Shoppers At Simon Malls Do Not Want Santa Living In Some Sleek, Modern Version Of The North Pole

http://ift.tt/1yyQTEG

His belly will always resemble a bowl full of jelly, he will always drive a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer and Santa Claus will always live at the North Pole. And according to disgruntled shoppers at Simon Malls, his polar home at the mall dang well better be in the traditional style we’re all used to, and not some futuristic, modern place with nary a poinsettia in sight.

Simon Properties introduced a new set-up that deviates from the usual snowy evergreens and cozy decor of Santa’s abode in six malls (out of the 200 it owns) that seriously grumped out some customers: the display included fake glaciers, artificial snow banks… and no Christmas tree, reports LoHud.com. That, along with interactive flat screens and a light show had shoppers complaining.

“It was our intention to experiment with delivering a modern interactive experience for the family,” said Simon Malls president David Contis.

The reaction wasn’t so great — shoppers threatened to boycott the mall and deluged Simon Malls with complaints on social media, demanding Santa’s hangout be restored to its traditional Christmas theme. It worked.

“After listening to customer feedback, we immediately decided to remove and replace them with traditional décor, including Christmas trees, and hope our customers will join us in celebrating the Christmas season,” said Contis.

Futuristic Santa display has shoppers saying bah humbug [LoHud.com]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist