There could be as many as 100 retail centers left empty by plunging sales by the end of ’09
In countless movies and video games, when the dead rise from their graves, the living invariably make their way to the local shopping mall for shelter. But while the un-living and those enclaves of consumerism have long gone hand-in-hand, the deep U.S. recession has produced a new variant — the “dead mall.” Shoppers are staying home in droves, and as a result at malls throughout the country, outlets are closing their doors. According to the Wall Street Journal, by the end of the year there could be as many as 100 “dead malls,” or retail centers left empty by plunging sales and high vacancy rates. Pray the dead remain six feet under.