I was 8 years old. Like y’all don’t understand how warm and cozy the 90’s were compared to today. I can’t explain it 😭

Is it just me or does everyone seem to look healthier than people today?

The sound of the receipt machine hits hard in the nostalgia.

I can almost feel the calm air smell the Sbarro pizza and feel the clean cotton and denim clothing keeping everyone warm with genuine smiles and hope in their eyes

Who remembers playing hide and seek and hiding in the middle of the clothes rack. Those were the good ol days.😊

People were so much more present in the 90s. I honestly wish social media had never been invented.

The way people are just patiently waiting in line not staring into their phones. I was 11 years old and loved seeing this, brought back so many memories: )

Look how pleasant people were. I really miss those days. What a beautiful time❤

I swear these videos are the closest thing we have to a time machine 🤧 I wanna go back.

I think the last bit of this sort of life and nostalgia ended around 2007, just before the first smartphone, and before Facebook went from just a college student geared website, to letting everyone and their grandparents on it. It's been a terrible slide downhill for the human mind/psyche.

Wow the 90’s look so old now. It literally seems like it was just yesterday. The good ol days. So blessed to have been alive during such a magical fun time ❤

Feels like I'm a lil kid again . Thanks for taking me back. This is how I exactly remember the good days with my parents.

No phones, no social media, everyone being human.

As someone who was a little kid in the 80’s and a teenager in the 90’s, experiencing all of both decades, seeing footage like this makes me want to cry. I miss this time SO much, and in the last 10-12 years I’ve finally just not been able to adapt, slipped into a deep depression and been out of work. In the earlier days of the internet, cell phones, and things like digital music and the start of the iTunes Music Store in May of 2003, I embraced it all and loved it. But I never wanted, nor did I imagine that all of that would largely lead to physical stores going away, physical media largely being gone, and even physical interactions dwindling away. Today, I feel like I have no where to go, nothing tangible that I own, and that I never actually see anyone or talk yo them face to face. I just hate it. I have two younger nephews born in 2006 and 2008, and I’m told that they’re completely fine with the ways things are today, having grown up with it. But I most definitely am not. I feel like whole generations of people my age and older now need massive amounts of counseling with how things today are compared to before. But it’s all largely ways that I frankly don’t want to get “used to”. Human beings are physical creatures. It’s not good for us to just be in the same place all the time, hardly interact with anyone in person, and hardly ever physical handle or have anything tangible. I really hope that it can change. But as long as younger generations like my nephews are just fine with things today, I fear it never will.

Not one cellphone everyone was happy, alert, communicating with friends, aware of their surroundings...wow huge difference

No mall is this crowded anymore, obviously there’s some positives to that but mostly it’s sad. A part of my childhood was “going to the mall” was like a weekend event

I turned 20 in 1996. I met my husband then. I remember how packed malls used to be at Christmas. I used to love going to the mall!

it's just surreal to see people walking at the mall without phones and looking around. Everyone was basically people watching . I guess it's called being human.

Man i miss this time period

I was 16. I had no idea at the time, but my life would never be as carefree as 1996 and 1997 were. In 1998 I joined the Navy, and that closed the chapter on this era. I'm 44 now and life is so mundane. I have a great career, wealthy, nice home, all that. Something is still missing, and I don't know what it is. The magic and happiness of life is gone.

It's weird to think my 16 year old self could have driven to this mall and appeared in this video. 1996 feels like yesterday in some ways, but seeing this video makes me realize how long ago it was, and clearly a different era that has passed. The last 20 years really did a number on this country and society.

From what I can remember about those times is we all took it for granted. At that time in 1996 things seemed as modern as they could be then and we all thought the world would just stay like that. The internet was around and everything nobody could ever imagine things like I phones, youtube, social media and even online shopping was unheard of to most people then.

Refreshing not to see one person glued to a cellphone screen .. people seemed more carefree and happier in the 90s

I miss growing up in the 90’s, I wish I can go back in time for one day 🥺

I marvel at how orderly and calm most people are in these videos compared to today. I hate to say it, but it is just so soothing to watch people shop and interact like normal humans. We have lost this part of ourselves in the last 15 years or so.

