MALL- Often, ANY type of shopping center will be referred to as a (quote-unquote) "mall." However, by retail industry definition, a mall is always a particular format of shopping center. It is, by nature, suburban. It always has a large parking area and its stores are configured around a lengthwise corridor (or corridors), with said stores facing each other.

STRIP MALL- A widely used "shopping mall malaprop," this term has been conjured up by the general public and news media to describe what should be called a "strip shopping center" or "strip center." The term "strip mall" is not used within the retail industry. You will see it mentioned just once on this site (like, right here).