Looks like department stores all around the world have a rebel in their midst this year. The Mall of America, the largest in the U.S., announced last week that it will be closed on Thanksgiving Day.
For the past few years, the mall in Minnesota helped blaze trails for other malls and department stores to open Black Friday sales on the night of Thanksgiving. But this year, the Mall of America has decided to give workers the break they deserve.
“We’ve been talking about this for months, looking at the numbers, looking at the pros and the cons,” said Jill Renslow, the mall’s senior vice president of marketing and business development, told the Star Tribune. “We’re excited to give this day back to our employees so they can celebrate with their families.”
The mall gave its 520 other stores the option to remain open on Thanksgiving, but many think it is unlikely they will. The doors will open and the characteristic chaos of Black Friday will ensue at 5 a.m. on Friday morning.
Renslow told the Star Tribune she wants to “bring that special magic back to Black Friday.” Let’s follow the mall’s lead and spend time with your family on Thanksgiving, folks. After all, that flat-screen or pair of boots can wait till morning.
McGee Nall is a travel intern with Paste and a freelance writer based out of Athens, Georgia.