Dear Local Mall: No wonder so many of your kind are dying off.

[Brigid]

I went out to find a pair of shoes -- nothing elaborate, just a pair of sturdy black walking shoes, in a common size, preferably my favorite brand, Easy Spirit. I've been wearing that brand for years. All I found was cheap crap in colors that make them look like clown shoes. Pretty silly for a fiftysomething, don't you think?

I go through the same thing when I try to shop for clothes. Who designs this stuff? I am under five feet tall, and not particularly svelte.Do I sound like a Victoria's Secret model to you?

I order my favorite Lands' End clothing items online anymore. And the shoes? Five minutes on the Easy Spirit website, and I have a pair on the way. No muss, no fuss.

Thanks for nothing, and stay off my lawn.

Love,
Brigid

[kimbutgar]

1. Plus the same old stores in every mall

I used to love going to the mall but now it's the same stores carrying the same stuff. There used to be small businesses that were individualistic. One mall I used to go to no longer has a book store. It's so boring and no longer enjoyable. I only go to the movies and food courts now. They are so cookie cutter.

[Freddie]

62. Have been for years

In 1989 DH & I went on a fishing trip to Rochester NY and left our daughter (then 3) overnight with his mom. Stopped at a mall there to get her a present and they had the *exact same* stores there as our mall back home in Philly burbs.

[Dorian Gray]

73. Yep

It all seems to be generic and boring crap.

I actually like shopping. But I like boutiquey unique things. I haven't been to a mall in years. (Luckily I live in Brooklyn, so between here and Manhattan I have a lot of choices when I'm in the mood to shop for anything.)

[WinkyDink]

74. It's because FRANCHISES 'R' US.

[freebrew]

82. And because everything is made...

in the same factory in some sweatshop in India or China.

[Nye Bevan]

2. Also, physical stores suck for anyone who needs unusual sizes.

But the weirdest sizes in existence are a couple of clicks away online.

[HereSince1628]

15. Physical stores also suck for very common sizes.

I'm 5'-9'' with a 35 waist.

So the size of jeans I seek is usually 36waist-30 in seam. It's surprisingly often an empty space on the shelf.

Consequently I go look for stretch denim in women's 14's without designs on the back pocket. MUCH cheaper (ofthen half the price), but ligher weight and not as durable as men's jeans.

[Nye Bevan]

47. Not a problem on Amazon......

[alittlelark]

67. While I fully agree, Amazon is the Walmart of the internet.

....that said - I still use them occasionally, but have cut down dramatically.

I am in the Bay Area, where Amazon is, and if I NEED it and the price differential is wide I will go with Amazon... almost always here the next day in one of their vans.

[freebrew]

83. Levis...

now made in Mexico. They don't fit anymore.

[7962]

85. And 2 pair of the exact same size will fit differently!!!!! Arrrgh!

Best jeans I ever bought that fit well were, believe it or not, Old Navy.

[Scuba]

3. When you've seen three stores under one roof, you've seen a mall.

[hlthe2b]

4. Agree.. and I once loved to buy purses, but the ones of my youth--

Last edited Tue Mar 11, 2014, 11:05 AM - Edit history (3)

often gorgeous leather with attention to detail, such as Coach once made, have all been replaced with cheap materials and enormous, gaudy hardware. And selling for $100s of dollars. Yeah, right.

As for clothes, I can still find things at Dillards sometimes, but Macy's, forget it. But, even though more clothes come in petite sizes, I generally still have to order online if I am to avoid hemming--which I HATE.

[Lifelong Protester]

21. I buy from ebay and only carry Coach

the classic stuff, not the modern items. I think they went around the bend when they only appealed to 'youngsters'.

Hey, we boomers are your most loyal customers! Throw us a few bones!!

[GoCubsGo]

41. You should also check out shopgoodwill.com

They frequently have Coach bags and other high-end items on auction. Everything there tends to be gently used. It's great for vintage jewelry, too.

