South Shore Plaza Announces Black Friday Plans

The South Shore Plaza will start its extended holiday shopping hours at 12:30 a.m. on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

In addition, the Plaza will host special shopping events and activities during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, such as holiday treats for Black Friday shoppers, directory greeters and free WiFi.

“Heading to South Shore Plaza with family and friends is the perfect way to wrap up a holiday about gratitude and togetherness,” Vicki Bartkiewicz, director of Mall Marketing at South Shore Plaza, said in a press release.

“Many families enjoy entertainment traditions around Thanksgiving, whether it’s sharing meals, going shopping, seeing a movie, or watching a game together. We are excited to meet our customers’ different schedules and needs with the variety of retail and entertainment experiences they enjoy at South Shore Plaza, plus extended opportunities for holiday ‘doorbusters’ and deals to be discovered.”

The doors to the main hallways of the Plaza will actually open sometime earlier than 12:30 a.m., to help police and security there deal with crowds, General Manager Rick Tonzi told Braintree officials earlier this month. He declined to specify the exact time between midnight and 12:30 a.m.

The early morning hours after Thanksgiving draw thousands of people to Braintree's major retail outlets each year. Crowds typically start lining up the night before at Best Buy, Target, Macy's, Kmart and other retailers.

Recently, shoppers have also converged on the Plaza's main doors in anticipation of early openings by stores inside the mall, retailers that do not have their own entrances like those larger shops.

Last year, security personnel had a difficult time containing the surge that happened when the Plaza opened its doors at 12:30 a.m., Police Chief Russell Jenkins told the Town Council. Opening the doors early allows shoppers to congregate within stanchioned-off areas in front of early-opening stores.

Below are some of the special deals and activities the Plaza has planned:

• South Shore Plaza’s Guest Services will be offering holiday treats at Guest Services (Level 1- near Victoria’s Secret) for all shoppers throughout Black Friday and the Black Friday weekend. There will also be Shopper Rewards, Prize Giveaways andPromotions with Giftcard offers.
• Directory Greeters: South Shore Plaza will have greeters on Black Friday and some will have them during peak shopping times during the entire holiday season; the greeters are a great resource for shoppers to check in to get the latest and greatest information about the deals and promotions being offered that particular day.
• South Shore Plaza is hosting the MetroPCS Recharge Lounge this holiday season so shoppers have a place to charge their electronic devices and to take advantage of free WiFi.
• Gift Wrap stations benefiting various local charities are offered.
• Holiday Entertainment: Holiday Freeze Modeling from Noon – 4:00p.m. on Black Friday.
• Santa and Holiday Pet Photos will be available to families to capture the moment. Times differ from mall to mall; checksimon.com and/or each mall’s Facebook page for ongoing updates.
• The American Express®/Simon Giftcard is a groundbreaking gift card available at Simon Malls across New England. The card comes in festive holiday designs, comes with no monthly fees or expiration date on funds, and is available in any denomination between $20 and $500.