For teens, it's curfew time ... at the mall
Shopping centers ban unsupervised teens on Friday and Saturday nights to curb violence. Kids say: Hey, where will we hang out?
from the June 6, 2007 edition
Page 3 of 3
Yet not all teens who hang out at malls are disruptive, and many of them, predictably, resent the new strictures. "It's dumb," says Jen, a 16-year-old high school student. She thinks kids will just look for other places to hang out and other, less wholesome ways to pass the weekend hours – including driving around aimlessly.
Jessica Harris, 19, who is quickly finishing up some shopping with her younger sister at the Galleria before the 3 p.m. cutoff time, sees other dangers: She suggests teens will be tempted to skip school on Fridays to beat the curfew.
Then there are racial concerns. Jessica's sister, Brena Harris, who is African-American, believes the policy could be discriminatory. Brena says she typically goes shopping with her sister or friends, while "white people usually go to the mall with their families."
Others think teens are being unfairly blamed. Jada Buckner, 13, saw two fights break out at the Galleria in recent months, both involving older teens who didn't fall under the curfew.
"I hate it," concurs Elaina Barnie, 13, carrying a Hollister shopping bag. "I don't think all kids should be punished for something others did."
And 16 as the cutoff age – it's too Draconian, says Laura Grauer, 22. She notes that people are almost ready to move away from home at that age: "If they're mature enough to live on their own, they should be mature enough to shop."
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The move does represent a risk for malls. Teenagers don't just come to the mall to loiter in front of the Gap. They spend money. According to Teen Research Unlimited (TRU), a market research firm, they spent $179 billion in 2006.
Rob Callender, TRU's trends director, says teens "value customer service: They feel a little put off if retailers are innately suspicious of them just because of their age group."
Analysts note that if a mall has a lot of teen-oriented stories, curfews could hurt sales. If the mall is more focused on consumers who frequent Chicos and Lane Bryant, it will probably help.
Tony Stephens, for one, says he's not worried about a drop in revenue. The vice president and general manager of the Jamestown Mall suggests sales might even increase since kids will shop with deeper-pocketed parents. Similarly, Ms. Koch of the Saint Louis Galleria says the feedback she's gotten from stores and customers so far has been "overwhelmingly positive."
And, unfortunately for teens looking for a clubhouse on Saturday night, that may be the ultimate test: Whether the curfews add to or subtract from the cash registers.
• Jeff Bailey, Barbara Palmer, David Bates, and Erin Swinney contributed to this report.
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