My theory behind this is that they’re actually trying to divert traffic to the websites and keep it out of the stores. If I buy my new external hard drive from their website, the entire process is automatic until it gets to the guy who puts it on the truck. They don’t have to pay the retail employee.

On a single-sale basis this may not seem to save money, but it adds up. If Apple only sold iPods online, they could cut their Apple Store employees by at least 50%. In fact, a G5 tower really is an online-only item, but these aren’t exactly high-volume.

What’s my point here? I see the future. Malls are going virtual, but not as quickly as some would say. The Internet as we now know it will never replace physical retail. I really did say “never” there. People like to touch and feel things for themselves before they buy. They like to try things on, try them out, pick them up and put them down.

The trick will be when we can create a virtual copy of the items in question. Some manner of VR will be involved, but I don’t know what, and I’m not sure it matters. Some company will develop a way to touch, feel, and try on items remotely by using a sensory simulation.

The machinery that pulls off this trick will be huge. At first, the virtual store will be AT the mall, since consumers won’t be able to afford or house it. Several conglomerate-owned companies will merge their storefronts into a single virtual experience. Pick an item in the VR booth, click buy, your credit card’s RF tag is scanned and the item arrives on your doorstep the next morning.

Only after the technology is small and cheap will we see malls die. This will not only take technological development, but a gradual, multi-generational change in the way we think about buying things. The physical buying experience is part of our capitalist training, and it will take a concerted re-education program by corporations to re-program mall culture. Instead of meeting your girlfriends at the gap, you’ll meet them at Gap.com and try on fake clothes, together, in a place that doesn’t really exist.

This may be my capitalist mall training talking, but I’m glad I won’t be around to see it.