Online shopping is killing malls, franchises and small businesses. Over the last few years, it has become more popular than it has ever been in the past.
This form of shopping has benefits. It lets buyers buy what they want, and have it shipped to their houses with the click of a button. It is very beneficial for people who have chronic illnesses, or parents busy working and taking care of their families. However, in-store retail remains a big part of a lot of people’s lives.
When a rainy day comes along, or it is the middle of winter and there is not much to do, teenagers tend to navigate to shopping with their friends. This is hard to do when there is practically nowhere to go. When someone goes to the mall with the intent to shop until they drop, it is difficult when the local mall is the Logan Valley Mall.
Shopping malls all around the United States of America have been struggling since the rise of online shopping. The local mall, the Logan Valley Mall, is a victim. Altoona’s well-known mall used to be well-loved as well, but it is hard to love what is barely there. Over the last few years, the mall has lost many stores.
The mall used to have a full food court including Subway, McDonald’s, Orange Julius and a pizza area. It was also home to an Applebees. These food businesses served busy shoppers as they burned calories walking through the stores and shopping. The mall currently has Dino’s and Wong’s Wok as their main food options, along with Aunt Misty’s Sweets & Treats and Auntie Anne’s. Most food places have shut down due to not a lot of people shopping at the mall let alone eating there.
A lot of the food options have been eliminated as a result of most of the stores shutting down. The mall used to be home to stores such as Rue 21, Justice, Sears and now it is losing Macy’s. Macy’s and Sears were the foundation of the mall. Now that they both will be gone, JCPenney’s is the only thing holding it up. Although some of these stores shut down world- wide or went online only, it is still a resulting factor of online shopping taking over.
Most stores are closing because they are not getting enough business in store versus online. Some stores are also closing as a result of bankruptcy. Although it is not in the mall, a well known store in Altoona and the whole nation is closing down. Joann’s Fabric is closing down world-wide. The fabric outlet went bankrupt. According to ABC news, the outlet struggled to find a buyer willing to keep it open: “Fabrics outlet Joann’s will shut all of its approximately 800 locations after failing to find a buyer who would keep its stores open. In a statement, the company said it would commence nationwide going-out-of-business sales as a stipulation of the group that won its assets at auction,” Rob Wile said. This is a result of online shopping taking the need for physical retail stores.
Amazon is a big contributor to the closing of stores and malls nationwide. Amazon is home to a lot of purchases.Its contents range from kitchen appliances to toys. It has everything. Amazon has grown over the years. More people buying online means less people buying in person.
Amazon and bigger online options have taken away the need of physical stores. As online shopping takes over, people need to shop local and in stores to save what is left. The mall might have lost options, but it still is home to great clothing options such as Hollister, Aerie, American Eagles and Aeropostale.
