We hardly ever go to a shopping mall. We do most of our shopping at stand-alone stores like Target and Wal-Mart or a couple of large strip centers in our area.
Last night, we dropped our daughter off at Girl Scouts and didn't feel like just going home, so I suggested we wander around the nearby mall. This is a mall that I've been going to since I was a child. It has certainly changed over the years, as I think all malls have. It really struck me last night how incredibly upscale it has become. Very little to appeal to folks of average means, or folks like us of above average means who choose to live below those means.
Years ago, the mall had Woolworths and an independent book shop and a little cafeteria and a craft shop and such. Today, it is populated by Coach and Godiva and Abercrombie and Brooks Brothers and the like. Very few stores that we would ever set foot in and even fewer that we can afford to shop in. Other than the food court, there was very little there that appealed to us.
What also struck me was that the average customer looked to be no more than 25. Surely all these teens and young adults can't be earning nearly enough to truly afford the prices of these stores. It isn't hard to see how so many people get so deeply in debt if this is where they are choosing to shop.
I miss the simplicity and down-to-earth shopping that we had years ago. There was a great book a few years ago called "Trading Up" that talked about this phenomenon of how as our nation has become more prosperous, everyone has upgraded their normal level of goods. Instead of Maxwell House coffee, its Starbucks. Instead of a Buick, its a Lexus. Instead of vacationing at the shore, its Cancun.
I'm not sure what my point is, but I can tell you that I won't be visiting the mall again anytime soon.
Thoughts on a shopping mall visit
April 6th, 2007 at 07:10 pm
April 6th, 2007 at 08:16 pm 1175890617
April 6th, 2007 at 08:51 pm 1175892708
My daughter tells me that Abercrombie is huge with kids now. Girls want Coach bags, and clothes from high end stores. I know one kid who called his mother at work, from school, and chewed her out because he had to wear clothes that were different brands, because the laundry wasn' t done.
Apparently, it is not acceptable at his school, to wear Ralph Lauren shirts with Tommy Hilfiger jeans, and a third brand of socks! The parents indulge these kids, and then wonder why they are such brats.
I fear they are going to be in for a rude awakening when they are on their own.
April 6th, 2007 at 09:31 pm 1175895062
A couple of weeks ago at temple, the topic of Coach bags came up when a bunch of us were talking and our one friend pulled out her latest purchase from there. I know the bag was a minimum of $325 and probably more. I wanted to go in the store and find out for sure but my wife refused to even go in (I knew I loved her for a reason). My wife said she doesn't think she has spent a combined total of $325 on handbags her entire adult life.
April 6th, 2007 at 09:49 pm 1175896169
April 6th, 2007 at 09:54 pm 1175896498
April 6th, 2007 at 10:02 pm 1175896968
Oh, but I do have to stick up for Coach.
April 7th, 2007 at 02:20 am 1175912414
April 7th, 2007 at 11:00 am 1175943630
April 7th, 2007 at 05:14 pm 1175966096
Last night, to reward my family for coming to the office with me while I submitted my hours, I took them to Coldstone Creamery. Walking back to the car, we saw huge vehicles, commandeered by young people who didn't turn the headlights on (but they could find the heavy bass on the stereo - GO FIGURE), cruising up and down the short lanes in the mall complex.
I vow it's going to be Target, Costco and online shopping.. It's almost as if the mall management is going out of its way to make the experience as unpleasant as possible.
April 8th, 2007 at 01:26 am 1175995595
As I said, it seemed to be primarily teens and 20-somethings. Either that or senior citizens (who were probably walking and socializing more than shopping). Being somewhere in the middle of that age range, we just don't seem to fit the target demographic anymore.
April 8th, 2007 at 02:05 am 1175997950
Brava, scfr - your big secret, which no 20-something wants to follow - is if you are going to buy a quality brand name, treat it like a classic and use it for 20 years. The final sad thing is that the average mall buyer will buy something, use it for a few weeks, then buy something new.
Oh yes, I love the mall. I use the mall to find out what I'll see at the yard sale/thrift store in two-three years.
April 8th, 2007 at 02:30 am 1175999440
It's horrible. I hated malls when I was a teenager, but then again I was out having more fun outside a mall! I can't imagine what's so fun about walking around the mall.
