South Coast Plaza opened Monday, after restricting shopping to online and curbside pickup for months during the pandemic. Shoppers said they are curious about how the fall and holiday season will differ from past years.
Mall officials say they are eager to boost consumer confidence, with an estimated $1.5 billion in brick and mortar sales at stake.
Cal State Fullerton economist Anil Puri says psychology and financial security play a big part in pushing the economy forward. How shoppers will respond to the mall reopening will be determined by “how people feel about their personal situation financially and psychologically how optimistic, or not, they feel about the state of the economy and the future for themselves,” Puri says. View the story on NBC Los Angeles.