Buffalo-Area Mall Threatens To Fine Stores That Don't Open On Thanksgiving

[KamaAina]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/11/mall-open-thanksgiving-_n_6141362.html

An upstate New York shopping mall is threatening to fine retailers about $200 an hour if they fail to open at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

Walden Galleria, a suburban Buffalo retail complex with more than 200 stores, told store managers in a meeting last week that they must open their doors when the shopping center opens on the holiday, or pay penalties specified in leases, 10 managers told The Huffington Post on Tuesday. Waiting until midnight to open may cost stores $1,200 or more.

Struggling to compete with big-box stores and online retailers, shopping malls around the country plan to kick off Black Friday early by opening on Thanksgiving. The malls are trying to keep up with stores like Kmart, Target and Walmart, which have all pushed holiday shopping's start date to turkey day....

This year is the first that Walden Galleria -- along with many other malls -- is inviting customers to shop doorbuster sales in the middle of Thanksgiving. Rival malls that open on the holiday said they will not punish stores that refuse to participate in the early Black Friday shopping bonanza.

[Cooley Hurd]

1. Hopefully, soon to be featured on DeadMalls.com:

http://deadmalls.com/stories.html#NY

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. That is just stupid of them.

If I lived there, I would certainly let them know I'd be boycotting them on Thanksgiving.

[Blue_Tires]

3. Can they do that? Is it even legal??

[csziggy]

4. If it is in the lease, I guess they can

The story says "pay penalties specified in leases" so it seems the mall planned on having this clout.

If I were a store owner, I would be checking out ways to get out of my lease as soon as possible. Unfortunately, usually getting out of a lease early is expensive.

[NightWatcher]

5. Where are all the 'War on X-mas" people on this? Here's an actual holiday being killed

[hifiguy]

6. Another chapter in the ongoing story:

The sacrifice of humanity on the cross of commercial greed.

[Odin2005]

7. This is disgusting.

[Mnemosyne]

8. OP above this one on Latest - 'Black Friday Insanity: Two Women Line Up At Best Buy 22 Days Early' -

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025813449

How very sad that so many have become convinced that their only value is in what they own.