New Rule: Make the Mall Great Again | Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ส.ค. 2022
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It's time to get back out into the world because online shopping is killing us, psychologically and environmentally.
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"We don't want to think about the kids who make it, or the truck that brings it, or the landfill where it ends up, we just want that T-shirt that says, 'Mindful.'" A brilliant and devastating sum-up of the situation
The one comment the audience didn't laugh at.
Gold..as he sells shirts at his shows
Then this ppl lecture us climate change.
How much carbon is produced to ma u fracture and deliver a shirt that says "think green"
Everytime throwing something away, just smh...
Instead of making malls great again, let's make cities great again. Great shopping streets, public squares full of activity, parks for respite, great architecture.
Absolutely
How do you think you guys get your food?
They try it all the time. Each little and big subdivision tries making their own community, but people are transient. And they’re introverted at home. It just doesn’t work anymore.
What we need to do is expand homeschooling into smaller community schools, with smaller community intramural teams, and other ways to bring smaller like-minded groups together.
Yeah, malls are far from being the best option. We need multi-use zoning to be legalized across the country, so people can actually walk or bike to a store for their regular everyday needs and not have all this urban sprawl that pushes people miles and miles away from businesses.
we need laws that requires any new building built must have the First floor reserved as retail, not office space not bank space. There is NO reason for any one to walk a block long glass window to a bank or insurance office. Bring retail back to street level
Bill's last line was genius: "Amazon's in its' prime, but you're wasting yours."
I've said for years one of the worst things malls did to themselves was remove seating for families (mostly husbands). I remember growing up, many families had 1 or 2 main shoppers, but everyone would go to the mall together to grab a bite to eat in the food court, go to a movie, listen to some new CDs, meet Santa, etc. In a misguided attempt to maximize profits, malls removed seating to encourage foot traffic, and increased rents on stores, forcing them to pack more merchandise into smaller spaces in hopes of turning a profit. The problem is, in the age of Amazon, if the shopper's family has nowhere to sit and enjoy the mall while the shopper shops, the shopper isn't going to take the family, and that ironically makes shopping online from home more family-friendly. We rarely go to the mall these days, but when we do, I literally have to stand next to all the other bored husbands in one of the few open spaces in the mall for hours on end while my wife shops at a bunch of different stores. There are no benches, I can't comfortably fit in any of the aisles, and the narrower parts of the mall are stacked full of those pop-up vendors. The crazy thing is we could spend all day there and see almost nobody buying anything. There has been crazy turnover rates in our mall the past few years, with stores closing and getting replaced at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, it's a race to the bottom, because the only stores that can compete with Amazon are extremely cheap discount stores which can attract the customer volume needed to stay alive, but the mall still keeps raising their rent, and there's still no seating for families. It's amazing to me just how determined they are to dig their own graves.
Coldwater creek was the best they had coffee a waterfall and the USA today lol
King of Prussia which is one of the largest malls in the country has really nice seating with phone chargers and plenty of seats.
I would add that Malls were disapearing before amazon just because people have more entertainment/food choices at home or in thier neighborhoods. More and more fast food choices everywhere, PCs and consoles made arcades lame and waste of money, bigbox stores have better prices on clothing and toys. Hmm.. Malls were the original bigbox store, sort of. but now every town has a mall or two if you consider bigbox a tiny mall.
I agree with you about seating. Another painful issue is young people coming in starting fights which often end in shootings.
Why have seating, when you can have kiosks with creepy men approaching you to sell moisturizers and shoe cleaning products?
Bill is absolutely correct with this New Rules. I am an Amazon customer return associate and my warehouse is dedicated for clothing. The amount of people who return 10 different pairs of leggings or a shirt in 15 colors is ridiculous and incredibly wasteful. Every induvial clothing item comes in a plastic bag and gets sent into the 'resale' box in a separate plastic bag. I also process many packages with clothing items that have obviously been worn, many of which have stains, tears, pulled threads, or odors to them. It seems to me that no one wants to keep their clothes after they buy and wear them out for a night. There are many Chinese companies apart from SHEIN that I see returned frequently since customers are disappointed by the low quality of the clothes and misleading images on the Amazon page. All of this wastefulness could just be avoided if people went to actual stores to try on clothes.
Keeps you working though doesn't it?
Uhm xcuse me boomer but that would require actual effort and minimal social skills I'm way too depressed for that
This NR segment was a rambling mess.
Can Amazon just make stricter return policy guidelines? I hardly ever return anything on Amazon, and I am amazed at how easy it is to return something and get a refund!!!
@Bobs Black I've seen apparel companies in the past limit returns per month or week for that reason.
"Amazon is in its prime but you're wasting yours."
You gotta love it. Props to you, Bill.
That’s a blockbuster line. He should give the writer that came up with that a raise.
Best line indeed
Time to do some trust busting
It’s you’re as in “you are”
sigh…my most common comment
@@jonathanweiss8955
Oops! Thanks Word Nazi, the correction has been made.
Lately Bill has had us on the so-called right and so-called left cheering in agreement. Well done sir.
Welcome to 2005, and all those other years. Nobody has ever even watched Bill--They were just told what he was, and what to think about him.
@@OutyMan If you say so.
Well he's always been able to bridge that gap which is why I love him. It's just the last 5 years he's had to focus on that former guy and his enablers.
I worked at an Amazon warehouse part time. The amount of boxes that passes through just that one warehouse was insane. What was also insane were the orders of things like bottled water, lawn fertilizer, and very small items such as tweezers packaged in big plastic shipping bags.
Bottled water should be OUTLAWED. As with anything else that comes in a plastic bottle. Americans complain about inflation, but they don't realize that they are spending more on the packaging for what they buy than for the ingredients inside. The powder or syrup that goes into that water is pennies compared to what it costs to pack and ship and market it.
Not like any of those things can be found in any store
Yup, and now imagine all the many more cars creating many more CO2 emissions driving back and forth to the malls to buy stuff. Imagine how much more of your time you have to spend on buying stuff in a store than online.
@@scribblydoodle2924 if the average American can’t figure out what they’re spending to get water in a bottle, the average American has wasted time spent in school
@@scribblydoodle2924 not everywhere don't forget Flint Michigan they need clean water still..but yes in places like where I live Rochester NY there's nothing wrong w out tap water yet people use filters anyway..I see people like my dad has a filter on his tap water and still buys bottles ...they disgust me but I don't say anything bc he's old and my Dad
Screw malls. Let's make locally owned shops a thing again, and revitalize community shopping districts.
💯
Finally put some transit in our cities too
@@Token_Nerd yes! And biking infrastructure!💖
I go out of my way to support small independent businesses.
@@jeffgray4075 Yes! I used to bike a lot, went through college on my bike. I love it. Unfortunately, now I live in beautiful country but I'd get hit by a car on these roads, and there are no bike lanes that I'm aware of in the state.
I'm a millennial and am utterly staggered by people who buy clothing, wear it once and discard it. My sisters do this an I never understood it, I'll rock the same outfits for years, even decades if it still fits! I have clothes and shoes from high school still in my closet, it takes a LOT for me to part with something and when I do, I donate it. That shiz is too expensive to just trash!
They are not wearing clothing they are wearing fashion. Most of it is cheap junk at best and very uncomfortable to wear.
I've recently bought a pair of shoes that will complement the only pair I had in the past four/five years, and whilst going back home I said to myself: "Ok, now I won't have to worry about shoes for the next five years". In the meantime, I have friends that have an entire closet full of them.
Nice thing is, as fast as fashion changes, whatever you have will always come back in style someday! I’m Gen-X, and when people ask me where I bought my clothes, I answer, “The 90s”. 🤣
That's crazy. I keep my clothes for years
@@r.r.6741 It's really true. I'm a boomer and I'm almost 60. Recent fashions that have come out are stuff that I wore when I was a kid.
Reminder: two or three decades ago, if you ordered something by mail it would take “6 to 8 weeks” (minimum) for it to arrive
When my wife and I first started dating we were cash strapped but going to the mall, seeing a movie and just walking around was a nice way to spend an evening. I miss the malls.
The '90s were the last great decade
With you, Bubber Cakes. I, too,....I, too. Me and my friends miss it.
My dearest friend and I grew up in the last generation to truly walk around malls for fun. A couple of months ago, she was in town and we decided to meet at a burger place- Shake Shack. The only location for that near us is attached to a mall we used to walk around as teens. I suggested we make a day of it and walk around the mall like old times after we had our burgers 🍔 It was honestly wonderful. So nostalgic and simple. I bought an Auntie Anne's Cinnamon Sugar pretzel too! We are normally conscious and reasonably healthy in our eating choices, but that day, we just had the best time eating and walking around like we were super young girls again. It was a pretty perfect day. 🖤
@@AvecPoesie sounds memorable. good.
