Stores Still Largely Empty in Detroit Mall

It's been awhile since I went to a mall, so I had a surprise when I stopped at the Eastland Mall in Detroit, Michigan, last weekend.

I had never seen the mall so empty before. Walking through Macy's, rows of sales attendants who always ignored me before now were eager to hand me perfume samples and introduce me to their wares, despite my grungy jeans.

I was slightly taken aback at first, as the attendants had never bothered to pay attention to me before. But then I realized I was the only customer in the area.

Even with the shoppers that were there, the mood seemed more somber. People seemed to be there for business, with a specific needed item in mind, rather than browsing for diversion. The stores were much more quiet than usual.

Several small clothes retailers in the mall seemed closed at first-because there wasn't a single person there. But closer examination revealed a lone clerk crouched at a desk before a silent cash register. Not a single customer.

Advertisements for big sales hung all over the place.

It is true that Target, also in the mall complex, was doing brisk business. A few miles away, Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree were seeing healthy lines at the cash register. At the discount stores, Dollar Tree and Big Lots, a stand near the entrance advertising a sweepstakes actually contained a sales rep trying to wheedle customers to subscribe to the struggling newspapers, the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News. I saw a couple people sign up for the sweepstakes, but they passed on buying a subscription.

The effects of the recession are clear from a shopping trip in Metro Detroit these days. With the collapse of the Big 3 sending Michigan unemployment rates skyrocketing, you are much more likely to see families with clipped coupons at the local discount store, than shoppers on a big spree at the mall.

Local stores are just hoping that it has bottomed out. Michigan retailers are predicting better sales in the next few months, according to the Michigan Retailers Association. However, the MRA also noted that the number of retailers with sales improvements fell for the second month in a row.

Still, retailers are trying to keep a positive outlook in the face of slumping sales and empty stores. The recession seems to be easing in the nation as a whole, which may bring increased sales for Michigan retailers.