The Daily Mall Reader: Shopping Mall Santas

A daily dose of mall-related reading...

Mall Santa no longer a big draw, review says

Associated Press - December 25, 2003

(Excerpt) Santa isn't the big man at Christmas that he used to be, at least not at the mall.While appearances by St. Nick remain a holiday ritual at most of the nation's 1,130 enclosed shopping centers, there are bearish signs for mall-based Santas, according to a review of five years of "holiday fun facts" from the International Council of Shopping Centers.

Evidence of Santa fatigue:

The number of Santa photos sold per mall in 2002 was 4,683. Those are 54 percent fewer Kodak moments than the 10,250 photos snapped per mall in 2000, the only other year for which figures are available.

Read the full article here.