Jittery malls won't host trick-or-treaters
East Bay Business Times - by David Goll
Trick-or-treating at the shopping mall - a tradition born of security concerns during the 1980s - is being dropped at most major East Bay malls this jittery autumn season.
"There's been a lot of concern in recent weeks about passing out food items," said Kimeri Opacic, marketing director at Concord's Sunvalley Shopping Center, one of the malls that won't be passing out candy. "We didn't want to offend any of our customers. We will be open for business as usual, though, on Oct. 31."
The decision to pass on trick-or-treating was made at the corporate level by officials at Sunvalley's parent company, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based Taubman Centers Inc., which operates 36 regional malls nationwide. Other Taubman malls in the East Bay are Stoneridge Shopping Center in Pleasanton and Hilltop mall in Richmond.
However, individual malls are being allowed some leeway. While Stoneridge officials also chose to cancel trick-or-treating altogether, Hilltop merchants will pass out non-food items like bookmarks, decorative pencils and stickers.
"The concern here is not for the shopping center itself, but for the safety of the candy we would be handing out to children," said Michael Fenley, Hilltop's general manager. "We want to continue the tradition, but be cautious at the same time."
Hayward's Southland Mall will also be a trick-or-treat-free zone this year, but the decision to end the annual event was made six months ago, according to Rob Canepa, Southland's general manager. Southland and NewPark Mall in Newark are two of 138 malls nationwide owned by Chicago-based General Growth Properties Inc.
Hoax creates anxiety
Mall operators nationwide are a bit jumpy following the circulation of a hoax on the Internet in which an Afghan man supposedly warned his American girlfriend to avoid flying on Sept. 11 and to steer clear of shopping centers on Oct. 31.
"That story has been completely debunked by the FBI," Opacic said. "There's no validity to it. But we also want to be respectful of our customers' feelings. Most of them will probably feel more comfortable this year sending their children to the homes of trusted neighbors."
That's an ironic turnaround from how the trick-or-treating tradition began at shopping malls more than a dozen years ago when merchants started providing the option because of parents' fears about tainted candy being passed out by neighbors.
Now mall retailers are contending with the fallout of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Seasonally oriented retailers have even had it tougher. Until last weekend, customers were hard to find, according to Michael Champion, a spokesman for New Jersey-based Spencer Gifts Inc., which has opened 120 Spirit Halloween stores nationwide including 11 in Alameda, Contra Costa and Solano counties that sell costumes and decorative items.
"Americans are just beginning to focus again on Halloween, to decide on whether to decorate or if the kids will dress up," Champion said. "Business was very slow for weeks after Sept. 11, but it's coming back. Last weekend, we had a big surge and it should stay busy until Oct. 31."
Diana Jan-Coelho, marketing director at Stoneridge, said deciding to cancel such a festive event as trick-or-treating wasn't easy.
"This has been a hard decision for us since we've had this event for years," she said, adding that about 5,000 youngsters and equal number of adults typically flock to Stoneridge Oct. 31. "We thought about passing out non-food items, but decided against that because what kids really want is the candy. That's what Halloween is about for kids."
Southland mall officials said they had already decided to do something else.
"After hosting (trick-or-treating) for many years, we just thought it was time for a new, more community-oriented approach," said Canepa, adding that he's working to put together a Halloween event with Children's Hospital Oakland.
Canepa said handing out candy at the mall "was always rather disruptive for the merchants" and inconvenient for customers just wanting to shop. Unlike the Taubman malls that stayed open until 9 p.m. on Halloween to accommodate trick-or-treaters, Southland always closed by 5 p.m. Oct. 31 and will continue to do so, he said.
Reach Goll at dgoll@bizjournals.com or 925-598-1436.
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