[Lifelong Protester]

54. Thanks for the tip!

How about silk scarves? I'm a sucker for them, too.

[GoCubsGo]

65. Yup!

Probably under "womens clothing--accessories", just like the handbags. One can find just about anything there, especially if you visit frequently. Goodwill stores from around the country put their high-end or unusual donations up for auction on this site. Right now, they have an airplane kit, a 1902 Picasso print, and a couple of cars/SUVs on auction, among other things. Like eBay, some things can go for big bucks, but one can often get good deals there.

[diane in sf]

80. Look for your local Tibet shop if you're in a major metro area,

They often have gorgeous silk scarves from India at reasonable to cheap prices.

[passiveporcupine]

39. I couldn't believe it

When Dooney & Bourke followed coach's trend to make bright and gaudy fabric bags and accessories, instead of their signature all-weather-leather.

I bought my Dooney about 25 years ago and still use it today. It needs some help now and I'd love to get it fixed, but probably can't afford the repairs. I don't like their styles any more. They even gave up on their cute, signature logo with the duck on it. I loved that logo.

I used to like Coach too. Not any more. I have a gorgeous leather daytimer purse combo (from my working days) that is made by Scully. Now they mostly make bright and ugly crap. What the hell happened to good taste in leather?

Oh and my favorite old wallet that finally died was a very thin, light weight, supple, soft leather and a beautiful and functional design made by Mundi. Now the closest thing I can see is a Dooney in lambskin, and it's almost $200. I think I paid $20 for the Mundi wallet, many moons ago. Mundi (made in Brazil) leather wallets still run about $20-$30, but they don't have that beautiful thin detailed design any more.

I paid good money for my Dooney, but I did it not for the design as much as for the quality materials that were made to last forever. When they came out with the new ugly fabric designs, they cost as much as the leather one I bought and I never quite understood why anyone would pay that much for a fabric purse.

[LiberalLoner]

76. Etsy is another place to check for handbags. I got a couple of purses from a woman who

Recycles leather she finds in thrift stores and she makes beautiful purses with beautiful leather. You don't get a famous label but you get good quality materials and workmanship and you are supporting a non-corporate way of life.

[SoCalDem]

88. "Fashion" made them change

If they can come out every season with a newer/gaudier version of their bags, they can entice the spendoholics to buy the new ones.

Handbag makers (and shoemakers) used to pride themselves on the longevity and craftsmanship of their items, but if your company depends on"beating the street" (wall street, that is), you must make your last season's merchandise passe' enough to find itself relegated to a box on a shelf somewhere.

I have a pair of Spanish-made shoes that I bought in 1967, that still look great...and I have a few leather purses that are older than I am (I will soon hit 65)..

ebay is THE place to buy great handbags...and where I get my favorite shoes ( Finn Comfort..made in Germany)

[tblue37]

72. Yeah--what is it with all that huge, gaudy hardware? Why are

purses today so stupid with hardware?

[CatWoman]

5. *sneaking on to Brigid's lawn*

[brer cat]

6. Maybe we can have a party

and she won't notice.

[BodieTown]

24. Can I Bring My Pet Gophers and Moles?

[Brigid]

28. No, you may not bring your moles and gophers!

[Brigid]

16. Hey you kids! I see you!

Get off my lawn! Party's over!

[truedelphi]

7. One of the best kept secrets about American youth -

Young women are having huge and exponential increases in shoe sizes.

Feet that require size eleven to size thirteen shoes. Are these young women the offspring of two NBA players, now having kids? No, normal sized parents, but kids have larger and largest feet. (And didn't Darwin state that biological changes were about adapting? But why would young people need larger feet, when they are basically sitting around texting?)

Yet in today's stores, almost all brands taper off their selection after size ten.

Even Easy Spirit doesn't furnish for larger feet.

And most shoe brands allow for half sizes up to size ten. After size ten, you either have to slosh around in shoes a half size too large, or have feet being pinched by half size too small.

