By Jennifer Jacob / staff writer
July 23, 2008 12:48 am
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Lisa Neal is the owner of Airbrush Unlimited, a kiosk in the mall that sells airbrushed t-shirts, license plates, and hats. Neal usually does a lot of business on weekends, but now fears that Airbrush Unlimited could go out of business soon.
That's because the majority of her weekend customers are teens, and she fears the mall's new Youth Escort Policy will leave her trying to run a business without her best customers.
The mall's new policy goes into effect Friday and bans kids under the age of 18 from visiting the mall on Friday or Saturday nights without the accompaniment of a parent or guardian.
"I think it's going to be a disaster myself," Neal said of the new policy. "That's half or better of the market that I have on Friday and Saturday nights."
Much of her business, she said, comes from the same teens every weekend. "I don't know how they afford it," she said, "but they come in and buy a new shirt every week, and they don't have parents with them."
Some other businesses that cater to teens are wondering if their sales might suffer as well.
"It might help," said Leann Coppins, an assistant manager at Claire's accessory store, "but it might not help because the majority of our business does come from children. When it starts this weekend, we'll know."
Not all businesses feel the same way. Shanda Harrison, a manager at the Icing, Claire's sister accessory store, agreed that the policy was likely to damage profits at Claire's. But at the Icing, which caters to slightly older clientele, Harrison said the policy is a good thing.
"I may eat my words later," she said, "but my honest opinion is that this is not going to do much damage to our business."
Teens, she said, hang out at the Icing, but don't usually buy anything.
"I think in the long run it may hurt us, with school starting, but during the summer it doesn't help us when they're in the mall... This is more of a baby-sitting place for them."
The story is different, though, for Claire's, whose accessories appeal almost exclusively to teens and children.
"Claire's caters more to their age group," Harrison said, "so I think it will affect their business more so than ours."
Ashley Hutchison, a manger at music and movie store f.y.e., also said he doesn't feel the new policy will have any damaging effects.
"It may have an effect in the short term," he said, "but in the long term I think it will bounce right back."
All of the stores questioned said the mall administrators did not ask for their input before deciding upon the new policy, instead informing them of it several hours before it was announced to the public during a news conference July 11.
Courtney Hall, the mall's marketing manager, said that stores were consulted mostly on a corporate level. She said a few stores were consulted locally, but would not say which ones.
The reason the mall did not consult most stores locally, she said, was to prevent the policy from being leaked to the public before mall management decided whether or not to implement the policy.
"As far as comments from the stores, they were very positive," Hall said. She said response on the new policy from the public has been "mostly positive."
Managers at other mall businesses that cater to teens, including Hollister and Co., Aeropostale, and Game Stop, said their parent companies would not allow them to comment on the new policy locally.
The policy was implemented, according to Meridian Police Chief Benny DuBose, because some teens would gather at the mall in groups and "intimidate" customers.
The mall said in a press release that "60 percent of the arrests and bans that have occurred in recent months are the result of crimes committed by unsupervised youth and young adults."
Hall said that 60 percent of the reports filed with the security office since January involved "unsupervised teenagers," but said that the mall would not release the exact number of incidents those percentages reflect.
It is still unclear if the unsupervised teenagers the mall is referring to now includes 18- and 19-year-olds, who are actually adults and are not affected by the new policy.
Neal, who can view the entire food court area from her kiosk, disagrees with the numbers, saying that most of the problems cited are caused by people who appear to be in their early twenties. Neal said she witnessed many people of that age coming to the mall intoxicated, picking fights, shoplifting, and selling drugs, but that she had rarely witnessed the same behavior in kids under 18.
"Never have I seen a fight with teenagers," she said.
The Youth Escort Policy requires that all people under 18 be escorted by a parent of guardian over 21 after 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, except at the movie theater and the anchor stores.
Hall did not provide the mall's definition of "parent or guardian," but said, "we aren't going to make you present guardianship papers," adding that aunts, uncles, and older siblings over 21 would be considered guardians for the purposes of the Youth Escort Policy.
"It is absolutely not that we don't want teenagers at the mall," Hall said, "because we do. They make our mall thrive. We're only asking that they be escorted six out of the 72 hours that the mall is open."
COMING FRIDAY
Here is Bonita Lakes Mall's new Youth Escort Policy that takes effect Friday:
• Bonita Lakes Mall visitors under 18 years of age are required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian 21 years or older at all times on Friday and Saturday evenings after 6 p.m.
• Security will begin monitoring those entering the property at 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings.
• Unescorted youth shopping prior to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings must leave the property by 6 p.m. or be joined by a parent or guardian.
• Unescorted youth will be asked to leave the property after 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
• Individuals without personal transportation on Friday or Saturday nights must schedule their departure time to ensure compliance with the youth escort policy.
• Any person violating the posted youth escort policy or the code of conduct will be asked to leave the property.
• Individuals in violation of the youth escort policy or the code of conduct who refuse to leave the property when requested to do so by mall security officers may be prosecuted for trespassing.
• Proof of age will be required if the age of the youth and/or parent(s) or guardian(s) is not easily determined. Those whose age cannot be determined and who lack identification will be asked to leave the property.
• Anyone appearing to be under 18 years of age should be prepared to show valid identification (with picture and date of birth). Acceptable identification includes a driver's license, state or military identification card, passport or visa.
• Youth under 18 years of age working on property will be allowed access without a parent or guardian. Proof of work status will be required, and youth employees must go directly to the place of employment and must leave the property at the conclusion of their work shift if after 6 p.m. on Friday and/or Saturday evenings.
• One parent over 21 years of age may escort all of his/her children. Additionally, one parent or guardian over 21 years of age may escort up to three youths, at least one of which must be the child of the parent or guardian.
• Parents or guardians are accountable for the actions of the youth they escort.
• If an escorted youth is banned from the center, the adult escort will also be banned for the same period of time.
• Security personnel are responsible for enforcing this policy and related procedures.
• The youth escort policy is posted at all mall entrances.
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