Back when it was a way of life. Teens meeting at the mall. Seniors going for their daily walk and families going to a movie. Life was so much better.

Look at how BUSY it is. And now malls sit empty… rotting away. I was 15 when this was filmed. I worked a cash register like that, too. Running checks through the printer part, swiping cards - you never swiped your own card. You would have laughed if someone told you one day people would be just ringing themselves up for their purchases. Crazy!

This was what we grew up with!!!!!! Look at the fact that there are people of all different ages, races, ethnicities, languages & backgrounds all enjoying shopping and living together ❤️ People used to love each other

Such a vibe. The 90s were truly special times.

I was 16 and remember putting on my best clothes to go to the mall. We met with friends, made new friends and spent most of our time at the food court, music store and the arcade. My mom and grandma would take us kids Christmas shopping and it was simply a great time. Have a great day every one!

Look how many people!! That's how every mall was back then. They were a destination...to shop, eat, and hang out. The internet was JUST getting going. It existed but nothing like today. No social media, no youtube, and slow to login and search. It was still awesome but we had the best of both worlds. The world was looking up!

I was there. It was amazing. They took it all from us.

The sound of that receipt printing is something I haven't heard in a long long time. I miss the 90's a lot, such a great decade.

Notice how friendly everyone was... I miss those days!

Felt like I wanted to add my take on some of these topics everyone's been discussing here. I'm 17 currently, so I never lived in the 90s. I also work as a cashier at a retail store, so I interact frequently with today's version of the people in this video. The main thing I notice here is how well-dressed everyone is and the community aspect of shopping in a store without being constantly connected to phones and the internet. As a cashier I HATE it when people are using their phones while I'm ringing them up because they don't notice when I'm done and they usually don't even talk to me so there's no conversation to be struck up. To be honest, I'm kind of bad at starting small talk, which doesn't work as a strength when it comes to being good at my job, but I love it when people start a conversation with me or ask how my day's been and just like acknowledge me as a real person that's in front of them??? I think people used to be more sociable when now people even come up to the counter and don't say a word to me, even talking to people on the phone with airpods or an earpiece and completely ignoring me. The worst is when I need to ask them a question and they're just too preoccupied to talk to me. It sucks and I wish people were less obsessed with connection to their phones. The second thing is how well-dressed everyone is. This may be a dated take considering my age but like...unless you're just going to walmart at like 11pm for snacks I feel like you should dress nicer to go out in public...I'm not a fan of the pajama pants and random shirt style. But also, I completely understand that I'm not always gonna understand everyone else's style sense, and maybe it is that for some people. But honeslty I think it's mostly laziness. That could just be my hot take. Anyways sorry for my essay but just wanted to add my opinions. :)

This is awesome. I was in 9th grade. The 90’s was a great era. Life was pretty chill back then. Thanks for filming & sharing. Most people didn’t even have a cell phone back then much less one w/ a camera on it.

I always admire people who had the foresight to realize that one day, before you even know it, these times will be gone... so record it.

No matter how old i get, i will always feel truely blessed to have been a kid in the 70's a teen through the 80's and in my 20's during the 90's.

Oh my God!! Time flies!! I remember when I was just a teenager, now I'm almost a grandfather, when I watch this video I feel so nostalgic, I miss those good old day and I hate getting older. I would like to go back in time and stay in it.

I miss when people walked around with their heads up and eyes forward instead of slumped over their device oblivious to the world around them.

The fact that people are waving and smiling at the stranger holding the camera immediately shows how different it was then. I was 6 when this was filmed 😊

I miss the 90s. The 90s feel like a warm blanket on Christmas day. It's so comforting to me.

Awesome video. I wish we could go back to the 70's/80's and 90's and stay forever!

The problem is too many people are buying stuff online. Which for most part is just lots and lots of crap. When someone goes to a physical store to buy something, there are good qualities to this, one is you respect the items more of what you physically buy, plus u can actually see the product first and make a final decision. plus you get to make more smart financial choices in a physical setting, when using online buying ,the system of online is designed for people to buy more as u just click your mouse or button on phone and in hopes you buy more then you want, often people forget they bought an item online by the time it gets delivered to their door. Very very true.

i wonder if the person filming this knew they'd be a social archeologist one day. Thanks for sharing this glimpse of our past--it's sadly missed and fondly remembered 💗

Some key takeaways: 1. People walked around without staring at their palm. 2. People weren’t paranoid about being filmed in public by a stranger. 3. People were in considerably better shape.

