Shopping habits in the United States have changed greatly in the last quarter of the 20" Century._ 26_ in the 1900s most American towns and cites had a Main Street Main Street was always in the heart of a town. This street was _27_ with many various stores on both sides. Here, shopper walked into stores to look at all sorts of merchandise: Clothing,' furniture, hardware, and groceries. _28_. some shops offered _29_. These shops included drugstores, restaurants, and barber or hairdressing shops. But in the 1950s, a change began to__30_ Too many automobiles had crowded into Main Street_ 31_ too few parking places were available to shoppers. Because the streets were crowded, merchants began to look with interest at the open spaces_ 32__ the city limits. Open space was what their car-driving customers need. And open space was what they got_ 33_ the first sopping centre was built. Shopping centers, or rather malls _34_ as a collection of small new stores_ 35__ crowded city centers._ 36_ by hundreds of free parking space, customers were drawn away from_ 37_ areas to suburb malls. And the growing popularity of shopping centers led_ 38_ to the building of bigger and better stocked stores._ 39_ the late 1970s, many shopping malls had almost developed into small cities themselves. In addition to providing the convenience of one-stop shopping, malls were changed into landscaped parks, _40_ seats, fountains, and outdoor entertainment.
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