Indoor malls in green phase welcome back shoppers
After a dozen weeks of locked doors and darkened food courts, indoor malls in southwestern Pennsylvania were given the OK to turn the lights back on and bring in shoppers.
Under the green phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s tiered reopening plan meant to stem the spread of COVID-19, enclosed malls can open with certain precautions in place, including a 50% capacity limit, social distancing measures and mandatory face coverings for all employees and visitors.
And while the crowds didn’t exactly recall a Black Friday rush, shoppers did venture out to The Mall at Robinson and Ross Park Mall to get a change of scenery and maybe pick up a deal.
The Mall at Robinson was set to open at 11 a.m. Friday, but doors were already open around 10 a.m. The dozens of customers who explored the mall as stores began raising their gates appeared to practice social distancing and stay
masked.
The only shop with a big line was Villa, a shoe store carrying the Air Jordan 13 Retro “Flint” edition shoes, released May 30. More than 30 customers lined up at the store — some for over two hours — to buy a $200 pair.
Shortly after noon, a store representative told those in line that they would be using a ticket system to sell the shoes. Those who got a ticket could come back next week for a guaranteed pair.
Among them was Kellen Davis, 35, of Pittsburgh. He had waited in line since 11 a.m. and got his ticket around 12:30 p.m.
Seeing that plenty was opening on Friday around Pennsylvania, Mr. Davis came to the mall with his friend to see if the shoe outlet would be open and selling the newest Jordan release.
“We just guessed,” Mr. Davis said. “Pittsburgh was going green, so we decided to check it out.”
At Ross Park Mall in Ross, surrounded by gray skies and a mostly empty parking lot, only a few shoppers ventured to the indoor mall on Friday afternoon.
Mike Wallace, of Point Breeze, summarized the situation: “Nothing’s open.”
However, he added, staff and patrons had been doing a good job of following social distancing and wearing masks.
Other visitors agreed that people in the mall had been making an effort to reduce COVID-19 transmission risk, especially the employees.
“They were very accommodating,” said Ralph Petrarca, of
Murrysville, who stopped by Restoration Hardware.
In the parking lot outside the mall, another reminder of the ongoing pandemic came in the form of a scattering of sandwich boards and parking space markers designating areas for curbside pickup of food and goods from various stores on the mall’s perimeter.
Some smaller shops, like Hot
Topic at The Mall at Robinson, posted occupancy limits on their doors and had workers monitor everyone who entered and exited.
Mackenzie Mindek, Jeffrey Taylor and Isabella Pond, all 18, paid their first visit to the mall in months.
They were tipped off when one of their friends posted a notice of the mall’s opening on Snapchat. Needing an activity, the band of buddies headed over.
“We didn’t know what else to do,” Mr. Taylor said.
For Ms. Mindek, of McDonald, the experience was underwhelming.
“We thought there were going to be more people here,” she said. “It doesn’t feel a whole lot different ’cause a lot of places were still open during quarantine.”
A security guard spoke to them as they walked in, reminding them to keep their masks on for the duration of their stay.
Ms. Pond, of Pittsburgh, wasn’t concerned about contracting the virus. She has been working at a Subway restaurant through quarantine, and she would prefer that Pennsylvania’s reopening process to be a little more unified.
“It’s hard being in the middle ground. I feel like I’d rather just have it one way or the other,” she said.