The Mall Vs. The Internet

The eventual downfall of the common mall as we know it is on its way. The trend in retail right now is showing that the common mall is not doing s well as it use to. Over the years and with the changes in technology the usefulness of the common mall has been diminished, and it shows. All over America empty strip malls sit bare and unused. Nobody want sot buy the space and nobody is fully willing to shop there.

The idea of the mall has been around for centuries. Back in Roman days people would gather to sell and trade goods. This idea over many years turned into the common mall, run by companies that are large landlords. For a cost you can rent a spot, pay the monthly payment, and hopefully make more money than you owe. Many malls are still doing just fine with full spots and no empty lots. Some malls on the other hand are not doing so well. Constantly moving smaller stores, and continually empty spots leave the scene a little bleak.

With the onset of the internet shopping and based on the amount of shopping and sales to be found online, the common mall will have to adjust or will eventually fall. Many things can now be bought online for cheaper costs than at the mall. In may cases the internet is the only place for some items to be found. While some stores have adapted perfectly, there are other that are taking the brunt of the impact. A good example is F.Y.E. the little store that sells media in music and movies mainly. While their music is comparable to other places, they fall amazingly short of movie prices. While even going to the nearest Wal-mart will save you 10 dollars on the new movie that came out, F.Y.E. somehow justifies the over pricing of its movies by large amounts of money. 2-3 dollars more is understandable but not 10+ dollars. This is where the internet has hurt them, The internet also has taken its toll on Wal-marts movie sales but not as badly as F.Y.E.'s movie sales. Online movie may be purchased for a fraction of the cost of the actual stores. This is the start of the downfall.

Victoria's Secret on the other hand uses coupons good for store only or online only. The difference in the coupon sales is only the shipping costs for them. While the cost is lower online you many not be able to get the free slippers. Victoria's Secret has adapted to fit the market, and create not only online sales but generate in store sales that are helping it do deal with the internet retail surge.

The other thing many people realize is that the crowds at many common malls are uncomfortable for them. To go into large crowds and try to purchase things can be very stressful and hard on you. Some people are finding that staying at home online and just clicking to buy things is a bit easier than pushing their way trough crowds, and fighting for items.

Another important factor is the safety factor. Currently there have been numerous more violent acts committed at common malls during these heavy shopping times. This has prompted people to either stay away from malls all together or to be overly cautious when going shopping. While being overly cautious is not a bad thing, it is a whole different reason to sit home and internet shop.

With these reasons in mind, I fully believe that while common malls will never truly disappear, The common mall will shift o better fit its need and market. Some companies have succeeded in adapting to the market flow. Those that are unwilling to shift or adapt, are destined to be swept away in the flow.