I was 20 and just met my husband ❤ What a great time to be alive.

You don't see people walking around with smiles on their faces these days like you did back then. Brings a tear. 😢

I turned 14 that year. Life was so vivid back then. The holidays were next level in those years! You can feel the spirit and intention everywhere.

The sound of the receipt paper printing is nostalgic alone

Its wild to think in 28 more years we'll be watching cam footage of malls in 2024 with the same feeling of noatalgia and longing to go back... psyche!

I can’t help but feel sad watching this. 😢 People looked so put together and normal. As a society we have fallen so far in regards to behavior, the way we present our selves and morality in general. No one has their face planted in a cell phone! So much interaction with each other! I am so thankful I was a teenager In the 80’s.

The sounds of the keyboards and receipt printers. I didn't realize how long it has been since I had heard one of those. Reminds me of shopping with my mom years ago.

I was 19 back then. An amazing year, in a normal world which we took for granted. Miss that era so much 😢

Nothing is decked out to this degree for Christmas anymore and it crushes my heart 😢

Strange to see people walking upright and aware of their surroundings 🤣I almost forgot what is was like in the 90’s

My Grandma told me stories of being a sales clerk in the 1930s in an Eaton's department store. The salesgirls were required to say "May I help you, Ma'am?" and "please and thank you" at all times. There were counters everywhere with a clerk behind it, serving the customers, eager to please and eager to make a sale. Customer satisfaction was the goal. My Grandma worked at the counter selling women's gloves, scarves, and stockings. She said the stockings came in a fancy flat box and the scarves were silk, in dozens of beautiful colors and patterns. Good quality items. The women buying from her were always pleased at the service, and left the store happy.

I was ten years old in 96. Kids these days have no idea. Going to the mall was so much fun back then! I remember it was always packed on the weekends and especially during the winter holiday season when all of the stores would be decked out with fancy Christmas adornments. No matter what city you lived in, no matter how big or small your town was, the malls were THEE place where teenagers from all over would go to hangout. Good times that forged a lot happy memories for millions of people.

The Falls!!! I haven’t been there since the mid 2000s. Thanks for posting this. Not just a cozy 90s mall vid, but in my hometown too. The older folks in the middle of the video look just like my Cuban grandparents did then 🥲

Life was so much better back then.

This is so soothing. The changes in a few decades become so apparent when watching this. Cashiers and workers are not machine-like, clients stroll around in a calm demeanour. They also look around with curiosity and have real human emotions. Lots of people talk to each other, it's incredible. They do not carry themselves in a frozen manner. It's almost like ASMR.

This gives me the feeling of going home early on a snowy Friday from elementary school. Less worries, more space in my mind for my own thoughts, warm, sleepy, stress free.

Not one person stopped to ask “why are you filming me?” 😂

I was 7 in 1996, this brings me nostalgia. Thanks for posting!

Going to the mall was fun back then, the energy and expectation of the holidays especially! Everybody was happy, you could feel it as they shopped for gifts for others. It’s as if you could feel the spirit of giving in the air!

I wish it was still like this

Oh my gosh. The sound of the old cash registers. Takes me back to when I worked retail while in high school about this time. 😊

I miss this era. I was about 13 years old. Age of innocence. After 9/11. Innocence lost

Look how everyone looked? They looked happy, calmed, collected, friendly, healthy.

People dressed better back then and also look healthier and happy

I was born in 1984 and miss this immensely.

I miss these days when everyone was social media, with no phones, and everyone dressed appropriately.

