How Shopping Malls ‘Won’ 2020
This post is not about saving shopping malls. It’s not about feeding every penny to the glory of lifeless stores. It’s about how they took over the world, and with that, basically saved us in 2020. It’s undeniable that malls will always stay in one form or another. They are made for this exact moment in history when we have no place else to go, and that is why they have ultimately saved 2020, feeding off of our survival instincts.
We’ve all been thrown off track because of the pandemic situation. So much so, that for most of us, the number one priority shifted from growing to surviving. Our list of priorities no longer include a fashionable outfit, new accessories, exotic food, instead it looks something like this:
- Try to get up before noon
- Get some work done
- Eat something
- Avoid people
- Try not to be depressed or lonely all the time
- Go to sleep but I’m not tired so stay up until 3 am
- Try to get up before noon
And having our list look like that, all we need in order to keep this lifestyle thriving is a good shopping mall on the corner.
Malls haven’t had the easiest time these past few years. Priorities began to shift, and people sought out the smaller, local businesses they could contribute to. Malls became this cliche in Christmas movies, the only thing they’re good for is last-minute superficial shopping.
Exactly. Malls are making a comeback because guess what? Nobody has the time, the money, the energy, or the freedom to go looking for the diamond in the rough.
Small, independent businesses have gone under or surrendered to the world of exclusively online shopping. Perusing the city, looking for hidden gems, spending money on beautifully hand-crafted things has become a luxury few of us can afford.
Shopping malls have spent the last decade taking over the survival part of our brain that has now been activated. They’re filled with cheap stores with everything necessary to just get in, grab something, and get out.
And with everyone in the world being told the same thing: ‘avoid human contact, only go out if necessary,’ everyone is being led to the magical land of shopping malls. Aisle after aisle, food, electronics, coffee, diapers, it’s Mecca for those living day-by-day.
Some people look down on shopping malls, and would rather give their money to independent business owners spread around the neighborhood, and while they’re correct in general, we need to admit, that shopping malls win by a landslide. It’s becoming unavoidable, and the only thing that can help us get through the day. Again, all we have to do is get in, grab something, and get out.
And with shopping malls being the only hope in finding what we need to keep on living, even they are going under because of the seeming death of retail, the closing of movies, the gym, salons, etc.
Still, they managed to hold the annual Black Friday monstrosity, and other related traditions, to keep their heads above water.
This post is not about saving shopping malls. It’s not about feeding every penny to the glory of lifeless stores. It’s about how they took over the world, and with that, basically saved us in 2020. It’s undeniable that malls will always stay in one form or another. They are made for this exact moment in history when we have no place else to go, and that is why they have ultimately saved 2020, feeding off of our survival instincts.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you like shopping malls, it doesn’t matter if you’d rather put your money elsewhere, because we have to realize that malls are made for exactly this reason. Fast solutions for unforeseen issues, whether it’s last-minute Christmas shopping, a spontaneous movie with your friends, a quick bite, or a pandemic where they give us the most practical solution to the most complex problem of our lives.
