MOA Closing it’s Doors on Thanksgiving
Shopping bags from retailers at the MOA.
Mall of America (MOA) announced that they were closing on Thanksgiving (Nov. 24), amid staying open in recent years. They chose to do this in order to provide a day off for their over 15,000 employees whom have been forced to work at the mall in past years on this particular holiday. MOA gave the option to their 500 stores as to whether or not they would like to stay open or not on Nov. 24.
The mall hosts the Walk to End Hunger every Thanksgiving morning, and they did the same this year. Typically the mall reopens between 6:00-8:00 p.m. the night of Thanksgiving in order to encourage shoppers to start Black Friday shopping early. This year shoppers were not able to jump on the deals until 5:00 a.m. the next morning when the mall opened.
Along with the mall, MOA’s Nickelodeon Universe and the movie theatres located in the mall were also closed for the first time in 24 years on the holiday. This is a bold statement made by MOA as it is the largest mall in the U.S. today. Supporters of the mall’s decision hoped that the choice made would encourage other malls around the country to close their doors as well.
The following major retailers closed along with the mall on Nov. 24: Costco, Home Depot, IKEA, Nordstrom, Publix, Sam’s Club, Staples and Von Maur.
The result of MOA’s decision was not only good for their employees but for the mall as well. They experienced a record number of shoppers on Black Friday. This may provoke them to open at a similar time next season.
My name is Allison Stern and I am an Opinions Editor for the Spartan Speaks! I have been in Journalism for the last two years, but this is the first year...
