Mall Madness in Poland?

I know I am only observing from afar by reading Polish online newspapers, but aren't shopping malls getting a little out of hand? I've heard reports of their popularity and bane.

Malls are good in inclement weather, especially for teenagers.
Also, good for senior citizens to do their walking.
I have not been to one in many years.

Yes, too many now and all look the same to me.

In Nowy Sacz we have three or maybe 4 malls, all small and one or two really only surviving because they host a major store - Tesco, for example. They all otherwise seem to work on selling shoes, sportswear, computer accessories, mobile phone accessories and very little else. They all look the same and they all only get busy when it's time for the paseo. Do we have a word for that in Poland? The aimless wandering up and down, looking in the windows, looking at what everyone is wearing, having a coffee and chatting to friends. Other times, almost deserted!

They're popular in the bigger cities partly because during the post war years there weren't so many shops with large square footages meaning that it's a pain for shops to find the real estate they want in city centres. Not unique to Poland.

Yes, they're handy when it's cold or raining but the bigger ones in PL all seem to have the same stores. One is much the same as another.

Is it making a dent in business around the old town squares? My sister-in-law owns a popular kawiarnia in Poznan, and said she has seen a downturn in business. She recently went to a mall and could hardly find a spot to park the car in the three-tier parking garage.

Think about it, you can park your car in one place and get all your shopping done, even go to the cinema.
Or you can go to the city centre and walk around for half the day looking for the shops with the things you want.
Shopping centres have everything under one roof. Handiness, simple as that.

I'd have to say the impact of a mall depends on the city and the position of the mall. The best-known mall in Krakow is just outside the Old Town and rather than compete with the rynek/Kazimierz it complements it. The mall has a big car park even though it's in the middle of the city, and as the old town is pedestrianised the mall has become the shopping place of choice for those with a lot of shopping to do, kids, a wet day, etc, but in any event the tourists keep shopping in the old town alive.

In Nowy Sacz our rynek and city centre has a generous amount of parking, so those who want to shop there can, and the malls ... well, they open with a great fanfare and gradually fade away - we don't need the malls ... except for the paseo! ... and the Tesco

Thing is, though, you have to look at it from the consumer's POV. Personally, I'm in a wheelchair so street shopping is virtually impossible. But for many, many people the town centre is a bus or two away and a right pain in the ass to get to and especially from. So they prefer to jump in the car, drive to a mall, do all their shopping for the week and drive home. Of course that means town centre shops suffer, but that is because people do not LIVE in the town centre.

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Just as one example - I lived in Enfield for 20 years, during which I shopped on Oxford Street exactly never!