The Monster That Ate Cleveland

Why Amazon Is Gobbling Up Failed Malls
I have been a little disturbed the way shopping malls seem to be dying. I personally don't have much use for them. My wife can spend hours shopping there. Busy, well kept malls are a pretty good indicator of a healthy economy, which means people are working which should mean they are earning enough money to take care of themselves. When I see vacant store fronts and trash blowing around in the parking lot I take it as a sign that things aren't going so well. Washington Square Mall is a big local mall and it seems to be doing well, except there was a big Sears store there and now it is closed.

So I have been wondering what was going to happen with these dinosaurs and now we know. I don't buy much these days, I pretty much have everything I need, but occasionally I will buy something from Amazon, usually a book, and I won't have to pay for it because I have enough points on my credit card to cover a $10 purchase. I used to be a big fan of cash, but now I use a credit card for almost everything. I can't really explain why I made the change, except perhaps because I carry my cash in my wallet which I carry in my hip pocket and getting it out when I am sitting in the car (buying gasoline or going through a fast food drive through) requires contorting my body enough to get my behind off of the seat so I can get my wallet out. I carry my credit card in a sleeve I keep in my front pocket and getting the card out of there isn't such an ordeal. Or maybe all the credit card advertisements convinced my subconscious that my world would be filled with light and happiness if I used a credit card for everything.

There is a big Amazon warehouse near here and while these big warehouses seem like overkill, they are relatively cheap for the amount of space you get. It's better to have more space than you need than not enough. Trying to cram more stuff into an already full building is an exercise in frustration. With an oversize building you don't need to worry about fitting everything in just so. You can make your layout clear and simple which makes work easier for everyone involved.

Bonus: The Monster That Devoured Cleveland, an unmusical piece of music as I have ever heard, but I guess monster's aren't that musical.