Mall of America to Close on Thanksgiving

America’s largest mall has made the decision to close on Thanksgiving. The Mall of America alerted its 1,200 employees earlier this week that it will close on the holiday. However, the 520 stores within the mall will still have the option to remain open on Turkey Day, though mall executives believe most will follow suit. The mall will officially re-open at 5 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving to kick off Black Friday festivities.

Total Retail’s Take: I think this is a great idea. In recent memory, malls have been opening earlier and earlier to attract shoppers to huge sales, with Black Friday creeping into Thanksgiving Day. However, findings show that this practice doesn’t produce incremental sales. Instead, earlier openings merely spread out the sales over more days. Hopefully the retailers within the Mall of America let their employees enjoy the holiday with family before the hectic Black Friday “holiday” begins.