it's showing of American culture, and industry being flushed down the toilets. Malls went the direction of politically correct back around the early 90's, the gun stores, and similar which brought the men, who brought the families, were phased out. They were bad, and taboo.

The other stores that stayed were orientated to women, and children; for the most part. Men quit going, which meant family units quit going.

With the gun stores, and similar being 'bad', malls kinda got a PC status. If you were a small mom, and pop wanting a small store in the mall, it was becoming harder, as the continual slide meant less organic shoppers; the stores also slid into corporate consumerism where you could get the same stuff anywhere else.

So back to the family units. Women, and children still went. The women went clothes shopping, or similar, and the kids were let loose to run in the arcades, or other kiddie entertainment.

Single men took note of this, and machismo rules the day on that, so we've got half family units in the malls, being solicited by single younger men, and presto, a few less people going to the malls once again. It's sad, because so much of at least North America is either hot half the year, or freezing ass cold; the malls originally without discrimination towards stores, brought whole family units into an enclosed open space where they could mingle, talk, shop, and have fun.

I mean all that I wrote is simply my stinky opinion, and experience, like assholes, we've all got one ;)