The nation’s largest indoor shopping mall is closing its doors on Thanksgiving Day, although individual tenants will retain the right to open their doors before the traditional Black Friday rush.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported the development on Wednesday afternoon. “The decision means that most of the 1,200 people who directly work for the mall will get Thanksgiving off. If stores follow suit, the approximately 13,000 people who work at them will also get the day off,” said the paper. “A limited number of the mall’s security and maintenance personnel will still work since some stores will likely decide to open and the annual Walk to End Hunger fundraiser will still go on.”
The Mall of America will officially re-open on Black Friday, Nov. 25, at 5 a.m., noted the Star-Tribune.
So far, reaction on social media has been strongly positive, with folks cheering the move to grant retail workers more time to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with family.
“Thank God at least @mallofamerica is showing some support for families during the Holidays,” San Diego native Dee Jensen tweeted. “Putting the person before the commerce! Nice,” cheered Eric Larsson, a Minneapolis autism researcher.
But others couldn’t help but see the occasion to make a political statement.
“Mall of America will be closed on Thanksgiving to celebrate the day the Pilgrims had a hand in the worst genocide in world history!” snarked Esteban Franco, a psychology doctoral candidate from Los Angeles. “Mall of America wants to act like it’s about anti-consumerism, but what they don’t say is that Muslims in Minnesota hate their pagan holiday,” railed another Twitter user.
• Ken Shepherd can be reached at kshepherd@washingtontimes.com.
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