Most people in the United States consider the shopping expereince in New York City one of the best in the country. In fact, most major
retailers consider it nessesary to have a presence on 5th avenue. European retailers also understand how valuable the square footage on
5th Ave. The compilation of US and European retails develop the unparalelled shop options.
Unlike anywhere else in the US, New York City does not have Malls. Granted, we have these structures that resemeble the suburban mall
environment but they really cannot be a mall in the true sense as they do not have the sprawling parking lot. Those with parking lots
generally cost $10.00/day to store a car in.
New York City is shopping is really a lot of fun. In most cases a store with a poor selection or products that are less desireable are
pushed out as a function of the retail space cost. The people of New York in some ways shape the retail within it.
You won't find a Costco in Manhattan, at least not yet. Though I personally like shopping at Costco, this wharehouse model doesn't work in
the city. Imagine a city block in NYC covered on both sides of the street with small retail and grocery stores. If you could for a minute
visualize the placement of a Costco a block from this location. Now consider the Costco has to fit in some space that either pre-exists or a
building that can be torn down and rebuilt.