Also forget about being a dress size sixteen. That size basically quit existing some years ago. The old size eighteen is one size too big, and size fourteen is too small.

[FarCenter]

9. Hobbits?

[DesertDiamond]

13. Hobbits is probably right.

[uriel1972]

11. Changes are random, Natural selection on the other hand...

Is all about adapting to the environment.

If there is a lack of selection pressure for the size of feet, then it doesn't matter what size they are, the owners will still have a decent chance of reproducing and passing the genes on. If there is a high selection pressure, the size becomes paramount and only those with the 'fittest' feet will reproduce.

[truedelphi]

66. But why all of a sudden are big feet the

Norm? I mean, perfectly normal young women with huge feet?

And as others are noting, young men too.

[Hoppy]

12. People's feet would have expanded under normal circumstances but

they were artificially bound with leather shoes. Athletic shoes allow feet to expand.

This was not the result of a change in our genetic makeup. That would have taken generations.

[truedelphi]

70. Your reply makes a certain amount of sense.

I have puzzled over this for four or five years, glad to have an answer.

[lunasun]

19. know where to get bigger shoe sizes? My 1 daughter is up to a 13

women's size at the age of ...13! It is getting harder to find anything "fashionable" for her age now
Anyone?????help!!!!

[LeftyMom]

59. Nordstrom/ Nordstom Rack.

Prepare to pay through the nose but they've got 'em.

[lunasun]

63. that is to be expected as not in normal range. Thank you!!

[ariesgem]

94. You can find them easy online

Try Zappos, DSW, JC Penneys, Nordstroms

I'm a size 11. I do have a problem finding a large selection in the stores.

[msanthrope]

60. Try amazon. Lots of brands, you can search by size. nt

[lunasun]

64. Thanx she went up 2 sizes in a year !

[barbtries]

71. try footsmart.com

though the styles may or may not appeal to a 13-year-old, they definitely carry the wide sizes. not as sure about the big. i didn't know this was happening these days.

[mcar]

37. Boys too

My son, age 16, 5' 9" yes still growing. He's a late bloomer like his dad, brother and me. But, even as a short middle schooler he had big feet. He now flops around in size 13s! Beats his 6" tall 26 yo bro who wears a size 12.

I have to order most of his shoes online.

[truedelphi]

53. mcar, Could you offer up a link or two, to online sites.

I'd love to occasionally buy my son shoes, but it is hard to put size thirteen clodhoppers on him.

I so grateful that my son's feet were normal until he reached the age of 25.

[demigoddess]

69. also in shoes

they used to have such a thing as a B width with a AA heel (my size). Can't find anything of the sort anymore. And I stopped going to malls a little over 20 years ago because of the bad air inside them. Off gassing plastic and perfume counter overload!!!!!

[Ishoutandscream2]

90. Feet are gross

Eom

[mrmpa]

8. Shop at shoebuy.com............

they carry Easy Spirit & at lower prices. Shipping & returns are free. That is all.

[DesertDiamond]

14. I've become a big Zappos.com fan because of the free shipping and return policy.

[DesertDiamond]

10. I hate to agree because I want to support local businesses, but you're right. I have wide feet...

...so finding shoes that fit right have always been a challenge, but I used to be able to find them eventually. And there even used to be a shoe store that specialized in extra-wide shoes. Now that that's gone, I have the worst time. Last year I looked for two months before I found a pair of boots that fit, and that's all I bought last year. This year, I started in November 2013 and found nothing, nothing, nothing. Two weeks ago I finally found shoes that fit -- guess where - online.

This is really pathetic, and I hate to see these malls close because the provide a lot of jobs. But, really. Can't they get something to make it worth it for us to come back?

[phylny]

30. Same here.

No stores have 9.5 wide in a quality shoe. I buy exclusively online and through catalogs.

[Redford]

61. I'm a 10.5 women's shoe and Nordstroms online has been a lifesaver for me

[salib]

84. I can appreciate your dilemma

However, in general, finding something very difficult is what a local store can be best at.