I miss malls too. I wonder what modern teens do? Where do they go? I guess they stay inside and stare at their phone?
"People will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think" - Aldous Huxley
@Clyde3 Hey Clyde. Finally it's here th-cam.com/video/dQw4w9WgXcQ/w-d-xo.html
Finnish malls have adapted to modern world by becoming more of "activity centers" than just a series of shops. Theres escape rooms, laser tag, movie theaters, VR rooms and other family friendly stuff so its cheaper to take kids there than in an amusement park. Then theres gyms and leased meeting spaces. What shops remain are basic grocery stores and specialty stores like asian food stores and hobbyist shops like book stores and card game shops. Restaurants and bakeries are the same they always were.
American Malls do that too and still more and more shops close forever. Malls nowadays look like ghost towns.
American Malls have always had that stuff as far as I can remember back in the 80s.
But a lot of it has gone out of business because it's not the hot," cool thing" anymore. I've seen high tech Lazer tag, discount movie theater, & arcade all go extinct in the mall here, I worked at that mall for 8 years myself for Hot Topic 1998-2006.
Our local roller skating rink was just demolished after being sold. It's heartbreaking.
I practiced multiple nights a week formy citiesRoller deeby league & played derby there & i skated there. It was down the road from our mall.
I moved here from California in 1994 where the mall had an entire floor that had an arcade, bumper cars, carousel, and an ice skating rink-- to a tiny one story sad excuse for a mall.
I just remembered in high school, during promotion of a play I was in, we went to the mall and performed scenes to try and get the community to come to our play performances & had tickets for sale for multiple times matinees & dinner theater. It felt really strange to do!
I hope it keeps your malls alive Finland.
@@7thJen American malls do not do that. Once they lose their anchor store that mall is gone. That anchor store is the corporate equivalent to open air, real time advertisement. People used to go to malls to go to Macy's. They don't anymore. Macy's leave. That mall dies.
Malls here in America did not pivot fast enough to survive.
If malls would adapt in the way you suggest people would go there. But the old model of corporate chain stores and restaurants is clearly history.
Like many, I miss mall culture too. It was an afternoon out for the whole family, even if we did split up once we got there. It was a social place too, where you’d run into friends from school. It was also where most high schoolers had their first job. Gen Z thinks having millions of choices available at your fingertips is progress but I disagree. You could say the same about tv. In the 90s you’d discuss with coworkers or classmates the prime time show from the night before while waiting in anticipation for the next ep the following week. Having thousands of streaming shows ready to binge anytime actually disconnected people from each other.
It was like that in the 70s. Too many choices now leaves you with no choice.
OK, I'll chime in for the 80s as well, lol. We watched the Thursday night lineup on NBC as a family, often with a pizza or takeaway that night, and it was discussed the next day at school or work. Nighttime dramas had cliffhangers and you had to wait all summer to find out what happened. We didn't usually know what actors were departing until we saw the episode live, and we had to go out and about to run errands. But the thing is, I live in Chicago now an dhardly evert leave the house thanks to the insane levels of violence here now, everywhere. Stabbings, shootings, car jacking, in Broad daylight, regardless of neighborhood or witnesses. It's horrible. Today a mall would just become another target for these scum bags. Sad but true. Sometimes, I wish we could build a time machine and go back, knowing what we do now if only to appreciate things as they were even more.
We are becoming a sad society where there is no human contact. All can be bought online. Sad. But sometimes sadly too dangerous to shop in person
Just because something has some drawbacks doesn't cancel it out as progress. People use all these online conveniences for a reason, including the old-timers who get nostalgic about "the good ol' days" or some other outmoded advancement (e.g. video rental stores). Sure, the drawbacks may suck, but the advantages easily outweigh them. Telling me I have to drive all the way to mall when gas is still pricey and then sometimes not even getting what I want is better than me sitting on my phone in my home and looking at an online store in a fraction of the time isn't progress is just idiocy. That is progress, and I can even connect with people on the same phone at the same time I'm doing this.
I totally agree. I’m Gen Z. We think happiness and freedom comes from the ability to do whatever you want and get whatever you want, but really that makes you a slave to your desires. There’s no discipline anymore
I love this! I'm a retired pilot and I've been saying this for years. It's insane how much jet fuel is used to haul boxes of stuff around, and then of course spewing out CO2 into our atmosphere. I'm glad I'm out of that business and I try to shop locally first for something before looking online.
Would anybody care to guess how much CO2 a rocket spews into the atmosphere?
@@jamespetersen9385 lmao they spent billions to build the james webb telescope to find the source of all life yet what they found was a naked bare lifeless red planet. instead of solving problems on earth we're out there investigating space as if the aliens actually want humans to come along. They don't! Instead of pumping those billions of dollars into solving healthcare, rampant drug addiction/drug dealing, mental health and homelessness/poverty issues we're squandering billions on space research and war. Looking for solutions from humans is a joke because we cause problems on earth the same ones we later pretend like we're a solution to.
The man made absurdities on earth are unparalleled. Let's pretend we care about the environment and stop transporting carboard boxes but let's keep fracking for crude oil in the Niger Delta in Nigeria because virtually everything is made from it, tires, plastics, toothpaste, makeup etc. Just the other day I was reading how fishermen are unable to feed their families anymore because Shell and Enron oil giants have caused billions of dollars in damage to the ecosystem in Nigerian rainforests from years of oil spills. We don't care tho we simply write a cheque and pay for the damage so the bribed Nigerian government looks the other way.
We have essentially destroyed way over 80% of the ecosystem on earth and now we're supposed to pretend like getting rid of carboard boxes and online shopping is going to fix everything? LMAO It's a laughing stock. If you can't change human nature you will take it with you to no matter what planet you colonize.
In Greenvillle SC, an abandoned mall has been transformed by several regional colleges into a “university center”, where each school converted a former store into classrooms.They teach non-traditional courses for mostly working adults. Great use of the space, and brings people together as you say. Unfortunately, seems like there are many more malls and strip malls that will close.
so non tradional means no reading, writhing or math. just more useless schitte like gender studies or history of the water bear. you go girl, happy you do you
Losing strip malls is no real tragedy.
True… we built way too many, and what do we do with all those buildings and parking lots now? Should have left the original farms an forests.
Abandoned malls could also be transformed into homeless housing with skill training on site for those that are homeless through no fault of their own, think CV19, and separately as housing and treatment centers for the homeless addictive people. Sadly, few states really care about this growing condition and spend tax dollars on overpaid state and county public servants.
@@barbarahopper3813 You do know that so called overpaid public servants are probably the same people that would likely be the ones training those homeless people and providing other benefits and services to get them back on their feet, right?
Good gravy, I'm 36 years old and I still have a t shirt my mom bought me in high school. It's clean and still fits so why the hell would I throw it out? You never know when No Fear shirts will come back in style. I think she got her 20 bucks worth out of that shirt.
Good for you. I still have a t-shirt my mom gave me for Christmas 1989. I was young but it was large. Still fits. They made stuff to last back then.
Bill is making so much sense this last year. I loved the mall growing up.
I'd prefer to go to the record store rather than order CDs online. But there ARE no record stores left!
Thankfully, I have one very close to where I live, less than 10 minutes away in Tarzana, CA called CD Trader. Going there now to pick-up a new release CD that I special ordered. It has new and used including Vinyl as well, and a large DVD inventory of movies and shows. But I get your point, there are few and far between. I always try and buy from them first before I go on the hunt to Amazon or eBay.
How about skipping reviving the mall and go straight to the actual town centers and retail streets that you could walk to from your in-town home?
Legalize weed like we did during World War II. Watch the 1942 USDA film, *Hemp for Victory.*
The license to grow Cannabis that is shown in the film reads, "Producer of Marihuana."
"Marihuana" can be used to make thousands of everyday items, such as housing materials, clothing and textiles, paper, plastic, transportation fuel, food and medicine. Just imagine Americans working at American jobs growing and processing American "Marihuana" into American products to support and defend America.
That's exactly what is shown in the 1942 USDA film, *Hemp for Victory.* There is an official government link to the film on everyone's cellphone.
It's been public since 1990.
There was a bill introduced in the US House of Representatives titled HR 3652, the *Hemp for Victory Act of 2019.*
Main Street, yes!
