Malls were once a go-to shopping destination and a teenager’s hang-out of choice, but now face an uncertain future as some of their biggest tenants lay off employees, file for creditor protection, or hang a “closed” sign in the window and leave for good.
Beleaguered retailers have been quick to blame online shopping for their decline. But retail experts say scapegoating e-commerce is an oversimplification of a multifaceted problem: changing consumer tastes, demographic shifts, technological advances, and other forces also add to their woes.