Supporting local business, like supporting local communities, good candidates, etc., is a participative act. And the rewards can be great. Give your local shoe shop a challenge to find what you are looking for themselves. Many will bend over backward to do so and may have resources you are not aware of and thus would miss.

If not, then unfortunately for them (and for you and your community), you cannot shop locally for that item. But do try, first. If nothing else, you can meet the store owner and maybe find a local friend or two.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

17. I had a pair of LA Gear that lasted almost 7 years....

I was so happy with how long they lasted I went back to the same store and bought another pair of LA Gear that looked pretty much the same for about the same price.

The new pair fell apart the first time they got wet from walking in the rain.

[mindwalker_i]

18. I went to a Barnes & Noble at a mall last weekend

I was looking through tr sci-fi section. They have these shelves with books on them, and the shelves have multiple levels. This means that some of the books are on the lowest level, which is, essentially, on the floor. Being 6'4", that's a ways away. Plus the lighting isn't the best down there. So I did the locical thing - which I always do - and sat down to look through all the books on the bottom shelf.

Someone who works at the store told me I can't do that.

So, I guess, what I would have to do is bend down (6+ feet), grab a book and look at it, then bend down, put it back, grab another book. I guess I could squat, but that get really unpleasant in a very short amount of time and honestly, i not going to fucking happen.

The solution? Kindle.

And they wonder why their business is doing badly!

[txwhitedove]

22. Since when can't you sit on the floor at Barnes & Noble? Here people sit on the floor to read.

[Brigid]

25. The Barnes & Noble stores here have comfy chairs.

And Starbucks.

[mindwalker_i]

34. But sitting there makes it even harder

to read the titles and synopses of the books on the bottom shelves.

[Codeine]

31. I sit on the floor at B&N all the time.

It's the only solution for tall folks. Nobody's ever bugged me about it -- I think you just got The Dickhead employee; every company has one.

[mindwalker_i]

33. She said something about me being a fire hazard

I suppose that, if there were a fire and alarms were going off, then if I continued to sit on the floor and people decided it would be a good idea to run through that particular aisle, they might trip. I'm big enough that most people would not trip, but their rushing around would be impeded. Really, it makes no sense.

She seemed fairly young, so I'm going to guess that B&N management decided on some policy and makes the employees enforce it. Now, I've often say there looking at books and not been harassed, and in fact I had just been doing that on the bottom floor by the wordpress books, and nobody harassed me. Maybe their worried about sci-fi geeks lounging on the floor and reading the books rather than buying them?

Regardless, I'm really tempted to claim it's discrimination against tall people.

[Nye Bevan]

49. Did you smell like gasoline?

Actually, I think you encountered a secret agent for Amazon.com.

[mindwalker_i]

57. Geeze, I hope not

Dunno. Someone with a stick up their cornbhole.

[Le Taz Hot]

20. I live right behind a major mall in my city.

I go over there maybe once every couple years, mainly because there's a Penny's there. But the rest of it is all geared toward youth with that gawdawful techno "music" blaring.

I have the same problem finding clothes/shoes. I've started sewing again to address the clothes issue and, since I LOVE Sketchers, I buy mine directly at the Sketchers Outlet Store which is just down the street from said mall.

[butterfly77]

23. I agree

many things are neon colors or faddish,same here online shopping.

[840high]

26. For an older woman like

myself - the Mall has nothing. I order on line.

[Douglas Carpenter]

27. just like having Social Network friends and discussing things on Internet forums is so much better

than having actual physical friends and discussing things with someone in person. You can avoid hassles and exposure to potentially dangerous diseases, establish specific interest and if they prove bothersome, boring or inconvenient - you can with a simple click unfriend them or put them on ignore. It's a lot safer too.

Within my lifetime our shopping as well as much of our socializing has moved from the neighborhood shop, town square and the old downtown, to the plaza on the highway, to the mall, to the superstore and now to online shopping. With each step we moved away another notch from the burdensome chains of actual community and interpersonal relationships. We can now look forward to a world where dealing with actual physical people is rare and only at our convenience .

