Mall of America, the largest retail and entertainment destination in North America, announces the continued tradition of remaining closed on Thanksgiving Day this year, once again giving the holiday back to the thousands of employees who dedicate their time to millions of guests each year.

Building on that tradition, Mall of America has decided to treat Black Friday, the busiest shopping day for retailers, as a 'seventh holiday' for employees that work directly for Mall of America and Nickelodeon Universe®. Those Mall employees who are eligible and working on Friday, November 24 will receive holiday pay.

In a letter sent to Mall of America employees Thursday morning, Mall of America Executive Vice President, Rich Hoge and Senior Vice President, Jill Renslow shared, “After much consideration, we are happy to share that Black Friday will be treated as a 'seventh holiday' in our calendar year. As the busiest day in the retail industry, we believe Mall of America employees dedicating their time on Black Friday should be rewarded with holiday pay.”

“We value our employees and understand that you are at the front line of assuring outstanding guest service,” said Hoge and Renslow. “We continually search for ways to reward Mall of America team members that go above and beyond. That's why we are treating Black Friday as a 'seventh holiday', rewarding all eligible employees with holiday pay.”

Although holiday pay does not impact the employees of the 520 stores, restaurants and attractions at the Mall, a fun holiday addition will be announced in the coming weeks to honor these employees during the month of December.

Black Friday, which kicks off at 5 a.m., will continue with the traditional door opening excitement at the North Entrance where the first 200 guests in line will receive a Mall of America gift card valued anywhere between $10 - $500.

The Mystery Scratch Off event will also begin that morning for guests. A limited number of mystery scratch off tickets will be distributed each day Friday, Nov. 24 – Monday, Nov. 27 at the North Entrance when the Mall opens. Guests who receive a scratch-off ticket will have the opportunity to win amazing prizes that include electronics, high-end retail products, gift cards and more.

Mall of America will once again host the Walk to End Hunger on Thanksgiving morning. This year marks the tenth anniversary of this community event which helps provide more than 1 million meals to Twin Cities residents in need.