How many of you actually remember parking meters and meter maids? :p
@john labus there are places like that, but many people go their whole lives without being around it so they don't know the sense of community they are missing
@@Tyler-qh9jm I never felt a sense of community lol
I could not wait to get out of there
Nostalgia is giving you guys rose colored glasses
One problem is that the brick and mortar stores have been hit so hard that I often find the items I go out to shop for aren’t carried in stock anywhere anymore. Makes me worried that we are already too far gone to reverse course on this issue.
And the physical stores often don't even carry the biggest items because of shoplifting. If I need an overpowered electronic device, I have to go online. Everything in store is basic stuff and can't hold up to what I throw at it.
@@blazingfuryoffire1 haha, it's not because of shoplifting. They have insurance. It doesn't cost them anything. It's because they don't have the cashflow to just have one of everything in store.
But that is the free market. If you can't compete, then you lose.
This has been going on for a long time now, even predating online shopping's dominance. It been part of any MBA course to learn that you want a minimum of inventory (it ties up money and can be taxed); you don't want to carry niche items or brands that don't appeal to the mass market, etc. I've seem many stores and companies go under because of this as former customers don't go back, but they still consider it canon law.
Many stores are still open to ordering items for you if they don't have the in stock. They may want a small holding fee or prepayment but then you can see it, try it on, and confirm its condition before accepting it. No return needed for defective items. Also, well run stores will adjust inventory based on demand. So if people start asking for purple squishy thing-a-ma-jings, then they will start stocking more.
@@Silence-Dogood Yes, but the problem is that people go to shop in a physical store because they want or need the item right away. If the store has to order out that’s just a less convenient and more expensive way for the consumer to online shop. Even if a fair number of us were willing to put up with it to support the smaller business, that’s not a viable way to get consumers at large to support brick and mortar shopping.
"We just want the t-shirt that says mindful'" - what a powerful punchline
This is absolutely brilliant. You nailed it Bill. Online shopping is reeking havoc on our planets environment. The people doing it actually think that it is eco-friendly. Make a list, get off the couch, and go get it. That's the most ecologically friendly way. Plus, you might actually make a friend doing it.
"wreaking" havoc not reeking
@@fjsioewiox you are correct
But I have 2,300 friends already on Facebook. If you agree with this comment, click the like button. Thanks.
@@fjsioewiox
We get the meaning th though.
I wonder just how much fuel Amazon goes through a day. Between all of the cardboard etc plus the returns.
Brilliantly written and executed with a simple closing sentiment... "Amazon's in it's prime, and you're wasting yours"
At least there was social interaction at the malls, Amazon is just selling crap tier quality items in excessively large boxes. I have purchased from Amazon before but only for items that are horribly expensive in my part of the world or if nobody stocks the item. Fast fashion is a sick joke and buying items just for self gratification is just pathetic. Bill shouldn't be blaming all millennials and Zoomers for all the waste, clearly it's an American problem.
@@firedrapeon6012 The "loneliness" that people are going through is what makes them buy for self-gratification. It makes them feel good to get something in the mail; like someone "cares" about them. It's all psychological. I'm sure Amazon and others already know this.
It's not just America; anywhere that has services like Amazon are going through it.
The internet has screwed people up more than they want to believe.
The "comfort of your own home" gimmick has turned people into sociopaths
@@XenoGuru you are misusing the word "sociopath" there. Hypocritical is more accurate or just being true to a core tenet of humanity, Greed. Stop feeding Amazon, it's already too big and anticompetitive.
@@firedrapeon6012 I was saying sociopath in the metaphorical sense; not medical.
But yes hypocritical is another one for sure.
I moreover meant that people are just staying in their "little ponds" or to a small circle of people who share their ideaology.
Even with dating: it used to be that you found a random person "in person" somewhere; approached them, and talked. Now there's this "speed dating" like thing going on with these dating apps. And many times they're getting "catfished" by people with fake profiles.
No one trusts anyone anymore.
@@XenoGuru whether it be metaphorical or medical, sociopath is a word with a definition. You can't bend the definition to your liking the same way the woke crowd claims "words are violence". On your other point, the old way of dating is not necessarily better, speed dating is a joke, sure, but getting to know someone via their dating profile so you don't waste your time trying to get along with someone you just can't, is just much more logical. Relationships with opposing political beliefs are destined to fail. It's not a great idea to have identical beliefs but you need some common ground, some shared interests, eg the same religion or both like dancing, something that you can do together and enjoy it.
Malls were awesome. You could get your car serviced at Sears, buy you're clothes at JC Penny, buy you're music at Sam Goody, get a meal at the food court, watch a movie at the theater, get an Orange Julius, all in one day, and sometimes you might even run into someone to date or just hang out with. The mall was a super social experience, and it's sad that it's gone.
The malls are still there, its the people who have voluntarily chosen a hermit lifestyle. Lockdowns were accepted by the same people, people who already lived hermit lifestyles and had nothing to lose...
@@ArnoldSig Facts Arttu!!
Now you're hoping you dont get shot coming out the mall parking lot.
@@chickaboomboom2726 or get stabbed by a middleschooler of you live in KCMO
I do miss getting fresh coffee / muffins, then flipping through the latest book releases at B&N.
MINDFUL!!!! Pure Gold!
One thing to keep in mind if you shop locally is that you are supporting your local economy, people are employed, and the taxes go to your community. Not if you shop online such as Amazon.
Just another hypocrisy by the "look at me, pay attention to me" generation.
While I agree with you for the most part, Amazon does have over 1 million employees. I know a few drivers that seem to love driving for Amazon since many get to create their own schedules. It seems flexible for say semi retired people and college students. They also offer IVF benefits which most American employers don't offer (I work for a nonprofit and don't get them).
I worked at a Hollister in the mall all through college and had the best times I ever had at a place of employment. Met a ton of great friends that I still talk to every day. I hadn't been to that mall in a while after living a few hundred miles away, but one of those friends told me the mall had gone from 100% capacity to only about 5 stores left in the entire gigantic place in the span of 5 years. Now it's completely closed and the developers are looking to turn it into an Amazon fulfillment center. All we have of those times are memories now, and I can't even go visit my old store where those happy memories took place. Young people today will never have this experience as the places young people used to work, have fun, meet friends etc. are replaced by...Amazon. I love this New Rule and wish there were some way to turn back the clock a bit on this subject
Hollister 2005-2007 right here
It's just the reality of progress. I didn't realize until a couple months ago that my mom didn't just "go to the store" when she was a kid in the 50's/60's. Apparently there *were no* Safeways or Costcos or Krogers, so produce as "exotic" as broccoli wasn't even an option. Funny how we're trying to get back to that model with the whole "sustainable farm-to-table" thing after decades of abandoning it for being costly and inefficient.
Jeff Bozos is killing us all. He’s the real Pennywise🤡
Pete Finch I appreciate your post, and definitely agree about the socializing, the fun times and memories. But I dont think Amazon is "taking over", amazon is "Taking advantage" Maybe for the area crime has gone up, dirty, downgraded, so people stopped shopping less, went elsewhere or went online. So Amazon sees an opportunity and takes over. Amazon wouldnt be nearly as successful if more people did physically shop instead of online. Kind of a "chicken or the egg conversation"
Maybe the real culprit is the internet, which changed everything. Let me ask you - before the internet, how many people do you know were cancelled? How many were fired for something they said 30 years ago when they were teenagers? With increasing technology, a ton of great stuff comes with it, but also opportunities for bad stuff.
I focus on at least, thousands of folks who lost their jobs to those stores that closed, hopefully they can work at the Amazon fullfillment center. Better that than to end up like places like Detroit or Camden where stores close, thousands lose their job, and then becomes deserted - nothing coming in to replace what was lost.
If we fight the return of the mall will come. I think we can take out Amazon and return to the mall in the next ten years
I miss the malls especially around Christmas time, back when they would go all the way with decorating.
When they didn't do it in October and ignore the other holidays. Especially Thanksgiving - something we should have been doing more of.
We lived right behind the mall in the 80's. I had the best teenage years.
Me and my friends used to hang out at the mall every weekend, good times. During the early 2000's, growing up, it used to be packed with people. It's not like that these days. Every time I walk around inside, it's not as crowded as before.
New Rules are my favorite segment. Love to see Bill's hilarious (and fairly wise 😂) view of the world. Thanks for the comedy.
Personally, I didn't start ordering things online until it was difficult to find what I needed in the stores.
It’s a lifesaver sometimes, especially for one who lives in a rural community.
@@margo3367 Not many malls in rural communities...so you get a pass. My sister lives on a farm. Online purchasing is essential for rural communities.
I’ve always looked at malls with disdain… the artificial environment, the plastic crap, the consumerism. But yes the alternative (online shopping) is worse! I’ve bought most of my belongings in thrift shops for the last 20 years, or made it myself.
