It is about time the trend caught on in the country, if only because the next door neighbour has them in hordes (the size of its economy notwithstanding), and because not all women and men can afford to land in Dubai every now and then for a therapy they badly need.

If truth be told, shopping malls have been steadily appearing in our cityscapes for the last four decades. But, with time and money, the size and quality are steadily improving too. If Karachi boasts of a Dolmen, Lahore would bring its Emporium and Pacakages is going to speedily follow. Each new shopping mall comes with a new philosophy, attracting more consumers and rendering all previous malls redundant.

But how viable and sustainable are these shopping malls anyway, considering their counterparts in the West are closing down fast? Over there, more and more people are switching to online shopping, reducing the overheads’ cost burden on the manufacturers and selling brands. Here, one notices how all brands jump at the mall bandwagon and if some reports are to be believed many are running into losses.

The debate is not specific to Pakistan and is equally relevant to most developing countries, including China.

In our Special Report today, we have tried to look at the trend per se. For now, the malls seem to be the go-to place for a considerably large section of the population. Yet, how many footprints noted in a mall are serious buyers is a study that is still in progress.

Read also: Mall order

Away from the world of buyers and sellers is a more valid cause for concern. Should we not stop and think "what all this consumerism and excessive buying is doing to the planet" and to our own selves and the society we live in. The "vulgar abundance" that a shopping mall offers is also a subject of our Special Report today.