, it seems that in some parts of the country mall traffic is down. Maybe it's the increase in gas prices or the fact that people are shopping online now.
Mall owners are going to have to step up their game to lure people to the mall. An example that Rich gives us is Taubman malls giving away ice-cream and t-shirts over the Memorial Day weekend. I don't know about you, but they're going to have to come up with something more than ice cream to get me to come to the mall! How about free music concerts? People came by the thousands when William Hung sang at a mall here in San Diego...
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