Berks-Area Malls And Strips Find Challenges Of Economic Downturn Linger

There is no question that retail businesses have been suffering for the past two years as a result of a weak economy.

Economists predict only slight improvement in 2012. So what does that mean for our local malls and shopping centers?

Shopping Centers Today, a leading publication in the industry, reported in January that shopping center vacancies in the United States averaged 11 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011. That figure was up from 10.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010 and not far from the all-time high of 11.1 percent reached in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Read more: http://businessweekly.readingeagle.com/?p=1899

Reading Woman Falls Into Fountain At Berkshire Mall While Walking And Texting

You have to love this stuff folks. 

A Reading woman was strolling through Berkshire Mall and texting on her cell phone at the same time.  You know what they say about walking and chewing gum…so I suppose texting and walking is about the same.  When we are not paying attention to what we are doing, accidents happen.  Consequently, the woman fell into a fountain at Berkshire Mall in Reading. 

Now, she is angry that the security footage was released.  The “victim” has hired a lawyer and is contemplating a lawsuit against Berkshire Mall.  She thinks mall security should have been more concerned about her welfare.  However, she immediately got up and walked away, apparently unharmed.

The reason people know her identity is because she released her own name to the public.  Her face was digitally covered in the video footage.

OH PLEASE!  Does somebody want their 15 minutes here or what?

UPDATE – this just keeps getting better.  Read all about the “faller” in this Reading Eagle article http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=280672