Norm,         
Are you really surprised? Summit Mall and Chapel Hill, the two primary malls 
around here, lack Wi-Fi.  Malls are built to cater to consumers, not the astute 
customer that may want to comparison shop.  They want people to: 
 
arrive
 
consume
 
leave
 
       It's another sign that it's time for a change in how people convene...

Norm for sure you remember the Rouse Company and the Baltimore Inner Harbor project, not to mention the renovation of Fanueil Hall in Boston.  That same Rouse is responsible for Beachwood Place.

I'm not defending it, per se.  I agree with and can understand every single one of your observations.  However, I would think that those observations would be even more instructive if couched in the context of how that space became what it is, originally, and, perhaps, a little perspective on the demographics as to why it is what it is, and what it's not, right now.

I'd agree that there are certain amenities with which no space like that should be without in this day and age and wifi is one of them.  No argument at all. 

But, although I only had to frequent the mall regularly over the last month as I prepared for my son's bar mitzvah (therefore needing to acquire clothing for all my kids, myself and other items which, believe it or not, I couldn't get elsewhere - without being crude, undergarments for myself, no longer available at the neighborhood corset shop, family owned for like 75 years or something, Solomon's, because it had gone out of business under pressure from the likes of Victoria Secrets and others.  Likewise, those items are not exactly something a woman necessarily wants to take the time and money to order online.  But I won't go into why it's not always practical to buy online here.

So - for example - Beachwood Place - what is it good for?  All the seniors that live in that area, and Norm, that's a statistically significant population there.  What do they want with a place like that?  A secure and temperature controlled environment to get exercise and meet and talk to friends.  Do they care about wifi?  Maybe maybe not, but certainly not to the extent, in general, that we care or younger folks care.

Who else likes that place?  People looking to find everything at once.

Who else? Interestingly, teens - for the same reasons as the seniors AND because the teens parents too: see it as a secure place where the kids can go without the adults.

Parochial? out of touch? maybe.  But also very typical of this area of the country that has winter for so many weeks of the year and rain during other portions.

Anyway - I thought you were being rather rough on poor Rouse's creation and, since, sadly, I've had to spend more time in there than I care to admit in order to perfect the bar mitzvah attire of my family, I figured I'd give a little perspective.

Yes, Derek, consumers in a hurry and in a buying frenzy are best for some venues. The large department stores exist because they have pre-shopped the merchandise for you, and by going to a department store of a certain "class," you can be assured of a certain look, philosophy, and level of quality. It's a class structure thing and has little to do with comparison shopping. People going to Nordstrom's, Saks', or Dillard's are going there for a certain "cachet" or a label. Also, at the big stores, they stand behind their products, and the customer is always right.

You'd think they'd have wi-fi by now, though. It should be part of the overall shopping experience that makes you feel as though you've been to some place special. They should want you hanging out in a leisurely way, I'd think. They also have to realize that a lot of us shop selectively and know the market inside and out before we buy, and that requires browsing at length before buying. Once you've satisfied basic needs, your purchases come few and far between, unless you're trying to fill some basic emotional vacuum with promiscuous consumerism.

Nordstrom's especially has made shopping easy for us in the past--when somebody visits and they need good clothes quick with alterations done the next day, or the most special prom dress, or the perfect pair of shoes.

Anyway, consumers in a frenzy are one thing, customers or buyers-at-leisure are another thing, and buyers who know what they want and where to get it are a third thing, the thing that the department stores exist to serve.