Dolphin Mall Will Be Open Thanksgiving, Because What Is a Holiday Anyway?

In recent years, the capitalist nightmare known as Black Friday has descended upon Americans earlier and earlier. In many cities, shoppers can now tuck into an early Thanksgiving dinner and then light out for their local big-box stores while the meat is still warm on the turkey carcass. And Miami is no exception: This year, dozens of corporate chains will be open for business for at least part of Thursday, November 28.

In a mall setting, however, property managers have the ultimate say when it comes to whether employees must work on what is traditionally a family holiday. While most Miami shopping malls have made the choice to give workers the day off, Dolphin Mall is loudly advertising it will be open from 9 a.m. to midnight Thanksgiving.
To be clear: Dolphin Mall more or less stands alone in this decision. Aventura Mall? Closed Thanksgiving Day. Bal Harbour Shops? Ditto. Brickell City Centre? Está cerrado. The Falls? No dice. Mall of the Americas? Locked up tight. Dadeland Mall will open at 5 p.m.

A spokeswoman for Dolphin Mall tells New Times the hours for Thanksgiving and Black Friday have been the same for three years.

"Our hours are largely determined by our retailers based upon feedback from customers and the necessity to remain competitive in the marketplace," the mall's operators said in a statement.

Nevertheless, the mall is facing criticism on social media.

"Damn, it was bad making them show up at 5 or 7pm, but 9am on Thanksgiving?" one Reddit user commented.

"They should think about workers, working late without dinner with their family," another Facebook user posted in Spanish.

As Black Friday continues to creep into Thanksgiving Day, critics have lambasted retailers who put profits ahead of their own workers, and savvy brands are going dark for the holiday weekend. A recent Business Insider survey found the majority of shoppers believe stores should be closed Thanksgiving Day. Yet experts anticipate no signs of the Thanksgiving shopping rush slowing.

"I think it will bother people maybe for the next three years, but eventually I think it's just going to become status quo," Tom Arnold, a retail professor at the University of Richmond, told USA Today in a 2016 interview. "The next potential uprising might actually be Christmas Day."

This post has been updated to include a statement from Dolphin Mall.