Signs of the times

Yesterday, we went to the mall closest to our house. We don’t go there very often anymore, usually, like this time, just for a haircut (not me this time). On that level of the mall, a major storefront was vacant where a store had closed a couple months ago.

The real changes were on the main level. One prime corner location was closed so a neighbouring store could expand (so the sign said, as it has for several weeks). A short walk away, a jewellery store was closed, still with signs promoting a “demolition sale”, but not when or if it was reopening. Inside we could see staff packing up the contents of various cases.

At one of the busiest ends of the mall, a pet store was in its final day. The store has been there at least since the mall was refurbished many years ago. The store was virtually empty and the five teenage girls working there were all gathered at the counter talking, having nothing else to do.

The store next door was newly empty. A bigger store next door to that was also newly empty. Both stores were closed too recently for them to be boarded over as malls usually do to make it look like the store is being made ready for a new shop. Across from those stores, another big shop was empty. It, too, wasn’t boarded up yet.

A long-time shop employee (who we’ve seen there for a long time) said everyone’s hurting, and it looked like it. The remaining shops all had signs in their windows and more inside promoting sales. 30% off seemed to be at the low end of discounts.

Few people seemed to be buying anything and the mall was about as empty as I’ve seen it on a Sunday. Which is part of the reason so many shops were newly closed and the remaining ones all had sale signs.

And things are still predicted to get worse before they get better.