[Brigid]

32. I ordered those shoes because the mall didn't have them.

I sat there in the food court at the mall and used my phone to do it. I didn't like what was in the stores, and that is not my fault. Let the stores start carrying merchandise suitable for people other than teens and Victoria's Secret models, then maybe customers will return.

[Douglas Carpenter]

42. I have done the same with other items myself. I remember when malls started to replace plazas.

In fact I remember when plazas replaced Main Street. I certainly can grasp why. But the systematic stepping away from the actual world into the electronic virtual world is coming at a price.

[joeglow3]

50. Sounds like your mall sucks

There are plenty of options at the malls around here. You have the niche shops in the interior, which tend to focus on the younger generation or professionals. You then have the anchor stores which tend to draw the older generations.

[CrispyQ]

75. This:

We can now look forward to a world where dealing with actual physical people is rare and only at our convenience .


I think this has contributed to lack of civility & courtesy in our real-and-now communities.

[Eleanors38]

79. Nicely put.

[L0oniX]

29. Ebay = the new mall.

[Skittles]

35. I have to tell you Brigid

when I see women's shoes these days, it occurs to me that if I sat down and tried to design the ugliest, most impractical shoes EVER, I could not even come CLOSE to what I see in the shoe stores

[GoCubsGo]

40. I don't know how women even squeeze their feet into some of those things.

Let alone walk in them. Might as well bind women's feet like the Chinese used to do. A lot of these so-called "fashionable" have a similar effect on the feet. Podiatrists must be making a killing.

And, yeah, many of them are ugly as hell.

[Brigid]

46. One night some time ago,

I was at a bus stop downtown, and a young woman went teetering past wearing a pair of those ridiculous platform stilettos. The guys just fell all over themselves laughing. If the women are wearing them to impress the guys, apparently it isn't working.

[Skittles]

51. I never could figure out "tramp stamps"

it's not like men need to be encouraged to look at female butts

[Proud Liberal Dem]

36. I like going to the mall

but GAWD everything is so EXPENSIVE- from the food to the clothing to other items. If I go, I go to the food court, the movies, or just window shop. Very rarely do I walk out of the mall with anything in particular unless I find something so rare or awesome that I can't walk out without it- which is very rare.

[GoCubsGo]

38. Yup.

I said roughly the same thing in another thread this past weekend. I'm another 50-something, also not svelte, and an overly-endowed hour-glass. Not much to be found for me at the mall, other than the Liz Claiborne wear that's sold at a few of the department store chains. I'm a Ryka fan when it comes to athletic shoes. None to be found in the mall, and rarely at TJ Maxx, so the Internet it is...

My local mall is half-empty. I don't know how it remains open. The owners already filed for bankruptcy a long time ago.

[undeterred]

43. I went to the mall for contact lenses today.

I couldn't do it online.

[catrose]

44. And have you noticed the "fashionable" fabrics?

Thin, limp, see-through (whether intentional or not). And they put fashion price tags on them. Nope. I haven't sewn for myself in over 30 years, but I'm going back there, because I can still find good fabrics at the fabric store. And maybe the upper-level consignment stores will tide me over until I get a wardrobe sewn.

Sorry, local stores. I'd buy it if you had it.

[Brigid]

52. I hate those flimsy fabrics.

I like my Lands' End sport knit pants and chinos, and their nice, soft cotton T-shirts, polo shirts, turtlenecks, cable-knit sweaters, and drifter sweaters.

[LiberalLoner]

78. 2nd

[arikara]

87. Everything is so cheaply made

I hate that gauzy see through skin tight fabric, if you wore it you'd have to layer with 4 or 5 things in order to be covered. I'm just glad I have real clothes from years ago I can still wear.

