July 14, 2008

High Gas Prices Chase Teens To Malls

KYW 1060 has a report today about how high gas prices have forced teenagers to cut down on cruising, a time-honored tradition where kids ride around in their cars for hours and hours and hours without any real point. (Frankly, I still find it kind of awesome as an adult.)

It's a warm, sultry Thursday night and a portion of a shopping center in Richboro, Bucks County in Pa. is filled with parked cars belonging to teenagers who ordinarily would be out cruising the streets. But not this summer. Eighteen-year-old Greg Borden says times have changed: "We usually come here to make plans and we used to all take our separate cars to where we were going, but now that gas is so high we just take one car and we usually try to not go to far either." [...]

It's the same story all across America. Parking lots, shopping malls, and movie theaters are now the favorite gathering spots for teens.

It's neat to know teenagers are now gathering in malls, parking lots and movie theaters. As opposed to my day, when we gathered in basements, malls, movie theat--hmm, wait a second.

Also: Kudos to Larry Gatti, quoted in the piece, for getting the word "sucks" (which actually offends some people) onto the radio. And also for having a rhyming name.

Gas Costs Force More Teens to Cut Down on Cruising [KYW 1060]
Photo via CGoulao, Creative Commons license

Posted by D-Mac at 03:53 PM | Comments (0)

May 10, 2008

Women Banned From All Pa. Malls

Four women pled guilty earlier this week to stealing from the Macy's at the Willow Grove Mall. (Uhh, ladies? Bloomingdale's is so much nicer.) They've apparently been doing similar thefts all over the country and have criminal records in 10 states.

The judge called them a "plague of locusts" and gave them an extra punishment:

The judge also ordered them to stay out of all malls in Pennsylvania.

Hmm, that is quite a ban, but it raises some questions. What about outlet malls that aren't enclosed? For that matter, what about places like the Roosevelt Mall, which are called malls but are just big outdoor shopping centers? Man, this is complicated; I do not envy the probation officer for these women.

Four women who stole Willow Grove Park are banned from malls [AP/The Intelligencer via Philly Edge]
[Photo of Franklin Mills Athlete's Foot employees]

Posted by D-Mac at 01:18 PM | Comments (0)

April 04, 2008

Liberty Place Nixes Political Poll

Are you annoyed by people talking non-stop about the election, telling you about how many more awesome wars John McCain will start or how Barack Obama is going to criminalize tobacco or how Hillary Clinton will answer that 3 a.m. phone call and stop that new violent video game from coming out? Hey, join the club.

Apparently Liberty Place has, too! The mall's management forced Jake's Philadelphia Cheesesteaks to shut down his Obama/Clinton voting booth where patrons dropped an M&M into a dish for their candidate. (Incidentally, this makes more sense than pressing buttons and pulling levers or butterfly ballots and whatnot.)

Liberty Place's general manager wouldn't give a statement to KYW 1060's Hadas Kuznits. And, anyway, their plan didn't work. The people will not be silenced!

[Jake's Gary] Dorfman says [the general manager's] silence doesn't keep customers from talking: "We keep getting customers asking what happened and who won and things like that and why its down and you just have to give them the short answer that it was against management policies here."

Aaaaargh... you just can't stop hearing about the election. Is there a hibernation pill I can take to nap 'til April 23?

Incidentally, the Obama/Clinton M&M poll was ron by Ron Paul.

Liberty Place Ends Jake's Steaks M&M Vote [KYW 1060]

Posted by D-Mac at 11:47 AM | Comments (1)

October 25, 2007

Slow News Day Interrupted By Panty Raid!

NBC 10 reported yesterday that a Victoria's Secret in the Cumberland Mall was robbed! Of 50 pairs of panties! And it's the second robbery this year!

Yes, an everyday mall robbery made the news because feminine undergarments were taken, and NBC 10 could interview random people in the mall.

Shoppers here have their own theories about why someone would steal all that underwear, NBC 10's Ted Greenberg reported.

"They sell them on the street. People who need them can get them," Hunter said.

"Someone has a fetish, maybe," suggested Castro.

"I think it's crazy, you know," said Davis. "Get a job. Buy the stuff you need. Don't steal it. Everybody else suffers in the long run because the prices go up."

Shit. Fetish-crazed panty stealers are going to sell Victoria's Secret merchandise on the street and we'll have to pay more for it later on!

Another Panty Raid Occurs At Local Victoria's Secret [NBC 10]

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August 09, 2007

And The Lord Said: Blessed Is He Who Buys A Slice From Sbarro

Problem: The new owners of the Echelon Mall are renovating it and there might not be a place for the Echelon Mall Ministry, which serves about 300 a month. (Is there anything in the Bible about turning a house of commerce into a house of worship?) Solution: Uh, let the Echelon Mall Ministry stay at the new mall, called The Mall at Voorhees Town Center.

The Echelon Mall praises the heavens. Triumph all ye Cherubim!

"I think the mall's going to be great when it's finished," said [Mall Ministry Rev. Gene] Wall. "Hopefully, we'll bring many people who will not only visit us but also shop in the mall."

The Mall Ministry should sell chicken or something. They'd totally get more than 300 people coming in for that.

Echelon Mall Ministry gets OK to stay [Camden Courier-Post]

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April 19, 2007

The Mall Is Not Safe, People

Just before Christmas last year, Elaine Cesaretti was robbed while in the parking lot at Cherry Hill Mall. On Friday, she filed a lawsuit against the mall's owner. (This kind of stuff is so common even I'm sick of the "wait for it" line.)

What makes the lawsuit a bit more exciting is the list Cesaretti's lawyer filed with the lawsuit. An open records act -- we don't, uh, have things like that in Pennsylvania¹ -- led to this:

Attached to the lawsuit is a 25-page report listing 3,209 responses to the Cherry Hill Mall between Jan. 4, 2004 and Jan. 9, 2007. [...] Reported crimes at the mall range from stolen motor vehicles, shoplifting and purse snatchings to aggravated assault, armed robbery and vandalism.

With about 10 million visitors to the Cherry Hill Mall each year, the crime report "equates to an average of more than two reported crimes a day," according to the lawsuit.

Geeze, who knew the mall was such a dangerous place? I think I'll take my chances at Franklin Mills, thank you very much.

¹ Nor can we purchase our liquor from anyone but the state.

Woman sues Cherry Hill Mall in assault, robbery [Camden Courier-Post]

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September 13, 2006

Leftovers: Store To Open At Mall

• The lead story on Philly.com right now is this one about Nordstrom's, which is opening in Cherry Hill Mall in 2009. We don't know why, either, but we're as pumped as the Inky is about it! Capitalism wow! [Inquirer]

• Metro: So, any plans to attempt to help revitalize Chester aside from the casino? Harrah's: Uh, no, but our casino will be nice! [Metro]

• According to CP, in the new Monopoly Philadelphia is Virginia Avenue. A red space? (And right next to Denver.) We don't even get a yellow? Shit, I was hoping for a green one. Ouch. [The Clog]

• Shooting a guy six times after running him down with his your car because you think he stole your chain? Still possibly murder. [KYW 1060]

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