Malls are pretty much going the way of the dodo. In fact, some of them have become ghost towns. Note, all this came about due to the rise of online shopping and maybe also Wal-Mart, Target, etc.. Anyway, do you think savings are better online? They must be cause how else can you account for the fall of malls? Well, one answer might be that online shopping has a style that is better than in-person.
I have always been a fan of online shopping because of the simple reason that most of the times the products are cheaper than those you get in a mall. It saves you a lot of time and the product is delivered at your doorstep and you do not have to step out of your house. In a city like Mumbai with such a huge population, it is difficult to find a parking spot for your car or you have to pay heavy parking fees to do it which in turn adds to your shopping bill. Do not forget the fuel cost for travelling from your home to the mall and back. So considering all theses extra expenses and discomfort of shopping in a mall, I choose to shop online always.
Not so here on Oahu. Ala Moana and Kahala Mall as all the other malls are alive and kicking. Ward Warehouse closed for having new homes built, I believe condos, so that's one that's gone. There are a lot of visitors as well as residents who love to shop at malls. They got a supermarket at Ala Moana, Foodland and they are always busy. It depends on the State I guess or maybe even the time of year. Bet holidays malls are still busy?
I like online shopping but there are still some things which I go to a mall to buy them. Also going mall is a fun activity for me and I go there for relaxation some times. Still need malls
It's a fact that many malls are closing down or have few stores left in them which then makes the running costs too high. Unless there is a major department store or theater in it, then it will struggle to keep footfall. Outlet malls are still popular, but the bulk of sales are easier to manage online. This is similar to the mom and pop and corner shops going out of business, a few areas where there are no malls survive, but many have had to close down. I think some malls will still exist, but the smaller ones will close down.
I do both. I usually go online when there are attractive discounts around. Also when a particular item is not available in the open market most of the time I could easily find it in online shops. A few months back I bought a 4G wingle which was not available here in the open market. I also got a special price on this. But when it comes to clothes and perishable commodities like groceries I prefer to go regular offline shops. Before buying a cloth for me I just wanted to try it. I just wanted to see how I look in the new outfit. So I never buy clothes online.
The supermalls will likely survive but the small ones will eventually go under. There are a lot of benefits in going to a mall where everything can be found, including dental clinics, IT school, derma clinic, hair and beauty salon, massage clinic, grocery and meat store, cinema, banks, ATM, bills payment, etc. How can online shopping compete with that? I only shop online for products that I can't find elsewhere at reasonable prices.
I really think it matters what kind of mall it is. Some are set up better than others. As @Jamille said, if you can find everything you need in one location, it's probably a bit more popular. Of course, you can get most of the things mentioned in one supercenter these days, so there isn't even a need to walk around a mall from store to store. You can get new glasses, have your car worked on, stop for a hair trim, shop for groceries, and more, all in one store (like Walmart). Malls with lots of specialty or novelty stores or super expensive shops and boutiques, probably aren't really booming these days. The high prices tend to put them out of business with so much competition offering better deals.
One main thing I like about online shopping is the ease at which I can do shopping right from the comfort of my home. Another thing while online I can easily check out many of the online stores to compare products and prices before I settle for the one most appealing to me. Talking about shopping at malls yes I do that a lot especially during sales offer and when going for items I like to touch and feel before buying.
The only thing i enjoy about shopping in malls is the overall experience and at the atmosphere of the building as well as you have more and varied options.
I bought some pants the other day at a JCPenney while I was traveling and they do have some good sales-but I never shop in malls much anymore these days. The main anchor of some these malls are Sears and JCPenney-but they are closing more and more of these stores daily and mall owners cannot find anymore retailers to replace them either. The mall tends to go out business more, once the anchor closes. I think shopping online saves you a lot of money and time these days.
So many stores are closing but I'm not even sure it is all about the savings although it is definitely a bonus to be able to look in the comfort of the home and find the cheapest product.. It's just so easy for people to order what they want especially if they have a disability or are stuck at home with children. I must admit when the weather is bad and I need something I would much rather shop online. It's making us all lazy.
I do both. Sometimes, I do prefer to buy most stuffs like electronics online. But when it comes to edible things, I prefer to go to the shopping mall to get them.
It really depends on most cases, for clothes and what not then going to the mall would be a more reasonable decision. Of course, I would usually go on sales. Shopping online has a good number of pros to, you don't have to get up and get well dresses, don't have to waste gas money traveling, and it is easier to find good codes to save money.
I think it depends on the situation. Some of the time online shopping makes sense. You don't want to go out in the rain for small things around. And in case of the mall shopping, you get to socialize. And that's something you can see in a different way. Mall shopping is a good experience if you are with family and friends. That's what I have learned so far.
It won't happen in my country anytime soon because most of our consumers love to see things physically before they buy them. However the the professionals with no time for shopping have already started buying things online especially the ones living in metros where even the grocery is available online. By the way, the grocery is not available online in smaller cities online as of now and one has to go to shops for the same.
Same here in Malaysia. I think the malls here will still survive for many years. Though there are more and more new malls opening, there are still very crowded especially during weekends or holidays. I know some friends who have to go mall shopping every weekend, as it is the main or major activity for them. Some parents also like to bring the kids to the mall, as it seems like it is a good place for them to hang out. I still buy things in the mall as there is a mall just within 5 minute drive, so I think it's still easier for us to grab something we want and save the shipping cost. If it isn't very convenient to shop, then perhaps I will consider buying things online.
Although I do both types of shopping, I prefer offline shopping. Shopping at physical stores lets me take a great look at the quality and size (if clothing). On the other hand, online shopping is good but I had bad experiences shopping online like getting the wrong size of the clothing or even getting a bad quality of a certain item.
I strongly believe that buying online helps us to save a lot of money. All we buy from a mall is expensive, items on the Internet are cheaper but the risk on receiving something else then what we have ordered is higher, the quality may be lower or the size may be wrong.
Malls will always survive even if people use online shopping more in coming years. The fun and thrill of shopping in malls is different from what you get while shopping online. One of them of course is that you dress in proper clothes and enjoy other things including a drink in your favorite restaurant or bar or maybe shopping while going for a facial or a haircut. Online shopping will never replace shopping experience in the malls.