Need a mall gift card? Go online.

Looking for a stroller? Rent one through a vending machine.

Other mall questions? Ask a security guard or call the main office.

To save money, Valley View Mall has removed its customer service desk, a tall tan-colored counter formerly sandwiched between two escalators on the shopping center's lower level, near J.C. Penney.

The Roanoke shopping center joins many businesses nationwide that are doing more with less in the midst of a recession that has hit consumer spending and retailers in a big way.

"The company looked at the cost of operating the customer service area," said Louise Dudley, manager of Valley View. "We can perform a lot of the services in the office."

The move eliminated several part-time customer service jobs, but Dudley did not specify how many.

Though the customer service counter has been swept away, shoppers still can find strollers. This month, a vending machine will be installed through which customers can pay for stroller rental.

Also, wheelchairs eventually will be relocated to another area of the shopping center, Dudley said. For now, customers who need a wheelchair may ask a security guard for one.

There have been other staffing changes at Valley View, one of 88 regional malls and open-air centers owned by CBL & Associates Properties, a real estate investment trust based in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Several months ago, Valley View eliminated its marketing director position. Now, a regional CBL team is handling marketing, Dudley said.

The mall manager has had to adjust to schedule changes as well. Since at least last year, Dudley has split her time as manager of both Valley View and Lynchburg's River Ridge Mall, another CBL shopping center.

Dudley, who lives in Bedford, managed River Ridge before she came to Valley View in 1996.

"Everybody's just having to work smarter," she said. "Most businesses have been challenged."

The managers of two other regional shopping centers, Tanglewood Mall in Roanoke and New River Valley Mall in Christiansburg, did not return calls for comment on Tuesday about cost-cutting efforts at those properties.

Meanwhile, CBL, one of the largest shopping center developers in the country, is taking steps to pay down substantial debt. The company announced that it sold 66.6 million shares of common stock last month to generate cash to pay down debt on credit facilities, according to a news release. CBL has $1.08 billion in unsecured and secured credit.

In the first quarter, CBL's sales decreased 3.5 percent, while net income dropped 72 percent, according to its quarterly report.

To be sure, staff changes and financial challenges at Valley View do not appear to be affecting the rate of new store openings. The mall is 100 percent leased, Dudley said, and several new stores are poised to open this year. She would not disclose Valley View's year-to-date sales.

The new stores include Body Central, a women's clothing chain slated for a space on Valley View's lower level, and Shoe Dept. Encore, a mega shoe retailer that will take a spot on the mall's upper level, near Macy's.

"We like to look at the good news," Dudley said. "When you compare Valley View to other malls in the region, Valley View is in excellent shape so far as occupancy and tenant mix."