Mall bans unsupervised kids/teens

[golfgal]

So many of the workers in our mall are teens that I don't see how this would work here. Luckily, our mall seems to be under reasonable control...so far.

At the MOA the teens have to show their mall ID to pass. It is a pretty simple solution.

 

[golfgal]

I believe teens need a place to congregate and interact in a safe environment. I do not believe that environment is the local mall.

There is a mall on SR 50 in Ocoee, FL, The West Oaks Mall. It's nearly deserted directly as a result of gangs of teens marauding and committing crimes (personal attacks, theft, ect.).

Yes, unfortunately, I think that in those cases where teens have been shown to be a danger to the operation of the mall, and to the people who go there to use the mall for its original intent, their access needs to be controlled.

Of course, in a perfect world, in a society that truly cared about teens, there would be a viable alternative for their socialization.

You are kidding right? Malls are not there to provide social opportunities for kids. Kids are welcome to be there before 6:00PM on weekends without an adult so there are opportunities for them to hang out at the mall. Otherwise, there are plenty of places for kids to socialize, high school sporting events, movie theaters, bowling alleys, ski hills, beaches, their homes, etc.

 

[DVCLiz]

I agree 100% about Four Seasons. I never - not even once - let either of my daughters go to the mall unless I was with them or they were with a friend and that friend's mom. Never, no way.

That's what Friendly Shopping Center was for! When I was a preteen - and when my girls were preteens - thery were allowed to go to Friendly and shop. It was a big rite of passage and they started on the block that has Schiffman's - they could go in Talbot's Kids, Gap Kids and The Limited, and then walk down the sidewalk and get ice cream at Cold Stone. It was a big, big deal when they were allowed to cross the parking lot and go to Claire's and the department stores!!

When my older daughter started college, they had permission to drive ALONE to SouthPoint in Durham and shop for the day and I STILL wouldn't let them go to Four Seasons!!

Thank goodness Williams Sonoma has come to The Shops at Friendly - now I never have to go to the mall again.

 

[shortbun]

The Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem, NC has just instituted a new policy that goes into effect on March 5th. On Fridays and Saturdays, anyone under the age of 18 MUST be in the company of a parent or guardian after 6pm. The punishment for not heeding the new rule...BANNED from the mall.

Unruly teen behavior was the catalyst.

Your thoughts?

We have two malls here that have had this policy for a while. Beware, though because our malls so strictly enforce the policy that you can not split up in the movie theatre and have your tween/teen waiting for you to come out. My son was with a group celebrating his friend's birthday. The boys mom was meeting them at the bottom of the stairs but a guard intervened and took the boys to the outside door inspite of their protests and telling her they were to be meeting the mom. Here's where it got sticky; the host family doesn't have/believe in cell phones so there was no way to communicate. My son had to call us-20 minutes away-and my husband had to drive to the mall, get the children and walk them into the mall to meet the mother who was pretty panicked. she had spoken to security and they 'knew nothing' about the boys. I called and spoke to the head of security about what happened to our sons; they denied that it could have happened. SOOOOO-
make sure your child has an escort at all times.

 

[luvsJack]

If our mall did that they would be out of business in no time. A large percentage of their income comes from teens. Of course there are the few that are just "hanging out" and don't have any money but there is another larger portion that are shopping, eating, and hanging out.

Teens and kids are allowed in our mall any time. Security will put any trouble makers out and will ban them from the mall. As long as they are behaving, having a little fun and paying for their purchases then they can stay.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

I, for one, am really happy to hear about this change at Hanes Mall. I have avoided it many times ...... a few years ago while exiting the Mall there was a very large group of teenagers getting ready to fight in the parking lot near my car It seems most of the security people were busy dealing with something similiar in another area. Most of the larger shopping areas in Charlotte already have similiar policies.

 

[MichelleVW]

i kind of feel bad for the kids who aren't being annoying to other mall patrons, yet still get kicked out.

and i've never been to salem, but are there a lot of places for kids to hang out? if not, isn't a public mall certainly better than having them out roaming the streets?

