This is a big reason so many Malls are dying. People with money to spend somewhere other than the food court are scared to come anymore.
That started around 15 years ago... Malls fought back by breaking up Malls into something more akin to 'strip centers' where stores were clustered but each had their own openings - and no common areas. It's sad. One more unintended consequence of having too many people in an area that don't understand unwritten rules.