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Talk of the bay

Extended Sunday hours a success at Tyrone mall

By MARK ALBRIGHT
Published January 31, 2005

Sunday is the second biggest shopping day of the week, yet Tampa Bay shopping malls are open only from noon to 6 p.m.

No longer. Tyrone Square Mall in St. Petersburg last month broke ranks by staying open two more hours on Sundays.

The move came after three of the mall's four department stores tested opening at 11 a.m. and closing at 7 p.m. Sundays several months ago. Now all of Tyrone's stores and restaurants except Dillard's are open the extended hours.

Most stores had been fully staffed for the same hours before, but they were not open to customers. Clerks used the extra two hours for housekeeping chores and shelf-stocking work.

As the first month of extended hours comes to an end, Tyrone has enjoyed both a traffic and sales increase.

"It's a permanent change," said Jeni Wadlow, mall marketing director. "I think it's going to spread."

Maybe, but Sunday night shoppers get off the streets at a variety of times. Malls in Bradenton close at 5 p.m. A nearby Tyrone Wal-Mart tried staying open a few hours later on Sunday evening for a few years, then retreated to 6 p.m. Now it's open 24 hours a day.

[Last modified January 31, 2005, 10:39:39]