Huffington Post Blog: Never Underestimate Women's Vanity

I'm at it again over at the Huff Po. This week: Why discount retailers should focus on women's need to look good, even in a recession.

Never Underestimate Women's Vanity
"In uncertain economic times women may not go to Saks to buy a pretty blouse or some perfume, but they will go to outlets and discount stores to get the same brands at lower prices. I predict that in the next few months stores such as Filene's basement, T.J. Maxx and Loehman's will see a rise in sales as people, especially women, want to maintain the mental illusion of luxury that they created for themselves when the economy was more robust."

Mall History: It's a Good Thing

Eaton Centre, originally uploaded by Ron Wilson.

My fascination with shopping malls is well documneted, so you can imagine my glee when I found a few blogs last week that specialize in malls and mall history.

Mall history, you say? The internets are a great way to track down any form of nostaligia, and there are people who collect vintage photos of malls. Other collect histories of malls by state, others track dead malls, which is the saddest kind of mall there is.

But wait, there's more! After a store or mall closes, often all that is left is the big box of the the building, a shell of the retail excitement that went on inside, along with the name of the store still carved into the side. That is called a Labelscar. Labelscar, the blog, examines closed malls around the country, complete with photos, and goes in-depth as to why they closed and what department stores anchored them.

Say what you will about malls, but it's a great way to learn about the retail business without picking up a textbook.