Mall of America to close again Thanksgiving Day, reopen Black Friday

Mall of America
Shoppers at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., on December 20, 2010.
Nikki Tundel for MPR News

Mall of America officials say the sprawling mall will close on Thanksgiving Day although some stores will have the option of opening.

Executives said Thursday they will continue a tradition begun last year to close the nation's largest mall and "give the holiday back" to its 15,000 employees. They plan to reopen completely the next day in time for Black Friday and the customary start of holiday shopping season.

According to the Associated Press, the mall this year will also offer holiday pay on the Friday after Thanksgiving for the 1,200 people it directly employs.

In 2015, only about 25 percent of some 520 stores opened Thanksgiving evening, the mall said last year when it first unveiled plans to close for the day.

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