The answer is multi-purpose development and better walking/biking/public transit infrastructure. People order online bc they don’t want to drive to the store, but if they can walk a few blocks or bike for 5-10 minutes through protected bike lanes shaded by trees? Or sometimes literally just WALK DOWNSTAIRS??? They won’t order online.
@@TungstenArm You underestimate the laziness of the average American. They choose online because it's the most convenient. No setting foot outside at all, not even just down the block.
@@TungstenArm agree 100%. I used to have that setup when i lived in Holland.
@@TungstenArm Since I would have to drive 1.5 hrs to the closest mall, online shopping is a saving grace for me. I used to love shopping at the malls, but not for social reasons. Downtown in my current town is minimal, at best, mostly antiques shops, a restaurant, a tattoo shop, a photo studio, an expensive shoe store with a very small variety, and a music/pawn shop. We have one tiny strip mall with 2 clothes stores, Verizon, and a Dollar Tree. We have a Walmart and Home Depot, and a few isolated hardware/farm or furniture stores. That's it for shopping.
So, while many people are lazy, or became lazy during the pandemic, there are some of us in remote areas that DO need and appreciate online shopping.
My boxes go into the compost or under mulch in my garden. I don't buy clothes online. I buy them at the 2 clothing stores or wait until I make that trip to the big cities. Yesterday, I bought a pair of jeans, first clothing I've purchased in 3 years. Not much activity during the pandemic. I know little towns like mine may not be the majority purchasers, but I for one am grateful I can buy organic supplements and gardening supplies online that local stores don't carry.
Online shopping is great, because I can buy things that would never be cost effective for a physical store to offer, such as homemade shirts on Etsy, cards for an old collectible card game, very specific out of print books, etc. on eBay. I’ve found buyers for stuff a pawn shop would never buy from me. Every way of buying has it’s pros/cons.
A big problem I faced up until recently? Not knowing how to sew. My grandparents knew how to sew. My parents knew a little but not much. I didn't learn a thing, and it affected how I shopped. One single hole in a garment went straight to the trash because I didn't know what to do with it. I purchased cheap clothing because I thought that was all there was. Recently, I started learning how to sew so I could cease the wastefulness and start making my own clothes.
My mom had a sewing machine, not a popup hotdog cooking machine. Very "Mindful" 😁
Honestly, we saw this with my toddler- took her out Christmas shopping a couple weeks ago and realized quickly that it’s so much harder with her than her 3 older siblings at that age. They grew up going to shops, we walked to a lot of them to kill time, get out of the house, etc. they grew up interacting with and observing people and proper store behavior. this is my toddler’s 3rd Christmas and the first time I’d really taken her into stores (besides grocery stores) and it is taking a lot more of time and my guidance to teach her proper behavior, plus she has speech issues 😢.
I like how Bill has the perfect boomer rage behind this.
Thank you bill for calling out Amazon. I'm a UPS store manager and i see the ecological shit Show every day and the sad part is 90% of it is bullshit. People returning markers, pads of paper, fucking napkins, used clothes they wore for a week before returning to get a new outfit for next week not because it didn't fit because they like changing their fashion to look richer than they really are. It's fucking pathetic, destroying our planet for petty ass bullshit.
Destroying the planet to control wealth and keep the masses downtrodden so you can eventually present yourself as a god doesn't sound petty, more like evil. They're the ones making and molding others do it for petty reasons so the biggest perpetrators can wave the finger at them, they already have a mascot that's been made a false idol.
Are you part of the problem or nah?
@@b.b.6542 Are you the person the OP is describing or nah?
@B. B do you know what UPS is? It’s not Amazon, honey.
👏👏 Have a good one man, from Brighton England
Best commentary yet, Mr. Maher. I used to occassionally order a list of things from Amazon that I could not find near me as I live far away from any city centre. Every item ordered was delivered together in one box. Then Amazon offered prime membership so you could get free shipping on any order, no matter how small, and included prime video, where all content was included, and prime music, all for $80.00 a year. Things have changed. Somewhere there is a painting in an attic of Jeff Bezos and it's aging.
A reference to Dorian Grey? Excellent!
@@kimdomingue9173 agreed
He's right about it making people more isolated. Really don't know what the solution is to this problem. Ordering stuff online is so convenient but you lose that social aspect. Malls near me are dying and it's sad.😢 There's a trend of giving up all traditionally social interactions in exchange for more and more convenience.
‘Amazon is in it’s prime but you’re wasting yours’
PERFECT
Actually this is one to the reasons I thrift and consign my clothes, housewares and some furniture. It’s gotten a bit more expensive now as people have found out about it and accepted it now, but you can find a lot of really good items that are used. And when I’m finished with them, if they are in decent shape, I donate them again. Fast fashion is ruining our environment, and full price clothes are things I can’t really afford.
Agreed. I make almost all of my clothing purchases in thrift stores, from Hanes online, or sew it myself. Fortunately I am a capable home sewing aficionado.
I only owe 2 pairs of pants and 2 pairs of shoes. and about 20 t-shirts. and I don't buy shoes again until I get holes in the ones I'm wearing.
Agreed. I find a lot of good used clothes, sometimes designer from Value Village and Dots. A lot of those clothes are nice dresses I can wear on nights out. If those ever don't fit me anymore, I can always donate them back to Value Village and someone else can enjoy them.
"actually"
Thrift stores are the only place I can find pants that fit me since everything new in Merican clothing stores is only available in "walrus+" size. Less expensive as well.
Here in Reykjavík, Iceland, in-person shopping is still alive and well, in large part because of how expensive it is to ship stuff here. There is a clear distinction between shopping areas for locals vs. shopping areas for tourists (you can tell by whether the storefront signs are in Icelandic or English).
Forget the malls. Build up the downtowns and public spaces. Support small businesses. That's what will really make America great again.
Well, then maybe malls should have been developed along a different concept than - "nightmare hellscape of overabundance you have to have a car to get to in the first place".
@Clyde Hey Clyde. Finally it's here th-cam.com/video/dQw4w9WgXcQ/w-d-xo.html
Prior to the pandemic, I actually counted on going shopping for the little bit of social interaction it provided. I still shop in stores, but people avoid each other like the plague now. All the random little interactions and kindness have been replaced with empty space and brief glances into eyes full of fear and uncertainty. It's rather depressing.
It's rare that I even hear the sound of my own voice at this point. I literally spend over 99% of my time alone, and it has taken its toll, that's for sure.
For sure. Loneliness….
Please take care of yourself, Gabe. You spending over 99% of your time alone just broke my heart. You matter. Remember that.
My mother is outright addicted to Amazon. I keep trying to explain this to her, but it only makes her dig her heels in further.
Take a martial arts class
@@rkulla or ANY class... painting, yoga, piano lessons, foreign language, dancing...I took acting classes under the theater curriculum at my local University. It was so much fun. I also took swing dancing and Tai chi. You don't even have to be great at it. Just enjoy yourself.
I'm going to push back on the assertion that delivery is less efficient than individuals shopping, at least until I see some well-founded studies to the contrary.
.
The typical delivery truck I see driving around the neighborhood contains between 50 - 150 boxes. They use state-of-the-art distribution software to lay out the most fuel efficient route to deliver all the packages. I would guess each truck makes between 50 - 100 stops per day to drop off merchandise. Compare that to 50-100 vehicles all driving around, many of which are driving over the same roads that other vehicles in that same group are driving over. Not only fuel, but wear and tear on engines, oil changes, tires, etc. It all adds up.
.
Even with returns (which I don't do like Bill described... I know my sizes... only ever returned one piece of clothing to Amazon that was damaged on arrival), people STILL have to drive back to the store to return stuff. My SIL would do the same thing at a brick and mortar store: buy 7 outfits and return 5. She drove there to pick up and drove there to take back. Very inefficient.
Good points. One counterpoint to consider is the amount of ordering that’s actually done through Amazon for example instead of a store. My family has an Amazon delivery nearly every day. I could just have a thought, “oh I need AA batteries and with the click oh a button it would be here the next day, it’s in own box. If Amazon weren’t around I’d write a note on the fridge dry erase board and next time we do grocery shopping or whatever I’d pick up the batteries. The number of cars driving around would be very low since I’m consolidating my shopping. Amazon can be very impulsive, writing a shopping list and planning a trip to the store isn’t. I’m rethinking the frequent Amazon ordering btw in part due to Bills commentary
I know what you mean about the perceived efficiency, but the massive amount of junk buying being done is undeniable. We shop maybe once a week for most of the things we actually need, but I see so many homes with piles of boxes out front...every day! And I can guarantee most of it is garbage, an environmental disaster to produce, store, ship and dispose of. It must be produced extremely cheaply (poorly) so it is landfill almost immediately. And all this junk buying helps support a massively growing economic power run by an insane regime with no care for human rights. I wonder if people just get addicted to this type of click shopping, like gamblers.
