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Mall of America says it's closed this Thanksgiving

Mall of America the nation's largest shopping mall said that it will be closed on Thanksgiving in 2016

Mall of America, the largest shopping mall in the nation, will be closed on Thanksgiving Day this year. "We're pleased to give this day back to our 15,000 employees and their families". The mall is leaving it up to its 500-plus store owners on whether they want to open their doors to bargain-seeking shoppers on the holiday.

The mall notified tenants and employees of the closure this morning, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

"That is why this year we have made the decision to close on Thanksgiving Day", read the letter, co-authored by mall Executive Vice President Rich Hoge and Senior Vice President of Marketing Jill Renslow.

"We can shift the focus to Black Friday", said Renslow.

In the last several years, many big-box stores and department stores have moved back their Black Friday openings with big doorbuster sales into Thanksgiving night in a fierce battle for consumers' holiday spending.

While no stores have yet confirmed they will be open on Thanksgiving, the mall will provide some support staff if that occurs.

Mall of America's movie theaters and Nickelodeon Universe have been open for years on Thanksgiving Day.

"By closing on Thanksgiving, we're confident we'll still get those strong numbers throughout the Black Friday weekend". The Star-Tribune notes that many retailers-particularly the "big-box" types-have been moving their Black Friday sales forward in recent years, occupying more and more of Turkey Day in an attempt to corner the market on Shoppers With Their Priorities Straight.

Signage hangs at Mall of America during a media tour of its security systems on February 23, 2015 in Bloomington, Minnesota.

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Mall of America says it's closed this Thanksgiving