In reply to the main topic, which is normal malls, I actually kind of like them. But what I like are the high-end malls that the article suggests won’t be dying any time soon.
I don’t have any money at the moment, but I’ve developed expensive taste over the years. For high-end clothing etc., there is loads of information on the internet, as well as places to buy it (often at far better prices than you can in stores). But you won’t really understand it without handling it and trying it on in person, which you can’t do online.
So high-end malls are enjoyable as a way to learn about high-end clothes, basically, without needing to spend any money if you don’t have it.
And if you’ve never been to a true high-end mall, you won’t know that they don’t have many of the things that make regular malls intolerable. Many don’t have kiosk vendors, which is one of the prime annoyances of regular malls, for example.
I don’t know because I wasn’t there, but I suspect the experience of shopping at truly high-end malls today (my experience mostly being based on Fashion Island and South Coast Plaza) is somewhat similar to the original malls of the 60’s. All the things that everyone dislikes about malls now (teenagers, crap products with bad prices, Sbarro, etc.) developed later.
I’m ignoring the obvious economic reasons behind all this. Like I said, I have expensive taste, but I haven’t found steady employment since finishing grad school a couple years ago so I can’t actually afford anything - and yet I’m better off than probably most people in their 20’s these days.
