CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Staring through a glass storefront at the Sambil shopping mall, Aleimar Sanchez sees more than a struggling business in the near-empty shelves of a Casio electronics store. She sees a country in sad decline.

Since its inauguration in 1999, Caracas’ biggest mall has been a hive of frenzied shopping, a glitzy counterpoint to the anti-capitalist tirades of the late Hugo Chavez. Today, a few die-hard shoppers stroll through dimly lit corridors, past stained walls in need of a paint job, and shuttered boutiques. In those stores that are open, employees spread out their dwindling supply of garments, cellphones and designer bags on shelves and window displays.