Honestly, in my childhood opinion, it was fine, just trying out food and drinks (whether from shopping or restaurants), testing electronics and arcade games, maybe even buying some toys or going to indoor play areas.
Though the novelty of it soon worn out gradually, taking a walk and peek at around these areas for anything interesting is good once in a while, even if you're not buying anything.
Edit: on sec thoughts, should I place this in the urbanism community? And just so you know, I'm not an American, so I wouldn't know what butcherism might occur in the implementation of malls.
Malls are fun and I like them because you can hang out as long as you want with zero expectation of buying anything. Fewer and fewer places like that.
My kids love them too they get to walk and see people and new stores and things.
Biggest downside as others have noted is that you need a car to access them and they're privately owned, so many of them are getting shittier (e.g. taking out water fountains)
I think the only reason that there isn't an expectation of buying something in a mall is purely because there are so many people walking around with the intention of buying something and so much turnover that it's really difficult to police. If they could, they totally would. :(
I agree with you.
I think there's still a limit, as expressed by the fact that malls still devote significant space towards folks sitting or kids playing, for free. Even new malls I've seen continue to have ample communal space. This space is justified as a perk for the purpose keeping the families etc. at the mall longer and spending more, but the result is that there's a significant underlying infrastructure that allows for individuals to exist pretty comfortably and without feeling pushed to spend money. Its still nowhere near public land.
Compare to something like a casino where almost all communal space has been sectioned off and parking usually costs money. Sitting anywhere in a casino for too long not spending money feels uncomfortable. A "perk" of most casinos (free alcohol) is only accessible if you're spending money. In comparison, malls don't have door fees and tend to have free parking.
why do they do this?
Hostile architecture and trying to force people to buy drinks.
I like them for the people watching. For some reason, a lot of mall goers tend to dress in some sort of stereotyped uniforms. The goths are all extra goth, the old ladies all wear that same shade of lavender, the teens all rock the current trends in the most obnoxious ways, the wine moms all have the same sort of floral sundress on. You go into any given GameStop and you see the same basic cast of nerds. It's fun to see so many different types of people so clearly defined by their attire
And to be clear, it's not mean-spirited. I'm not doing it to laugh at them or anything. I just think it's interesting to see the ways that people project their identities, and because in the US that mostly happens through consumer behavior, the mall is the perfect observation site.