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 a bandage on the problem of lack of public spaces. The way they're done in America are hideous wastes of space and exemplify every problem with car culture.
The outdoor malls I've seen in Japan and China are cool. I mean most of it is just mindless consumerism, but it can be fun depending on what you're doing. Nearly every train station I've been in those places will have concourse areas that are like malls, and those can be cool. That's fine. Sometimes I like getting an LED Gengar keychain.
I think a better way would be more dense urban planning where little trinkets and food or whatever can be distributed better, with train stations, bus routes, greenery, etc. A big box building surrounded by an ocean of parking lot is horrible.
Open air malls are just markets I'd feel. I've been, sort of by necessity, to loads of very pedestrian reachable malls in europe and they all still suck fucking ass because it puts consumerism front and center and only that. It feels like a casino except you can't play anything.