[catrose]

92. exactly eom

[kentauros]

45. I've been buying all of my shoes online for over a decade.

That's due mostly to there being next to no brick & mortar stores that sell hemp-fabric shoes. And yet, with all the pairs I've owned (and worn out) over the years, I've only had to send one pair back, and that was only because the design wasn't compatible with my toes

Malls have been irrelevant to me for decades. I hate crowds, and especially crowds of people that walk in massive groups, preventing me from making a beeline to the only store I'm likely in the mall for anyway. Stop slowing me down! Get out of my way! Why are you walking towards me on the right-hand side of the walk? We're not in New Zealand, folks!

[GP6971]

48. I wasted a whole afternoon

Looking for shoes at our local mall.......the 4 stores I went to didn't have the brand I was looking for. Plus what shoes they did carry all were size 8 and above.....I take size 7. Waste of time and gas and I won't go back.

[Whisp]

55. I can't tell you how much I hate malls.

Whenever I am forced to go it's Painful to be there. Expensive and useless Crapola all over.

I do take pleasure in shopping at small thrift stores. It's a delight as I thoroughly enjoy finding my little treasures that don't cost the heat bill and I am never in that clausterphobic.get.me.the.fuck.out.of.here feeling as I do in malls.

[madaboutharry]

56. The same with petite sizes.

There is almost nothing at the mall. The petite departments in department stores have clothes for ninety year old women and the other stores have maybe five things. It's all online.

[U4ikLefty]

58. Dear mom: The local mall closed and I can't find a job.

thanks

[lolly]

93. So, I should buy unflattering, expensive clothes that don't fit

And that will solve the unemployment problems?

Maybe stores should carry a wider selection of clothes and buy them from American manufacturers.

[Gravitycollapse]

68. I'm going to buck the trend and say that, as a 24 year old, I disagree with your argument.

And I don't find the "get off my lawn" joke funny or particularly endearing. Maybe it's a joke which I'm incapable of understanding as a young person and maybe what I'm saying sounds like unfettered bullshit to people far outside my age group.

Either way, I have never had a problem finding quality clothing at any mall I've ever been to. You seem to take exception with design and color which is different from claiming it's all "cheap crap." That is a matter of taste which you are certainly entitled to. But if that is being used as an argument to say malls deserve to die off, I think it's poorly made.

[freebrew]

86. Well, I'm 63 today..

and I find the 'get off my lawn' joke exceedingly funny(I'm partying there tonight).

Quality clothing doesn't exist anymore, IMO. My son worked retail at CK, all their clothing was made in the same factory in China that made the same stuff for every other clothing manufacturer.

Funny, when the stuff came in it was already priced AND discounted. An $80 shirt($80 for a shirt??) was sold for $20. Marketing people are such tools.

[arikara]

89. I think you're young enough

to not remember when it started going downhill. Everything didn't used to be all flimsy, gauzy and see through and you could get away with wearing only one shirt at at time, dressing didn't require layering with 15 articles.

The reason it is the way it is now is because companies kept decreasing the thread count in fabric in order to make it more cheaply, and thereby increase their profits. If you hold 4 layers of a modern fashion T shirt together its still thinner than what they were before. Clothing is not made to last, its pretty much disposable now. It can't get much thinner and stay together.

I never go to malls anymore because I can't find anything I want to buy. I tend to shop at thrift stores and local craft fairs.

[Madam Mossfern]

91. As a 65 year old, I find it very funny

considering that I remember when I was 24 years old and my parents were whining back then about stuff. Believe me, when you get to our age, you'll find it funny too.

I don't like malls because they have stolen the sense of community from us. The town center model with local merchants is the best. ( I could go on forever about that) Originally people thought that with the advent of malls that we would have larger selections of goods; not so much any more.

So, who do we blame?
Robert Moses?

[Capt. Obvious]

77. That's just silly

The real reason the malls are dying is that they haven't figured out how to give out Orange Julius samples on a toothpick.

[JEB]

81. Thrift stores and estate sales

are about the only place to find quality Made in USA stuff anymore.