1. Americans got a bit poorer due to inflation.

2. Brand quality went down to equivalent or less of no-name dropshipped goods in order to keep similar dollar prices for goods.

3. Cost of real estate spiked incredibly, putting even more pressure on retail margins.

4. American logistics is seriously good, in cities 24-hour delivery can be common even for small or inexpensive things.

5. Once there wasn't a quality or convenience reason to prefer the shopping mall, many were already struggling quietly, they just hadn't run out of cash yet.

6. The pandemic happened right as all these things converged, accelerated all of them, and wasn't really recoverable.