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The mini-malls are still doing great.
One-stop shopping does have it's environmental and efficiency benefits. Capture the customer to slow them down and push through the pre-arrainged maze. You didn't remember you needed something until you saw it on the shelf right there. You are busy enough so it's easier just pay a little more and no need to make a second stop just to save a few bucks on that one single thing sometimes. It's a game.
Meijer, Walmart, Costco, etc have all the inconvenience of with most food + basic household items. It's not the place to find specialty high end items but covers 50-95% of daily life for most of us. Some like Costco in particular have expanded into cross-over hybrid business platforms like group insurance and roofing and auto sales etc.
The traditional mall is made for people with free time to walk around a mile or so through the specialty boutiques. Who has the inclination to spend an afternoon shopping in one place? Or the inclination? Time is speeding up and people are busier and expect more these days. It's not the 70's anymore.
And even then the top magnet stores may turn rancid, such as Sears who held back stocking millions in merchandise, and start selling chinese tools, and to push their own customers online again where they got crushed. Meanwhile the big boxes and harbor fright did a 1-2 from the side to finish them off.
So there is only Marshals, JCPenny, TJ Max and whatever left to support the smaller mall gimick stores. They will need the bling and the chocolate stores to keep it fun as well. Clothing was always best bought in person..I thought..but who knows maybe that will change as well?
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