Retailers' Decisions to Stay open Late on Christmas Eve Frustrates Albertville Workers, Families

One of the most popular church services of the year, the annual Children's Mass at St. Michael Catholic Church, draws more than a thousand people on the afternoon of Christmas Eve. 

This year's services start at 4 p.m., as they have the past several years. But one mother who reached out to St. Michael Patch via Facebook said she won't make it this year for her favorite service. 

She'll be working at a store in the Albertville Premium Outlets until 8 p.m.

Housekeeping staff, one of whom also reached out to us on this story, will be on site until 9 p.m. 

"What Simon doesn't realize is that store employees end up staying later after the mall closes to clean up, which means they won't be home till an hour or later," wrote commenter Sam Grote. "And because I am usually the only one final cleaning, which includes mopping two bathrooms by myself, it takes me over an hour and a half to get it done most of the time. If the mall ends up dead after 2 or 4pm on Christmas Eve, because families are busy spending time together rather than shopping, which is how its suppose to be, I may not have that much trouble as I have been lately, but either way, I won't be home probably until after 9pm on Christmas Eve."

Simon is hardly alone. Minnesota-based Target Corp. is allowing stores to stay open until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., depending on store location, on Christmas Eve. Walmart will also be open late. Most stores traditionally close at 8 p.m. on the night before the holiday. 

And for the fourth straight year, Toys R Us will remain open for 87 straight hours, giving shoppers four uninterrupted days to shop beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21, through 9 p.m. Christmas Eve.

Retailers state the incredibly short stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas – just 26 days to shop between Thanksgiving night to Christmas Eve this year, vs. 32 last year - is the reason for such an extended Dec. 24. 

But according to a petition filed via Change.org by a mall employee known on  as Caroline Olivia of Hanover, a simple move to close the mall two hours earlier, at 6 p.m., would save her many troubles on Christmas Eve.

“If a shopper absolutely must purchase a gift that late, they are not going to an outlet mall. They will be at a gas station, picking up gas cards or going online to print out gift vouchers,” she writes.

Other feedback from Patch users: 

"Its bad enough people would rather shop than spend time with their families on Thanksgiving but Christmas....c'mon. I quit working retail all together after I had to stay late and wound up eating Christmas eve dinner alone while my daughters and family were eagerly waiting near the tree and all the presents. Retailers already ruined Thanksgiving...leave Christmas alone." - Christina Brausen Malina

"Dear Simon Properties: are you going to give me back the two hours i spend standing in an empty store that is an hour from the nearest big city? I don't exactly get a choice, i work when i am scheduled or I get fired and like most Americans.. i need my job." - Rowan Butler

"It would be one thing if it were packed with customers, but really I would bet it for be for 40 people window shopping . Stop the nonsense!" - Cindy Olson Michaelis