Rotterdam Square Mall, outside of Schenectady, NY, is not doing so well. It keeps losing stores, as dying malls tend to do, with its Gap and Macy’s shutting down early this year. Yesterday, something unusual happened when the mall’s power went out…not because of weather or supply issues, but allegedly because of an unpaid bill.
We don’t know how much that bill is, because the local power company, National Grid, doesn’t give out that information for fairly obvious privacy reasons. However, the mall nearly had its power cut off back in November, and at that time, the outstanding balance had reached over $100,000.
If you’re wondering how doomed this particular mall is, it has both Sears and Kmart as anchors, in addition to its Deb store closing along with the rest of that chain, the mall has also lost its Gap store, and another anchor in Macy’s.
The owner wouldn’t talk to the media, and a security guard at the mall referred a reporter to the owner. The mall remained inexplicably open through the power cutoff, but at least anchors Kmart and Sears have their own power meters and are not dependent on the mall’s electricity.
The owner has other malls, many of which are not in great physical or financial shape. One had to be demolished after he admitted that he couldn’t afford repairs to keep the structure safe.
No checks, no payments, no power [Albany Times Union]
by Laura Northrup via Consumerist
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