Is it possible that local shopping malls in the Hudson Valley will close their doors on Thanksgiving?

It used to be tradition for stores to stay closed on Thanksgiving so that families could spend time together. On Black Friday stores would open back up and kick off the holiday shopping season.

But in an attempt to boost sales and compete against online retailers, stores have now started opening their doors as early as Thanksgiving morning. Many have protested the move saying it's unfair to workers and customers who depend on those doorbuster sales to do their holiday shopping.

Now it seems there may be some hope. The Mall America in Minnesota, the country's largest shopping mall, announced on Wednesday that they will shutting down as much of their operation as possible for Thanksgiving. Stores are expected to follow the shopping center's lead and stay home until Friday.

The Star Tribune spoke with Jill Renslow, the mall’s senior vice president of marketing and business development, abut the decision. She said the move was made after months of discussion. The company is "excited to give this day back to (their) employees so they can celebrate with their families.”

Does this bold decision by the country's largest shopping mall mean that we could see a similar movement here in the Hudson Valley? According to the flood of calls we received from our listeners this morning, it would be a much welcome change.

After discussing the possibility of a similar Thanksgiving shut down at local shopping malls like The Poughkeepsie Galleria, The Hudson Valley Mall in Kingston and the Galleria at Crystal Run, our phones blew up with local residents applauding the idea.

Many people we spoke to believe that Thanksgiving should be spent with families. One listener was inspired by the news, saying  "If the largest mall in America can do it, why can't we?"

It's not clear if any of our local malls will actually decide to close on Thanksgiving, but at least there's now a precedent being set by the nation's largest shopping mall.

What do you think? Should our local malls shut down on Thanksgiving this year? Answer our online poll below.

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