The nation’s largest shopping mall will be closed Thanksgiving Day and will re-open at 5 a.m. on Black Friday, officials for the Mall of America in Minneapolis confirmed Wednesday.
“Mall of America will be closed on Thanksgiving,” the mall said in a statement on Wednesday. “We’re pleased to give this day back to our 15,000 employees and their families.”
The massive shopping center has been open on Thanksgiving Day every year since 2012.
While the mall will remain closed, some of the 520 stores may opt to open on Thanksgiving. If some stores do open, the mall will provide security to those stores, according to the Star Tribune.
Over 1,200 employees who work directly for the mall will get the day off. If all stores at the mall choose to close, nearly 13,000 employees will get to spend Thanksgiving at home.
Most national retailers have not yet announced their Thanksgiving or Black Friday hours. Last year, a number of retailers opened as early as 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
Even if retailers decide to close on Thanksgiving Day, shoppers can expect online retailers to continue offering Thursday-only deals to get a jump on Black Friday.