The 1990s were the highest and lowest point for American shopping malls, and by the end of the 90s many stores we knew and liked had closed up shop for good in malls across the U.S., leaving us looking for new places to loiter.
Kay*Bee Toys was a great place to kill time, since the clerks didn't seem to care when we had Nerf gun fights in the aisles even though we didn't buy anything, and as much reading as I did there I don't think I ever bought a book from Waldenbooks.
Maybe that's why these stores disappeared- their prices kept people from buying much, but they were in the mall so they were open to browsing, which made people buy less.
Why would people buy stuff from a mall store like Sam Goody that wanted $18.99 or more for a CD when they could buy their music in a non-mall store like Tower Records for less? Now that's a store I really miss!
See 10 Stores From The 90s We Loved But Never Actually Bought Something From here