Shop 'till you drop

When asked which department store they would select if they could only shop at one department store for the rest of their life, First Globals™ are the most likely of any generation to say Target and the least likely of any generation to say Wal-Mart. More than a third (35.6%) of First Globals™ selected Target as the one store they would shop at for the rest of their life, compared to 25.6% of those 30-49, 15.5% of those 50-64, and 8.9% of those over 65. With Wal-Mart, the reverse pattern is found: 21.2% of First Globals™ selected Wal-Mart, compared to 26.1% of those 30-49, 27% of those 50-64, and 29.3% of those over 65.

Target and Wal-Mart carry similar merchandise and both tout their low prices, so what do you think accounts for the discrepancy? Has Target successfully marketed itself to better appeal to younger shoppers? How? Or do you think there is a difference in the quality or kinds of things for sale at Target and Wal-Mart? And where would you shop if you could only shop at one store for the rest of your life?

What happened to the mall?

A recent article in Newsweek magazine poses the question: is the mall dead? The article notes that last year was the first year in half a century where a new indoor mall did not open somewhere in the country. Another recent article notes the high retail vacancy rate in regional malls. Others write that fast-growing “lifestyle centers” – open-air developments that contain some mix of shopping, office space, entertainment, outdoor parks, recreational facilities and housing – are replacing regional and local malls as the new shopping destination of choice.

However, the Newsweek article lays some of the blame for traditional malls’ decline on anti-consumption and pro-environment and fair labor sentiments held by the public. They report that 40% of First Globals prefer to purchase items that are “socially conscious” – ie, environmentally safe and produced through fair labor – and that traditional malls have little to offer that fits this description.

What do you think? Is the rise in the anti-consumption and pro-environment attitudes detailed by Newsweek responsible for the waning fortunes of shopping malls, or are factors like the growth of lifestyle centers and Internet shopping more responsible? Does the economic uncertainty of consumers mean that all shopping centers (and not just malls) are likely to close or have economic difficulties of their own? With the holiday season fast approaching, where do you plan to do most of your shopping – in a mall, or elsewhere?