Remember going to the mall with friends, maybe running into a cute chick and you have this thing called "a social interaction" with somebody?
Or you went to the arcade, and you just had fun playing the games with your buddies, and you weren't in a verbal abuse war with somebody half way across the country on a headset?
Yeah, those were good times
Truth. I feel so bad for these kids in their rooms all day. Spoiled or suffering?
It s so simple to just state the obvious with great facts and real talk.Bill : You ve been killing it with New Rules this season calling out the insanity we have created as a civilization that celebrates fast crap for lazy consumption while thriving in isolation all crazy and "cool".Thank you for stating the obvious.Is anyone there?
I’m there. I couldn’t agree more. And thanks for pointing out the craziness of “moralism” and so-called “woke” cancel culture. And that it’s dangerous. To EVERYONE! Woke as originally defined (awareness of racism) is a very good thing, but the far-left turned it into something else and screwed it up.
Thanks Bill Maher for explaining that the far-right is the most dangerous, the far-left is also terrible and that we just need to chill and use common sense!
excellent comment and analysis and conclusion, ATS. I mean, what you said needed to be said. Loook, Maher is indeed stating the obvious and simple with great facts and BITING IRONY JOKES that punch yet make us laugh. ALL THAT POLLUTION, ALL THAT extra business infrastructure JUST TO SUPPORT the industry of goods that we order VIA PHONE OR INTERNET. it didn't exist before, Why? BECAUSE OF SHOPPING MALLS. We don't know how good we had it, at THE MALLS. It solved a lot of problems. Malls are gone BECAUSE of online shopping.
Bill takes multiple private jets a week
Don't shop online. Done. But I bet you do, right?
Bigot
If we all see each other regularly at the store, we might realize we aren't actually at each other's throats the way some media wants us to believe...
Yes, We are humans, socializing is one important connection.
Most of these ankle bitters are incredibly bright. With their subject of choice. We have forgotten how to take a breath and act civil. But I am exposed to younger adults whose compassion and acceptance is startling. We are all gonna be alright.
Damn!!! Is it bad that in my quest for voices of reason amongst madness, I found you and now I cannot get enough of your videos? I’m watching them in reverse chronological order on binge setting. Not sorry.
You've said it! I never order from Amazon and I'm such a happy senior! People...get a life!🤣🤣
We need a class in schools about sympathy and socializing. Its gotten to that point.
I do miss going to the malls. good ol days of interacting.
Malls died out because online retailers like Amazon were more affordable to the average consumer. I could get a toy from a retailer in a mall for $45 or get it online or at Walmart for $20. Unfortunately, stores in malls were typically corporate franchises that priced like they were mom n pop stores. Greed killed them.
I agree, the way people use resources like Shein and Amazon are destructive in more ways than one, but if we brought back malls with the same business models they worked with before, we're going to get the same result.
It takes a business with trusting investors playing the long con, like Uber and Lyft, who lost money on rides for years just to price out the competition until they were the only ones left. Then they cranked up the price to be more expensive than their now-gone competitors. That's what Amazon and Shein are doing.
Shein is gross. That stuff looks like a 3rd grader made it.
There's also the fact that you just have a much wider selection of goods online than you do in-store. A number of stores don't even offer their full selection in-store anymore, but simply have it up on their website to order. Not to mention that online shopping offers you the ability to get goods from a FAR wider selection of sellers and suppliers than going to the mall, or even looking at catalogues ever did. I have so much to pick and choose from for what I want that it's crazy. With malls and catalogues, you're stuck with what you have or what you know to subscribe too. Online, I can learn about stores I've never heard of and immediately have access to their products.
Plus, at least with online-ordered clothes, the product tends to actually be of better quality than the shelf/store version. Because you're getting something straight from the warehouse/storage rather than something that's been hanging on the rack/shelf for who knows how long. My mother and sister have actually compared clothes quality they bought from stores' online catalogs versus the same clothes they bought from the store, and the store version is tends to be somewhat more worn.
Malls died out the same way video rental stores died out: because something far superior replaced them. Online stores offer larger selections at lower operating costs. That's why they beat out brick and mortar stores. Even most of the brick and mortar stores now have websites for online shopping, and often they have much larger inventory online than in their physical stores. It's why I now often buy stuff at Walmart's site than the store. I started doing that because I got tired of driving there, finding something out of stock, then having the clerk/associate tell me they don't know when they're getting more because the warehouse ships them stuff randomly. Who the hell wants to deal with that? Now I will often look at the mall stores' websites before bothering to drive to the mall. No point in driving if they aren't going to have what I want. It's a great convenience. Plus, the lower operating costs helps keep costs down. No one got sad over being able to watch dozens of movies for $15/month versus paying $5 to rent a movie a couple days, and that's in 90's dollars too keep in mind.
The fact is things get replaced by other things in capitalist markets, and it's always for the better. If it weren't, then they wouldn't get replaced. They get replaced because the consumer base largely finds the new thing better for whatever reasons, even if there are some cons. It's silly to get all nostalgic for an outdated technology you don't even want to use anymore despite having the ability to.
As much as I hate the ubiquity of online shopping, I am delighted to see the demise of the mall. I want locally owned shops to return, not malls! Malls are dying in the tar pit of history and although we will remember them, we certainly won't miss them.
I miss going to the record store. I like when bands would do in-store autograph signings. Fun times growing up in the 80s and 90s.
I’m beyond grateful that my mom raised me to actually appreciate the stuff that I got. I actually get my clothes from Goodwill and donate my old clothes to Goodwill. You know, to actually give what I take, and not spend 50 dollars on a fucking tee-shirt only to return 24 hours later.
I just bought 2 tshirts from spencers and I now hate myself
@@MrKongatthegates Did you at least buy them in-store and not online?
Habit for Humanity. It's like Goodwill, but it's not evil.
Lol fell for the scam huh
@@TheInverseable what scam? Are you talking about goodwill or the 50 dollars for a tee-shirt? I haven’t spent 50 dollars on a tee-shirt.
"We want the t-shirt that says mindful." That's just HAUNTING!
Speaking the truth again. You are a treasure.
The other issue that is never brought up is when you buy local, a greater percent of the spend stays in the local economy in the form of wages paid to workers to meet the buying demand. Those workers in turn spend on goods and services as well which grows the local economy and way of living via payroll/sales taxes for the state/county.
When you purchase online with amazon/shein, you only fund drivers and whatever warehouse pickers (more and more automated) were involved at the fulfillment center.
Glad he touched on it, but the biggest concern is the waste production. Packaging from shipping, wastewater from inorganic cotton production, etc
But local is also more expensive most of the time, so your dollar doesn't stretch as far.
Not only that, but it's like a direct line to China with no middleman: the crappy thing goes from China to you, and your dollars went from your wallet directly to the Chinese who made the crappy thing.
Keep buying amazon, and that'll be the only jobs left.
@Clyde ah yes!! You would be the one who would take a great commentary about how online shopping is destroying the social fabric of society and plug your own website for making money. Congratulations.
You’ve been reported.
I work for the post office. I fully agree with this statement. Yes I'm aware that it goes against my jobs best interest. do not care. This buying everything through the mail is atrocious all around.
One thing for sure, no one has a valid right to complain about all the 18 wheelers clogging up our roads if you buy online. Nothing against the drivers. They are doing their jobs.
The post office was to offer a service, not be a servant.
@@samsamson3890 dont they take the same shit to the stores?
I would think USPS workers would prefer to deliver a package the addressee had requested rather than the unrequested spam that just shows up.
@@AZOffRoadster The "unrequested spam" is the equivalent of the _"finally it's here"_ in the comment section.
Just count how many times this dude called "Clyde" is in this comment section alone. I've been replying to the MF.
This is why I always shop for anything possible at physical places where my money will be accepted. Groceries, books, magazines, some newspapers, kitchen appliances... It makes you go outside, you do keep a certain discipline with the shopping list, you can have a coffee break within a vicinity of shops and, in the end, you have the satisfaction of going home, putting everything in its right place and feel the satisfaction of a job well done.
I do not always agree with Mr. Maher but he is spot on with this video . One of the greatest truths i have heard .
Railroads are the most efficient way of shipping goods. They’re almost friction free transport and move immense amount of goods with little fuel.