I agree....as the mother of two teens I think it's pretty stupid, but we don't live near any malls that kids hang out in.

 

[FireDancer]

There is (at least) one mall around here that has done it. There is a large movie theater there and of course they are allowed to go there, but I believe they can't be hanging around other areas for a long period of time.

I can see how it would stink for the teens that don't cause trouble, just another case where a few bad ones ruin it for everyone. But I agree with PP who say that the stores are there to make money not to provide a hang out for kids. If the teens are driving away adults who are going to shop and spend money I guess this was their only solution.

I never really hung out at the mall as a teen unless I was there to shop, so I don't really see appeal of it anyway.

And there is the issue. It happens in all walks of life. A couple of idiots blow up a plane, we all have to go through added security hoops. A couple of employees dress like prostitutes on casual day and it is taken away for everyone. A handful of teens go to a mall to loiter and cause problems they all get banned. In the end if the mall sees a large drop in income the rule may be reversed because it is the free market but as PPs have said, the mall is a business. They will do what they feel is best for their bottom line.

So many of the workers in our mall are teens that I don't see how this would work here. Luckily, our mall seems to be under reasonable control...so far.

I would hope there is a mechanism for employees to get in. If there wasn't previously they could institute a work badge system. It isn't that hard to give people a badge that shows they belong there, we do it at work as do many other places of business.

 

[OK!]

They've done that at a couple of malls near here as well; I believe that at at least one of them, all kids/teens have to be supervised any night of the week after 6 pm. One of the malls was one of the most upscale ones in St. Louis but was being so overrun by obnoxious kids (many of whom were actually breaking laws, not just being obnoxious) that they were forced to institute the policy. I was shocked when I saw the signs for the first time, but it's not a mall I go to often, so I wasn't aware of the ongoing issues.

 

[4greatboys]

i kind of feel bad for the kids who aren't being annoying to other mall patrons, yet still get kicked out.

and i've never been to salem, but are there a lot of places for kids to hang out? if not, isn't a public mall certainly better than having them out roaming the streets?

That's what I was thinking. My son and his friends sometime hang out at the mall when they are bored. They are good kids. If there are kids there acting up then yes they should be kicked out but not the ones that haven't done anything.

 

[Pakey]

They tried this here at one of our malls that has a huge movie theater. Several of the parents got together and hired an attorney and after a long and public media battle, the mall had to rescind this "law".

 

[ZPT1022]

I hate things like this with arbitrary age limits- "18 and under" "21 and under", etc... I would have been mad if something like that had happened locally as at 17 I was in college and working and if Saturday evening was my only time to see a movie or go buy something, I'd have hated to have been limited by a handful of unruly high schoolers who had ruined it for everyone else. Someone else mentioned something about needing to be 21- that's just crazy! Not everyone lives at home forever and/or has parents that feel the need to escort them around all the time. By 21 I had been on my own for two years- no way would my mother have accompanied me to the mall so I could buy something after 6 pm.

By all means, if there is shoplifting or other bad behavior taking place, it needs to be dealt with but I really find it hard to believe that the most teenagers are a bunch of shoplifting, vandalizing delinquents

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

IMO, this is a lazy/cop-out approach. No loitering laws accompanied by an solid security program work more effectively at maintaining the business model of the mall while also providing for patron security. The security team warns the loitering kids. If they don't listen, the cops come and arrest them. After their parents have to pay the stiff fine, they will think twice about their children's behavior...

 

[Planogirl]

It's interesting that these malls check ID's to make sure that teens are working there. I imagine that the security guards get to where they recognize certain people here.

Kids do seem to buy a lot at the mall here. I don't think that malls have the responsibility to provide a place for kids to hang out but I know that we don't have much for them around here. I see them congregating in parking lots a lot.

