# malls **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 26, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malls/758419 "2016-06-26T16:42:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malls/758419/1 "2016-06-26T16:42:59Z")
Upon nifty encouragement from **Burpo the Wonder Mutt** in another thread about aggressive mall kiosk vendors, I figured I’d start a thread about it and see if this is more than just an isolated thing, or if this is (yikes!) a growing trend? I can’t see how such a douchier-than-thou activity would _not_ be detrimental to shopper turn-out, after a while. As mentioned in the other thread, I’m not a mall person, but in my maybe once-a-year venturings into one, I’d rather not have to contend with buddies getting in my face. Also curious about malls and strip malls in general - I suppose there’s one or two that I might have had the dreariest of sentimental attachments to, from younger years, but in general, I’m speculating that they might become a thing of the past? Aren’t there ever-increasing numbers of vacant retail space? A few directions this can go. (btw - wasn’t sure where to post this but figured if a mall is a place of commerce, kinda like a cafe is…) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malls/758419/2 "2016-06-26T16:58:45Z")
> [@Eddie The Horrible](#): > > (btw - wasn’t sure where to post this but figured if a mall is a place of commerce, kinda like a cafe is…) :rolleyes: Reported for forum change. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malls/758419/3 "2016-06-26T17:55:43Z")
An earlier thread about the disappearance of certain sorts of malls: > **[What killed the malls?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=727762)** > > Our landscape is littered with “dead malls”. Once vibrant places of commerce, now empty shells. Obviously the internet played a part. But it seems to me that internet shopping only came into its prime about 10 years ago and malls were dieing off... ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malls/758419/4 "2016-06-26T17:59:53Z")
I regularly walk at the mall near my home, and there are a few booths with employees who do this - a satellite TV provider, a makeup artist, and a few others that are usually transient. I just tell them I’m not interested and go on my way. Years ago, some department stores would have (usually) women who would walk up to shoppers and spray perfume on them without asking permission first. This practice was discontinued because (among other things) these stores were seeing a decline in business and there were perfume-sprayers who were assaulted in response. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malls/758419/5 "2016-06-26T18:00:48Z")
This happened to me once: A kiosk worker comes up to me and says “Are you German?” “My Grandma was German” “My aren’t Germans wonderful people! Here have a free sample!” :rolleyes: As for the disappeaqrance of malls: I’ve decided that people are nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malls/758419/6 "2016-06-26T18:05:42Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I regularly walk at the mall near my home, and there are a few booths with employees who do this - a satellite TV provider, a makeup artist, and a few others that are usually transient. I just tell them I’m not interested and go on my way. > > Years ago, some department stores would have (usually) women who would walk up to shoppers and spray perfume on them without asking permission first. This practice was discontinued because (among other things) these stores were seeing a decline in business and there were perfume-sprayers who were assaulted in response. :eek: If anyone did that to me they would be very, very sorry afterwards. - I’m violently allergic to perfume and an ambulance and hospital visit would be the result for me. Worse for the sprayer. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malls/758419/7 "2016-06-26T18:07:02Z")
I never set foot inside a shopping mall without my earbuds in. Even if I do hear the siren calls of the kiosk hustlers, I thereby have license to pretend that I didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malls/758419/8 "2016-06-26T18:10:15Z")
> [@Myglaren](#): > > If anyone did that to me they would be very, very sorry afterwards. > > - I’m violently allergic to perfume and an ambulance and hospital visit would be the result for me. Worse for the sprayer. Several years ago, I was at a craft fair and a woman smeared a glop of her product on my hand - also without asking me first. :mad: I nearly slugged her! Instead, I yelled at her and told her that she had invaded my personal space (which she had) and that the next person might be allergic, and in addition she had lost a potential sale. I hope she learned her lesson. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malls/758419/9 "2016-06-26T18:28:54Z")
I almost never go to malls, as they’ve become giant shoe stores, interspersed with knickknack crap. I don’t even bother responding to kiosk sales people, even to say ‘no thanks’. To be fair, they usually don’t bother me, as I perfected the ‘don’t fuck with me look’ many years ago when I traveled for a living. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malls/758419/10 "2016-06-26T18:45:42Z")
I think the last time I was in a mall, a Bush was in office. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2016, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malls/758419/11 "2016-06-26T21:06:02Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > An earlier thread about the disappearance of certain sorts of malls: > > [What killed the malls? - Great Debates - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=727762) thank-you. excellent thread. not sure why it wasn’t listed when I searched under “malls”. ---
**Author:** ![Periwinkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Periwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Periwinkle)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malls/758419/12 "2016-06-27T00:39:18Z")
I was trying to think of the last time I was in a mall. Maybe 4 years ago. I have become so used to buying everything online that sitting on the couch with my iPad almost always beats out going to a physical store. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malls/758419/13 "2016-06-27T04:04:41Z")
Malls are certainly in no danger of extinction in Thailand, particularly Bangkok. New behemoths are built every year. The sheer number and size of them are amazing. For example, [CentralWorld](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CentralWorld) in Bangkok is the sixth-largest shopping mall in the world, with 187,046 square meters or 2 million square feet of retail space. One of the latest ones to open, [The EmQuartier](http://www.emquartier.co.th/), would break that figure at 250,000 sq. m. or 2.7 million sq. ft. except that it’s a complex of three buildings, not just one. And more buildings are planned for the complex. And more get built every year, all generally crowded. One exception is the newish Central Embassy, built on land formerly occupied by the British Embassy. It always seems pretty empty of customers. But the shops are so high end that they probably don’t need that many sales to make their nut. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malls/758419/14 "2016-06-27T16:18:15Z")
On the agressive kiosk vendors: [5 Ugly Secrets Behind The Kiosks At Your Local Mall](http://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-2070-the-creepy-scam-industry-behind-kiosks-at-your-mall.html). The short list: a lot of them are undocumented immigrants, selling crap products for commission only, which means they have to be aggressive, make you uncomfortable enough to buy, and even lie to you to make the sale. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2016, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/malls/758419/15 "2016-06-27T16:49:54Z")
^ That was extremely unsettling–thanks for posting it, **Max**. I consider myself “salesman-proof,” but one time I got caught up in the spiel one of them was spinning; it had nothing to do (at first) with the product he was foisting, he saw the logo on a bag I was carrying, and started a friendly conversation about said bag/product which started to slew into personal territory–lulling me into complacency–then, BAM! came THE PITCH! which would have worked if it hadn’t been so sudden (read: jarring). I recoiled for three seconds and the spell was broken and I went on my way. Will I be wiser next time? Hell, no!