The leading mall operator in St. Louis will have no part in shopping on Thanksgiving this holiday. CBL & Associates is taking a stand this year against shopping on Thanksgiving day; they will close 89 regional malls, including four in St. Louis (South County Center, West County Center, St. Claire Square, and Mid Rivers Mall).

It has been many years since these malls have been closed for the holiday. They will instead be open only on Black Friday the 25th, at 6 a.m. “We want to bring back the excitement of Black Friday shopping as the true start of the holiday shopping season and allow our employees, retailers, and shoppers to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their families,” CBL’s president and CEO Stephen Lebovitz said in an interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “After evaluating feedback from our mall employees, retail partners, and input from our shoppers we determined that this was the best decision for our properties.”

Stores with exterior entrances, such as Sears and Macy's, may still choose to remain open on Thanksgiving day, even if the mall itself is closed. It is their decision whether they want to be in operation or not for the holiday, and many of the experior stores have not yet decided.

Two St. Louis malls have announced their decision to stay open for the Holiday, Taubman Prestige Outlets in Chesterfield, and St. Louis Premium Outlets. The Taubman outlets will be open on Thanksigiving Day from 6 p.m. to midnight, and reopen at 6 a.m. on Black Friday. The St. Louis Premium Outlets will be open 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Thanksgiving, and also reopen at 6 a.m.

Many other St. Louis malls have not yet released their plan for Thanksgiving day yet, but even if they all decide to remain closed, they will open early the morning of Black Friday.

Countless employees who work for the malls will now be able to relax with their families for Thanksgiving, and avoid the mayhem that early Black Friday deals bring. This also allows them more time to prepare themselves to work the biggest day of the year for shopping.

It is a great move that CBL & Associates are making with this decision. It brings back the original excitement of Black Friday, and the tradition of spending Thanksgiving with family. Shoppers can now settle down on the holiday and actually be able to give thanks, rather than worrying about what deals they will miss out on. Mall employees also catch a break, as they can sit down and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal, then be off to work in the early morning instead of that night. Hopefully this decision will reverse the trend of opening on Thanksgiving that has been set by multiple malls.