NEW YORK: Mall of America, the nation’s largest shopping mall, has taken a stand against the growing trend of Thanksgiving shopping and will close on the holiday this year.
The center, based in Bloomington, Minn., has been open on Thanksgiving since 2012. But officials there said the mall wants to offer workers time with their families.
“We think Thanksgiving is a day for families and for people we care about,” said Jill Renslow, the mall’s senior vice president of marketing. “We want to give this day back.”
The Friday after Thanksgiving had long served as the official kickoff to the holiday shopping season. But over the past several years, Thanksgiving has become the new tradition as malls and stores compete for shoppers at a time of increasing competition from online retailers.
Many major stores like Macy’s, Target and J.C. Penney have opened increasingly earlier on Thanksgiving. But many workers have voiced complaints and signed petitions that stores are putting profits over workers’ time to be with their families.
Given its size and status, the Mall of America could inspire other malls and stores to follow suit.
