The secret feminist history of shopping

Washington

FOR America's malls, December was once the happiest time of the year. Now, each holiday season brings a painful reminder that shoppers have increasingly abandoned real-life storefronts for virtual ones.

To get people off the couch, mall owners are trying to bring back the idea of shopping as a social activity. They're investing in free cocoa and "elfie selfie" stations, and they've doubled down on the mall Santa, building him expensive high-tech palaces decked out with "Naughty O' Nice Metres" and "Elf-Ray Vision". Even stores that have historically shunned these traditions, like Toys "R" Us, are now getting in the game.

It might be too late. The notion of strolling through a physical mall is starting to feel old fashioned, like barbershop quartets or writing in cursive. This is how people used to buy things, before dr…