Growing up in the 80s and 90s, I remember that malls had an enormous variety of stores. Every mall had several bookstores, record stores, maybe a pet shop, gift shops, toy stores, arcades, etc. Many of these stores have vanished- some due to the emergence of the digital world, some due to the changing economy. Many of the chains that I remember from my childhood are gone - B. Dalton Bookstores, Waldenbooks, Service Merchandise, Montgomery Ward, K.B.Toys are just a few.
And stores seemed to have a much wider variety of merchandise. If one store didn't suit your style or price range, another one would.
Now, it seems like the only things left in the malls are clothing and shoe stores, and they all carry virtually the same styles and poor quality.