The most efficient way is by boat, but since a lot of rivers are running dry nowadays, that's really not an option anymore.
Also rail has friction. It just has minimal rolling resistance.
As an introverted and loner teen, I would go to the mall to people-watch and attempt to learn behavior and social cues. I poured much of what I observed into my writing. I worked many part-time jobs throughout the mall, as well. Many good memories and valuable experiences. None of which would have been had from my couch or bed.
Armored Saint is so underrated 🤘
Because you were never taught by anyone in your family .... or you weren't taught by any of your teachers in school, _say from 2nd grade through high school?_ Or because you never paid attention to those and "went your own way" in behavior skills?
90s kid here: I can't tell you how much I miss the mall
@@penboyasgod6103 maybe high functioning autism. Might not have had parents. Might have had abusive parents. May have been relentlessly bullied at school..there can be so many reasons.
@@Viking_Luchador Did they all close down?
That last sentence is so powerful.
Working for the USPS I'm amazed how much Amazon one person can get in a single week. If you're getting multiple packages 5+ days a week you have a problem. Amazon addiction is real and it's a terrible disease.
I'm retired and live in town of less than 10,000 people. It's basically Walmart. I also don't drive. To find anything requires a 60 mile round trip with no guarantee I'd find what I needed. Amazon and on-line shopping is a life saver for me. So toss off, Bill. Your carbon footprint is a 100 times bigger than mine.
Calm down, Jim. It wasn't a personal attack on you. Bill understands that people who actually live in rural areas don't have many options other than online shopping.
Considering he takes a private jet all the time probably more like a 1000 times.
I loved the Sears catalogue in the '90s. I remember when the Christmas catalogue came every year when I was a kid and I was always excited to look through it to see what new stuff was in there. I'm feeling old. I'm still one of those people who make shopping lists before I go out to shop for groceries. I even start making my lists a couple weeks ahead of time.
My Grandparents house is a Sears kit home brought in by rail and built in 1890. And as a boy in the late 50's and early 60's I remember the Sears Catalogue was the preferred reading that doubled as T.P. in the outhouse in back of that home! So, Haley, you're not so very old after all! lol.
Shopping lists? You mean you don't use a phablet to do a two-way VIDEO (NOT audio-only) call to your spouse, showing them video of what the supermarket has? Ugh, how retro and uncool!
@@jimtrela7588 I know you're being sarcastic, but I have neither a tablet or a spouse. I have to do my own grocery shopping.
I recently moved to Katowice Poland. I lived about a kilometer from the mall and it's a nice walk to the mall which is attached to the main bus and train station. It's surround by kilometers of wide pedestrian avenues, the city square is next to it, outdoor shops and cafes line the streets. The place and the mall is always crowded with people shopping, looking and just wandering.
This is representative of all the cities in Poland and probably Europe. They just get it right.
I would like to see a return to functioning malls. However, when you take your shopping list to 2 big box stores ( target and BBB ) and they are out of stock on the same product you are looking for, then Amazon wins.
Bill is pretty much on point here. He seemed genuinely wistful in the early part. I saw a news piece months ago about Amazon just dumping the returned items into landfills and I wondered if Jeff Bezos every heard of homeless shelters or the Salvation Army and just give these clothes and household crap and everything to people who have nothing. What a waste
Lol you should see the waste retailers like Walmart make
They don't donate old or returned clothes either
Bezos is completely evil and has no sense of morals!
But the waste here is Amazon not online shopping. It can be done ecologically, it's just under capitalism we decide that evil Bozos gets to make all those decisions.
You do know retail has been doing the exact same thing for decades right? I worked a retail store in the 1980's and about 80% of the returns were tossed in the dumpster after being "certified" by the store as destroyed. It was cheaper to destroy them than to store them and then ship them back. I later learned a shit ton of retail did this...and STILL do.
When comparing apples against oranges make sure you look at BOTH fruits instead of letting someone with an agenda present to you only one side....or else you be screaming at the kids to get off your lawn, just like Bill "I don't like thinking about anything new" Maher.
No he's not. Gen Z and Millenials? It is his generation. Old man Maher at it again. But he seems to remember a world that belongs to 4 or 5 companies. Did he forget about the bullshit model where we have to have acres of parking for this crap? I'm old enough to remember town squares hopping with activity, from the town drunk to the drunk mayor. Malls are bullshit, and are the first step in keeping us apart. Local, neighborhood shops are the way to go. Don't have any? Raise some hell at your council meetings, this stuff doesn't occur in a vacuum. Giant ass parking lots aren't what we need, what we need is engagement. If you think it is too hard, get out of the way, because there are people that don't think it's too hard and are willing to make the effort.
A big agreement with Bill Maher on this. I used to meet friends and talk to people in the Mall. It was a social hub before the internet allowed people to "almost" meet. Some people would get their exercise in while walking in the Mall even during dreadful weather. Groups of people with widely varying tastes could share a meal in the food court at the Mall. Some Malls had free entertainment and exhibitions and art work. But now all that is lost. Sometimes what is thought to be "progress" is actually "erosion".
Amen
Excellent point that the demise of Great Malls is also the erosion of our social skills and connection with “others”. Little wonder why we have become more intolerant of diversity. We are around it less & less.
Associate Justice Antonin Scalia once said that progress is not always for the better. I agree with him, and I am not sure why people assume otherwise.
I discovered online grocery shopping during the pandemic and even if Covid disappears tomorrow, I'd still be ordering online. I actually can't believe I ever went to the store wasting so much time looking for each item and having to carry heavy bags to my building...who does this.
Still wearing cloths from 20 years ago because I bought quality that lasts. I don't remember the last time I threw anything out, probably a t-shirt I got oil while working on vehicles, not because it was just worn out.
I don't buy cloths online because there is a huge chance your sending it back which is a pain when your closest UPS drop-off is 25 miles away.
A few things I want to say.
1. I agree. Malls are awful now. I spent much of my time wandering around malls as a teenager in the 00s, but going also to farmers markets in LA, and other various shopping areas. Sometimes I just go to walk around and maybe eat a meal and leave.
However now they are empty, even on the weekends. Not completely but hollow compared to those years. I talked and met with various people. Looking at someone didn't net you a dirty look because it seems most people take a smile and wave the wrong way now. Well younger kids and some millenials my age.
2. Clothing should last. I still have some clothing from when I married my wife years ago. They are old and some have holes but they are great items to wear when I need to do things around the house that can get messy. Basically I'm wearing them until they fall apart. I don't but much new clothes. I don't need to and when I do get rid of some, I donate it. Why don't they do that instead of shelving it back to these online stores
1. What do you expect when a new technology is far superior to an old one? We can sit there and get nostalgic about our younger days when the malls were a fun place to go and more people went to them, but that's just being stupid. We don't go to malls as much because it's FUNNER to shop online, not to mention cheaper. I certainly don't miss all the times I went to the mall and couldn't find what I was looking for and left empty handed, especially when I knew I would have to go back and try again later.
2. Not sure what kinds of clothes you're talking about, but most clothes do not stay in fashion for longer than a few years. Some shirt back in 2010 is not going to look all that great now. I don't know why you'd want a t-shirt you paid $15 for to last 10 years. On the other hand, I also don't know what you'd do to wear as shirt out that quickly. I have workout clothes that I bought in the mid-00's that are only recently starting to get holes.
malls were great for window shopping--as a broke college student I enjoyed Rennovator's Supply stores and so on. But we've shifted to instant gratification. My friend just figured out after cutting up her credit cards that ApplePay works off her phone, and even she knows that's a bad thing without impulse control (her ex hubby always said, give her $5 or $500 and she'd return with the same amount of change back).
as for clothes lasting longer, its why we point and scoff when someone on the dole shows up wearing brand name clothes. they didn't buy them off the rack, they went to the consignment store since its cheaper than MallWart where the clothing is cheaply made. Brand names last long enough to hit Goodwill and still be worth buying.
As a kid in the 60’s & 70’s - the “mall” was an open air pedestrian zone linking several small stores. We walked there & walked home. I have wonderful memories of that space-it was like a long rambling garden. I think the later enclosed version was designed to slow people down so they would spend more. I say bring back local open air shopping zones & add in outdoor cafes & dining (& I’m not talking the big box strips on the edge of enormous parking lots) - of course in city and town centers it already exists - the challenge is transportation management.
Ok
depends on location. California has tons of open air malls, doesn't work as well in Michigan or Minnesota.
He makes a good point, but sadly I am house bound ,I no longer am able to drive because of old age and failing health. So I am forced to shop on line and catalogs. I miss my shopping trips to the mall.