We're a consuming society. I read that book "Trading Up" it was very interesting. How the nice golf clubs are common like luxury cars. Everything is super fine now. No one lives cheaply.
April 8th, 2007 at 03:52 am 1176004372
April 8th, 2007 at 02:17 pm 1176041833
As for buying quality that lasts, I definitely agree with that - sometimes. But I can tell you what my wife said regarding the Coach bags. She said if her $15 leather bag gets scratched or stained, she doesn't feel so bad replacing it with another $15 leather bag. However, if she had a $400 bag that got scratched or stained, she'd be pretty upset. We will buy high quality, more costly items that we know will hold up, but something more delicate we'll usually stick with the cheaper option.
April 11th, 2007 at 04:16 am 1176264993
like scfr, i do need to stand up for coach bags though. I'm not a fan of the newer signature fabric styles but really enjoy their leather products. I have found them to have a high quality (several of mine are at least 10 years old) for a decent price, especially if you buy them secondhand like i do..
"Brava, scfr - your big secret, which no 20-something wants to follow - is if you are going to buy a quality brand name, treat it like a classic and use it for 20 years. "
lol baselle, can you make an exception for me? maybe say most "normal" 20-something year olds?
i do know what you mean tho...i know people who do exactly what you say... buy something, use it a little bit, tire of it and buy something new... it makes me cringe although it does save me money when i get everything they don't want anymore...
disneysteve,
i would have said the same thing as your wife before i started carrying my purse around.. in fact, i would still say the same thing because i still wouldn't pay retail for a coach purse..
i think that if your wife would like to try it out, she could do worse than to buy and try out a second hand coach.. if you're patient and keep looking, she can probably find one that doesn't cost too much just to see if she likes it...i know i've seen people sell nice ones at the swap meet for under $10-50 depending on the size and style...
lol.. sorry about the tangent... i do agree about the mall... it's only a few miles away and we generally avoid it whenever possible...
April 11th, 2007 at 04:57 pm 1176310671
Wow how time has changed! I immediately felt sick with the busyness and too many eye catching items and storefronts. I was hoping to get something for my honeymoon night and a nice simple dress for my bridal shower. Sleuthing around for something I can use, I left with nothing!!! After 30 minutes, I have missed my Target store! I get many compliments at work and from friends on my purse. They usually asked me where I got it so they can get one too. It was a Wal-Mart purse for $9 and it%u2019s actually very durable so far... I was impressed since it was the one time I went to Wal-Mart in the last 5 years. (Target fan here)
April 12th, 2007 at 03:57 pm 1176393462
April 14th, 2007 at 03:52 pm 1176565930
April 14th, 2007 at 09:06 pm 1176584812
Sorry to get a bit off subject, disneysteve.
BTW, I was trying to remember the last time I was at a shopping mall and I can't remember. I think it has been about a year. Malls hold no interest for me at all. My husband & I did go hang out at an outlet mall when our power was out for 6 days last winter because it was toasty warm (the power was on there) and was next to an all-you-can-eat buffet that we went to gorge on milk and fresh produce and seafood since all the food in our fridge had to be dumped ... but we did not buy a thing, so I guess that doesn't really count, does it?
April 24th, 2007 at 09:58 am 1177408682
I read an article on MSN last year that tried to squash the notion that Americans are heavily into credit card debt. It showed that the majority of Americans have ZERO credit card debt, and then of the people that do most have very little, it is just that there is a small percentage of the population that has a huge amount of credit card debt and they skew the results. So I don't think all those people in the malls are going into debt, most of them probably just earn more than you or save less than you or both.
April 24th, 2007 at 03:45 pm 1177429559
On the other hand, I work with two girls in their 20's. I know exactly how much they earn and I see how they live, what they wear, where they shop, etc. We talk about that stuff regularly. Both have freely admitted that they are lousy at saving money and really have nothing in savings. They live paycheck to paycheck for no good reason other than their own behavior. They earn enough that they could be putting a decent amount aside each paycheck but they blow it all on consumer purchases.
If I spent all of my take home pay, I could be out shopping at the mall for my stuff, too. Instead, I choose to invest upwards of 17% of my GROSS pay which is around 24% of take home because I don't want to live paycheck to paycheck and I want to retire someday while I'm still young enough to enjoy it.
April 30th, 2007 at 12:12 pm 1177935176