As I've mentioned before, I grew up on long island. If one were to find the Easternmost point in Queens County and walk South about 1/4 mile, you'd be in front of the house in which I grew up. While in the neighborhood, I decided to see what it was like at the local shopping mall, Roosevelt Field.
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It's hard to believe that this mall is the 9th largest shopping mall in the country. Yet, I think the mall could be in trouble due to the amount of vacant stores. The pandemic and Amazon have taken their toll, yet the mall still survives. It's not just a place to go shopping as much as it's a place to spend time participating in American consumer culture. If we're not spending money in stores, we're visiting them to see what we can buy.
I found it hard to believe how many people were at the mall today. If I didn't go near the food court, I wouldn't have noticed any evidence that there is a pandemic going on save for the lines to get in a couple of stores. Since this visit was in male mode, I was not going to explore the women's departments looking for bargains. Instead, I explored some of the clearance merchandise, and avoided spending money at the mall.
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Years ago, my late wife and I used to visit malls to kill time. Now that I've gotten older, I find the lure of new things less compelling. If I buy things now, they are either consumables, things replacing those that no longer fit, or are things replacing those that have worn out. Internet shopping is the future for me, as much as I'd rather shop in person. Product displays no longer tempt me. I know what I want, can find it with little help, and do not need the headaches of driving to malls to shop well. Change has benefited me in more ways than I'd have expected....