@@anythingoriginal Nebraska had open air malls at one time but began to enclose them because no one would go to them during the winter, due to frigid temps.
@@arlenemulqueeney5464 Sending hugs from Italy. Online shopping can be useful, it's just overused by most people in my generation, but it's good to have it when you really need it. I hope you get well enough for a trip to the mall soon!
The mall in my city is experiencing a renaissance post-covid. People are shopping. The food court with a merry-go-round in the center has a line of families taking a spin. People enjoying some snacks and meeting up with others to play cards, dominoes, and other low-key board games at the tables in the courtyard. Shop til you drop is alive and well. The anchor stores are being redecorated which costs money. Local original mom-n-pop shops are moving into the mall to enjoy the location and amenities. It looks and feels like the late 1980s...just without the big hair. The economy is great and if Biden is to blame, I thank him.
Wow! So many truths! This man is gold
As an American Expat living in the Philippines for the last year , the Mall culture is big out here and reminds me of America of the 60's and 70's 🙂
Also big here in Australia 🇦🇺
So true. In the Philippines, malls are getting bigger.
I've been an expat for 6 years in Africa and Europe. Malls are crowded but I don't know if people are actually buying anything. People definitely use malls/shopping centers as social outlets. I will say Food Courts in Europe, Spain in particular, are incredible. No McDo or Chick fila but seriously good meals with beer, wine and cocktails. In the UK the shopping centers were dying. You could go to the movies but the restaurants might or might not be open afterwards. The shops, including the Tesco, shut down by 6pm even during the Christmas season.
Same in hawaii.
He makes a great point. My wife and I try not to order stuff online but the stores suck nowadays and certain things you are forced to go online to get unless we drive 30 mins
Wasn't totally onboard with Bill's assessment here that marketplaces and malls are the alternative. Frankly getting your goods from a brick and mortar vs. Amazon (or any online service) is just as detrimental to the environment. The amount of energy it takes to keep the lights on at a mall?
Feel like the alternative would be don't buy so much absolute nonsense in the first place.
Part of the solution is to change the mindset of the average American consumer. The reason why there is so much overconsumption is that products are cheaply made with a limited lifespan, forcing you to buy it many times over. Have you looked at new furniture lately? It's nothing but particle board cr*p. But it's that way because it's the way WE (American consumers) want it. WE are the ones who are demanding goods at a cheap cost. WE don't want to spend one cent more than is absolutely necessary to get a new (insert product here). But you're not going to get good quality items without investing some money. If you want cheap, you get cheap. If you want something that will last, you need to spend a little more to get it.
And we need to start producing again, instead of just consuming. Let's bring back manufacturing to the US again. I'm so tired of CCC (Cheap Chinese Cr*p). We're at the point now where you don't have a choice anymore.
Right, but understand that the ease of purchase directly fuels wasteful consumption. E-Commerce is easier, so people consume more.
Wow, that's an incredibly myopic and dim comment. Comparing the energy to keep lights on (actually, lights take very little energy in general) to literally tens of thousands of boxes with plastic wrapping and other packing going back & forth every single week, along with the gas and pollution of the vehicles carrying those packages is absurd. Also, how about all the energy it takes to keep all those lights on at Amazon locations and other similar shop-at-home companites?
The t-shirt that says mindful is spot on. 90% of the people that where those shirts aren't mindful at all.
Another reason to keep stores and malls around? Privacy. Go in, buy something, and leave without having a huge trail of cookies and tracking/analyzing behind you.
@@OutsideLookingInSports I'm not really talking about purchasing sex toys or super small condoms. I'm more referring to predatory big tech companies watching, collecting, profiling, selling, targeting, and influencing people based on their *every purchase* that they openly made online.
Theoretically, if I were going to buy adult diapers at CVS, I would rather awkwardly try to hide them from my coworker than let every oligarch and silicon valley yacht twat know they need to add incontinence to my profile, and target me forever after.
@@OutsideLookingInSports Very true. But you don't *have* to use the club card though. It's possible to use cash, buy whatever you want, and leave without big tech knowing what you bought. (Except that they track your phone location, so they'd know what store you were in.)
With your info they can figure out how you'll buy in the future, how much money you have, how you're living, which social media posts to show you, tax information, how you'll vote.... it can get seriously intrusive and manipulative really fast.
@@OutsideLookingInSports The person was talking about online, electronic privacy.
For me, the only reason I shop online more is department stores (in my area) have gone down in quality. Sometimes clothing is just left on the floor, or the dressing rooms don’t look the cleanest. Or if they don’t have what I’m looking for, nobody is really around to help.
Nonsense! You're just getting fatter and you're afraid someone may antagonize or fat shame.
It drives me crazy , I spend so much time waiting in line behind people waiting for their pay app to download
You are really someone America needs more of, Bill ..More Americans need to hear you and often.
I'm in my 40's and I still wear clothes from high school. and evidently it's in fashion again 🤔
You're a very special unicorn if you can still fit into your high school clothes. Wow! Good for you!
Hey proud of you D.A.L. Keep up the good work 👍🏿
@@Christie_Love he is not the only one. You would be surprised…
@@EN-ku3cd I just have yet to meet anyone from high school who hasn't gained at least a little weight. But to those who haven't, good on you.
@@Christie_Love I'm almost 40 and all my high school clothes are way too big now. So same problem other way around.
It’s sad when driving to an American shopping mall is considered the "environmentally friendly" alternative. Walking, biking, or taking public transit to mixed-use shopping districts should be where the goal posts are. Reverting to the same rate of environmental destruction as the 1970s isn’t enough.
That destruction came mostly from horrible gas mileage/inefficient engines and leaded gas. Families still had to drive downtown to get to the department store if they didn't live in the city and wanted to shop. The Mall just directed that experience more locally.
People are free to drive if they want.
It is sad to see people worrying about other people's lives so much.
@@bighands69 I don’t care what other people do. People can drive if they want. I just want the freedom to choose not to drive (mostly via public transit), which isn’t an option in most American cities or towns. I’m exclusively arguing for more freedom, not less. But keep telling yourself that you’re living a life of freedom the next time you find yourself forced to sit through hours of bumper to bumper traffic.
@@spacemanspiff2137 If you live in the suburbs, there is no hours or even an hour of bumper to bumper traffic.
@@spacemanspiff2137
You said it was sad driving to American shopping mall implying that Americans should not be doing that.
Go on just admit it you do not want Americans driving cars
I'm glad that Piers Morgan appeared on your show. The last time it was Jim Jeffies, and it became heated, but I'm glad you diffuse it. We all still miss you in London when you did your show for Channel 4. We are in a lot of problems over here right now, maybe your can be the peace negotiator.
The malls where awesome. Shopping, eating, going to the movies, great shoe stores, and some malls had Walgreens. What happened to thegood times. Ordering on-line is laziness.
All Bill Maher said is completely true and I agree with him. I would love to be able to go back to writing my grocery list and hopping in my car and going to Tesco or Sainsbury's to get what I need. However, as a disabled person living alone, I am dependent on online shopping, so for those of us who need it, I'm just glad the option exists.
Yes of course it is a great tool for people that can’t leave their home. Bill is targeting the young lazies and brain washed to shop at home, stay at home, and do absolutely nothing .
Amen. Everything has value where it is kept in balance and I'm grateful for the independence that online shopping gives to people with actual disabilities as it allows a freedom that did not previously exist.
@@claudiocorleone7856 indeed he is and that's why I agree with him
Same. I now even have my perishable groceries delivered to my door via our local grocery's delivery service. Without online, I would be dependent on someone to do all of my shopping. My disability puts me at high risk from COVID so on line shopping keeps me out of harm's way. So, there are up sides also.
I still write out my purchase lists. I'm getting older, can't remember what I'm supposed to get without one. And, being retired, I no longer need fancy dress shirts, heels and panty hose. I no longer have to compete by buying whatever what most people thought were the latest and greatest. I've also reacquainted myself with places I wouldn't have dreamed of going to when I was in the grind. Thrift stores, and goodwill work fine for me. I'm destroying most of my jeans and clothing because I'm an artist now, and forever getting paint on them. Young people actually comment on my paint splatters, and think I did them on purpose, or ask where I bought them. I can be hip, and I don't have to tell them I'm recycling bell bottoms I never threw away from the 1970s. Works for me, and I love the new common sense Bill Mayer.
Think of Barnes and Noble. Long ago they sold books, but now they’re basically a toy store and if you ask for a book the employees point you to a website to order it. Brick and mortar stores don’t stock anything because they’re so concerned about margins and turnover rate.
