MoneyOnTopic

Christmas is about good tidings and cheer, but to those who are in business, it is about making money. So why does the world flock to the mall to see Santa sitting in his Santa chair each year listening to the wishes of the good boys and girls? The reason is tradition. Before the mall, big department stores like Macy’s and Sears had Santa sitting on the Santa throne chair to draw customers and  make money hosting a photographer to take pictures. This tradition pulled away from the big department stores.

The mall business does not rely on one shop or store and the appeal is the whole mall experience, not just a stand alone store.  It would not be prudent to have a Santa at one store in the mall and then at another. Children would be confused and stories of Santa’s helpers dressing up in Santa’s costume and sitting in the Santa Claus chair might be difficult for parents to explain.  That is why a mall puts Santa in the center of the action because the Santa will bring in customers for the entire mall and not just for one store.

So why do we go? We go to see Santa and take our kids because our parents took us. We are creatures of habit; the fond memories of Santa overshadows the memories of us screaming because we were scared. We want our children to have the same experience we had as a child. Subconsciously we take our children to the mall each year to visit the man in red so they can continue the tradition with their children.