I had to travel to Miami.
I went to Aventura Mall.
It was busy, bustling is a good word for it.
It had grown since I last saw it in 2018.
I’ve been to several other malls in other cities in other states in the last couple of years.
Many had vacant store fronts and looked like they were dying.
Yes, yes, I know. Amazon killed the mall
QBullshit.
Amazon only delivered the coup de grace after COVID restrictions put it on death’s door.
Ending restrictions, keeping things open, and ending mask mandates seems to have done much better for brick and mortar in Florida than other more heave handed restrictions in other places.
The missus and I went to our local mall the other day, right after Russia invaded Ukraine. We figured for some window shopping, lunch, and a few in the family need new shoes.
Boy, if we were looking for a bit of escapism, the mall was a big mistake.
Half the storefronts are closed up, including many that have been there for decades. What’s left has limited inventory. It was a weekend, so it should have been bustling. It wasn’t empty, but “bustling” isn’t a word I’d use. And the whole place had the air of a hospice ward for the terminally ill; they try to put on a smile, but everyone is dying and knows it.
The worst part was the food court. There are a dozen “slots”, but only four are occupied. Even the drop-in McDonald’s is closed.
Here is where I’ll point out: Amazon may kill brick-and-mortar retail, but they can’t kill a food court. The State government’s pandemic-related restrictions and asinine economic policies are fully responsible for this one.
Actually, I lied about the worst part. As depressing as the food court was, the worst part is outside. The mall is downtown, which is clogged with homeless (“unhoused”, “residence-challenged”, or whatever the PC term is these days), many of whom were openly using drugs or s#!++ing on the sidewalk.
We used to think the mall was a fun and cheap outing, to kind of “check out” of life for a bit. Get out, walk around, maybe find something you like. Now, though, it’s more of a reminder of how bad things can get before they get better.