Online purchasing might be bad for the planet but corporations love it because it’s lower cost for them. A warehouse and some robots to collect and ship stuff is cheaper and they can stock a wider variety of products than they could in a store. It wouldn’t make sense to stock usb to 9 pin serial adapters in store because it’s such a niche product that would sit on shelves forever.
umm the stores near me dont sell any more toys now than every before... only thing thats grown is the manga section.
Online shopping is way more environmentally friendly than everybody individually getting into their car and driving to the mall. As usual Bill is just talking out of his ass.
@Clyde3 Hey Clyde. Finally it's here th-cam.com/video/dQw4w9WgXcQ/w-d-xo.html
USB to 9-pin adapter lol loving the example 😂🤜🤛❤️
So true just was there tonight and was shocked by the massive amount of toys and games, even board games.
All that talk about needless consumerism reminded me of camping 2-3 years ago being told by our fabulous NPS that camp fires were not authorized in our campground, despite the fire ring. We needed to go by a grill and gas canisters.
This NR segment was on Point ! Parents get on it !
Even if it's old school !
Too much of anything is not good. There are times when online shopping or food delivery has its benefits, and times when it's good to go to the mall and see people and connect again...balance
Agreed. InstaMart and medicine delivery are helpful when you’re sick. I feel that more as I am sick rn. 😢
"There are times when online shopping or food delivery has its benefits"
Could you please expand on your statement that online shopping is beneficial?
@@donmiller2908 it’s beneficial when: you can’t find your size in the store; you know exactly what you want and don’t need to go in / drive/ park etc to get it; definitely I always do online shopping for toys (which I know my daughter will outgrow in a month)
Sears delivery = 8 weeks
Amazon delivery = 24-48 hours
Not that hard to figure out.
not to mention you would have to send a letter requesting the item with a check or cash to buy the item, get a letter back along with the money saying that you forgot to include the amount for tax, send another letter with correct money and THEN get your item in the mail
or you could just go to the mall which likely had a sears, it was the quicker and easier option, now amazon is the quicker and easier option.
Who the hell still uses Sears?!!!
@@KingRandor82 Last I checked, the only people still using sears were some predatory corporate consolidation managers gutting the brand for profit and using its equity to dump their debts onto so they can bankrupt it all away.
@@Rykojames you mean the same bankers who have Bil Maher on payroll, then? ;)
@@KingRandor82 donno, not much equity here if Bills podcast is any indication of his value.
I feel really guilty about everything Bill said. I started to realize not too long ago that I overconsume and don't want to contribute to be a part of the problem why landfills keep growing and why things either don't decompose or take a very long time to. The first thing I did was stop buying things that there was a chance I would return because I figured if I return it, it would end up in landfill since many places will not resell items already purchased. I have enough makeup and beauty products to last me for YEARS too so I stopped buying all that stuff. I stopped buying plastic utensils to eat despite the convenience as well as paper plates and bowls. I don't have a dish washer and found it difficult to find inexpensive, microwave safe products, not made in China that were recyclable. I finally did finding them through Preserve and bought them, but I think they are going to go out of business. I'm just really ashamed at myself for being a part of the problem.
Recognizing that you have a problem is the 1st step. And just think of the money you will save which you can use to buy a home, a car, or save for retirement.
@@christah4102 Right before the saw that episode I spent almost $300 worth of makeup. I later got the company to cancel the order. I didn't need any of it.
Don't feel guilty, you are trying to make a change. Be proud of your efforts.
That being said and I don't want to be demeaning to you, but as a European I'm really asking myself if you are an "average American" or somewhat on the extreme side of consumerism.
I actually hope the latter is true in your case, and here is why:
$300 for make up sounds insane, even to average European standards. Did you know that amount of money in most 3d world countries will provide 3 entire families with basic food and housing for a month? Good for you, you sent it back👍
Eating of disposables because you don't have a dishwasher astonishes even more... Do you realize there is millions if not billions of people without a dishwasher who don't have the money to use disposables on a daily basis? They use some cheap soap, warm water and a brush and it's only a 10 minute chore really.
At the same time I feel sad: if you are not an exception, it means an entire continent is so spoiled that cooking the themselves doesn't come to mind and doing dishes without a machine is too much effort... In that case our planet is really doomed... The rest of the world simply cannot compensate for that.
@@MrMaarten1969 Let me set the record straight on some of your questions and comments.
There are a couple of reasons that some Americans do not wash their own dishes. One reason is a skin disorder called eczema. Using dish soap causes extreme lesions and pain if done on a regular bases. Another reason is time. Most Americans do not have the time to wash dishes every night. That being said, most people have dishwashers so I don't think a whole lot of people use paper products for their food.
As for $300 make-up- Americans work hard for their money. And while yes $300 could feed a lot of people in the 3rd world, we send literally BILLIONS of dollars of our hard earned tax dollars each year to feed, protect and educate these folks to no avail. The money is mostly stolen so what good would it do to send more?
Americans do not pollute any more than any other western nation. Actually if you look into it, China is one of the biggest worldwide polluters, yet many folks are silent on this issue when it comes to China.
And while I am happy that the original poster realized it was a waste of money to buy all that they buy online- there is no reason to be condescending or judgmental. It's their hard earned money to do as they please.
Americans already do so much for the world. So their personal choices in how they spend their money is none of anyone's business. Most Americans work hard and have little spare time. So it's not your place to judge anyone here.
@Christa H thank you for your response. I didn't know we had a "record" together and neither did I know you were the personal replier of @XX XXXA... I like to think people are perfectly capable of answering themselves.
That being said, It appears you feel personally offended and project it on @XX XXXA.
Let me tell you there is no need for getting offended since it was a genuine question and I can assure you I'm definitely not the only one here in Europe with these very same questions.
(The image of Americans in Europe has deteriorated "somewhat" after Obama.)
Your response reminded me of some similarities with a Jim Jefferies video about Gun-laws. You could have saved yourself also a lot of non-arguments and other complete BS by just typing: FCKU, I like the way I live.
So let me reply your arguments:
1) eczema. Really? And the rest of the world manages just fine with less aggressive soap or gloves or letting someone else do it. So plenty of easy solutions imho.
2) Time? To busy to spend 15-20 minutes a day? Really? You really need to grow up, learn to plan and prioritize better then imho..
3) Donating money to the third world: you might want to take a look at the commitment to development index: USA is currently at the last place (20) among G20 and at place 40 when considering all nations. WHO says you donate about 0.19% of BNP. It's a miracle you're not going bankrupt with these HUGE donations. 😂
Most Western European and rich south-east Asian nations donate 3 times more and even that is still a shameful low amount...
4) Working hard: i have news for you. The poorest people have to work the hardest for the lowest pay and with the worst resources (like transportation) or else they die of starvation. (Admitted: where I live there is no starvation since we chose to invest in social security and also Medicare for all.) Still: you and me are nowhere near that point since we both still have time to react on TH-cam...
You might want to have a look abroad one day, possibly live there for some time, preferably outside the expat compound. You will likely find out MOST people work hard and even pay more taxes than the average American.
5) Initially we were just discussing the value of $300 and what you can do with it. But since you decided to bring pollution into the discussion combined with some what-aboutism concerning China, it's time for some information:
At this moment in time you are correct: China is a big polluter.
But you're actually cherry picking: China has 1.4 billion inhabitants, You have roughly 1/5th of that (330 million). Have a look at the data and OWID world map considering pollution per inhabitant per country and see how North America, Australia, Saudi Arabia light up because they pollute twice as much per person as the rest of the developed world...
And that is the situation without even looking at the amount of pollution produced since the industrialization started. Europe (where I live) and USA are historically the biggest polluters by far instead of China. I like to think we both are morally obliged to take that extra step to fight global warming since our nations mostly triggered it
6) Now this is where it really hurts. Who am I to judge you, tell you how to live.
The truth is: you are right. I am judging, but it's not you but your behaviour or the average American's (who doesn't really exist) behaviour.
It might come as a surprise for you but judgement is at the basis of all our actions. You do it, i do it, everyone does it. There is not one person on this planet that doesn't judge...
Am I telling you how to live? The truth is I can't, even if i wanted to. I can only vote and hope more people share my views and the government makes laws for them. Right now in general I'm glad I have to follow EU rules instead of USA rules.
Why do I think i can judge your behaviour? Because this is my planet too. Your behaviour is harming it imho.
It doesn't mean I'm better or not harming the planet myself. Just by living in Europe I'm allready a big pollutant. However: It doesn't mean Iim not entitled to expressing an opinion. It is at the basis of freedom of speech.
Thank you for the reality check!