As for hanging out, I do that myself sometimes. I love to window shop occasionally.

 

[N.Bailey]

I think it's a great idea, though I think the cutoff should be 16 rather than 18. My gosh, I'm sure some minors work in the mall.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I think it's a great idea, though I think the cutoff should be 16 rather than 18. My gosh, I'm sure some minors work in the mall.

THey are exempted as long as they are working on shift. The ban doesn't prohibit them from working.

 

[surfergirl602]

They've had that here for a long time. Also cuts down on gang activity. I actually like it. I can go and not be shoved around while walking and not have to worry.

 

[Dancemom03]

If our mall did that they would be out of business in no time. A large percentage of their income comes from teens. Of course there are the few that are just "hanging out" and don't have any money but there is another larger portion that are shopping, eating, and hanging out.

Teens and kids are allowed in our mall any time. Security will put any trouble makers out and will ban them from the mall. As long as they are behaving, having a little fun and paying for their purchases then they can stay.

ITA If you banned teens from our rural mall at night, there wouldn't be anybody in there at all after 7 or so. I guess, it depends upon where you live but as a parent I'd be boycotting any mall that instituted a curfew for kids just on principal. In my experience, parents dropping off/picking up are more likely to go in and shop for a bit too.

FTR - at the malls I shop at it's not unusual to see middle schoolers with nicer LV and Coach purses than I can afford and there's no doubt teens often have more disposable income than adults. Talk about mall management shooting themselves in the foot...

I'm so sick of the many having to pay for the shortcomings of the few, as is popular in today's climate. IMO the malls with this policy need to hire more security and train them to handle teen troublemakers the same way I'd hope they'll handle adult ones. Our mall has distinct rules which security enforces - even a dress code - and you can be asked to leave, though unless you break the rules or walk in with an unusually short skirt or revealing outfit, you'd never be aware of them. Enforce the rules, don't ban the shoppers...

 

[N.Bailey]

THey are exempted as long as they are working on shift. The ban doesn't prohibit them from working.

I get that. I wasn't trying to insinuate that it would be an impossible to enforce. I was merely pointing out that 16 year old teens are old enough to work there, but not old enough to be there after the clock strikes _______? 16 year old kids can be employed (even younger, but most states have strict labor laws for anyone 15 and under) by this age, thus, have money to spend. It is also the legal age for driving, thus IMO, is an age where they shouldn't have to be attached to their parent's hip after 6 PM. I don't know the law in every state in this nation, but in PA (my home state), these 16 year old teens are legally able to drive alone (if they hold a jr. license of course) till 11 PM.

I certainly support the mall's right to impose such restrictions. They are after all, privately owned. I just don't think it's one of the better, most rational decisions that I've ever heard (though I think it's a great idea for the 15 and under crowd). That of course is opinion only and obviously the owners of this particular mall disagree.

As for anyone commenting on how delinquent these kids are acting, well, that's an entirely different subject, and mall security should be on top of it.

 

[golfgal]

IMO, this is a lazy/cop-out approach. No loitering laws accompanied by an solid security program work more effectively at maintaining the business model of the mall while also providing for patron security. The security team warns the loitering kids. If they don't listen, the cops come and arrest them. After their parents have to pay the stiff fine, they will think twice about their children's behavior...

You are assuming that the parents of these kids care. Honestly, the kids that were causing the problems at the Mall of America did not come from homes where the parents cared where they were or not.

It's interesting that these malls check ID's to make sure that teens are working there. I imagine that the security guards get to where they recognize certain people here.

Kids do seem to buy a lot at the mall here. I don't think that malls have the responsibility to provide a place for kids to hang out but I know that we don't have much for them around here. I see them congregating in parking lots a lot.

As for hanging out, I do that myself sometimes. I love to window shop occasionally.

There are more visitors at the Mall of America each year then there are at Disneyworld--with the various guards helping out at each entrance and whatnot, chances of a guard remembering employees for over 600 stores is little to none .