Wow the cashier registry sounds instantly unlocked some childhood memories. I would even play pretend I was a cashier at home, with scanner and all lol

People looked a lot more normal thirty years ago

The camera adds to the nostalgia

I was 20 at this time. And yes malls were still the place to be to meet and hang out. We had pagers, but no cell phones. 😂

Mobile phones/Social Media/Internet ruined it all. People had to stay in the present moment, only distraction being their own thoughts and the person next to them. Now our minds are racing and at a thousand places other than here and now. I too miss the 80s and 90s!

Back when we talked in person and didn't have our heads on social media!

“Be the change you wish to see in the world” - Gandhi

What is great in the 90s, people were not calling each other racist, mysoginist and homophobic all the time

I graduated HS in 1996 and I remember those years in great detail. I can not believe 1996 was 27 years ago (2023)! I loved going to the mall then and I still do, but now, with my daughters (son doesn't enjoy as much, he just loves the food court). Malls are fading away, they still exist, just not as plentiful or filled with the same energy. Yes, people did look much more normal back then, I feel like people cared more about decency back then, a sense of pride in themselves and in their country - unfortunately, not anymore. 1996 was a big year for me, I was 18 and lots of things happened in my life that year in particular. I graduated HS, my best friend went to another country for school (he never came back the same), my father passed away, 2Pac was murdered (favorite artist at time), the pressure of trying to figure out life and so on. Countless wonderful things became of my life and I'm truly blessed - I love my life and especially my family, they are my world. I'm married to my MS sweetheart, we enjoyed those times together and still raise a family together. Hello from Maryland - 1996 was a year I'll never forget.

For some reason, high-waisted jeans look so much better on adults in the 90s. Love it. Wish I was a 90s teenager.

I WAS 28 IN COLLEGE IN 1996. I ACTUALLY WORKED IN A MALL .AVENTURA MALL IN MIAMI, FLORIDA. BEAUTIFUL TIMES

I would have been 11.5 years old...how totally sentimental. Loved the sounds of the hustle & bustle...especially around 3:32 when you can actually hear the clacking of the clear beads in that little girls hair! Never thought something simple like that would trigger such nostalgia. Thanks!

I went to the mall yesterday and it was empty. All the stores are soulless and serve no purpose when you can just order everything online. All the workers hate their jobs and are barely making a living. Half the stores in the mall are closed. Times have really changed.

I was 18 then. The 90s were the best time of my life. There's never been a better decade.

Imagine how exciting seen this video and seeing yourself walk by🥰🥰🥰🥰

Everyone knew what gender they were, no one was crying racism, and no blue haired cows with 10,000 piercings. Good times. Just great people enjoying a great time and getting along.

Yes there were global problems but life was just better back then. No social media and "influencers"... a simpler time.

I wish I could to go back to the 90s and live in that time forever. Everything felt so much more wholesome back then. It was cozy and the music was great-and still is.

I’m miss of colorful and creative the 90s were. Such special time to be a kid🥹🥹🥹🥹

I was 9 in the Christmas of '96. I can't put into words how much I miss this. I know from generation to generation everyone always says things were better when they were younger. But you can't look at this and compare it to today and even compare the longing I don't think. These days, where there are malls, it's scary to go to them. Nobody in this mall in 1996 was afraid of a mass shooter. People were just with friends and family, shopping and interacting. No phones, just peoples company. Pre 911 and world politics wasn't nearly as terrifying either. I'd give anything to go back. Thanks for this glimpse into a time missed and never forgotten

What a bizarre feeling watching this. It’s like I remember it, but it also feels like a different lifetime, reality or planet.

One thing I noticed is how much better dressed everyone is. Nobody is walking around in skanky outfits even though its warm enough to do so. Look how many men & women are wearing a collared shirt & how many have their shirts tucked in. Just an overall better shopping experience back then.

I miss these days so much. Going to the mall was magical during the holidays as a kid. Makes me wanna shed a tear just thinking about it.

I was a young 20 something when this footage was captured. Seems like yesterday. Those were the days. 😊❤

The 90s were amazing, especially the TV shows & music ❤

I graduated high school in 1992, and I miss seeing people who actually dressed up to go out. We did back then because it just made a better impression to look your best. Especially at the mall! 😂

Not a cell phone in sight. I miss those days. Much simpler back then.

I miss the 90s… Imagine a world with less smartphones and more humanity.