Due to the 2020 pandemic Santa Claus did not greet children or ask them what they wanted for Christmas at the famous Macy’s store in New York, breaking a 160-year tradition.
No Santa Claus at Macy’s 2020 due to coronavirus
The company said more than a quarter of a million children visit the Macy’s store in New York annually, which posed a risk given the coronavirus outbreak.
People had to pass through a sizable department decked out with Christmas trees, toy trains and elf-like figures dressed in green uniforms to get the little ones to sit on the lap of the famous old man with a white beard.
Macy’s stores
Santa Claus was also absent from Macy’s Chicago and San Francisco locations but made an appearance at the end of the retailer’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
The department stores would redesign their sales floors and reevaluate their strategy, which so far consisted of accommodating as many people as possible, due to the coronavirus. For example, Walmart extended its “Black Friday” sales period from one day to four weeks.
Macy’s decision, however, differed from that of the big department stores, which opted to allow children to visit Santa Claus, but asked them to stay six feet away.
Santa’s house
Since the 1860s, Macy’s has used Santa Claus to attract customers to its New York store. The store was once advertised as “Santa’s House,” and a little girl gets to meet the real Santa Claus in that very spot in the 1947 movie “Miracle on 34th Street.”
Still, in late November, Macy’s offered the opportunity to visit Santa Claus online. Families had access to a portal where they could play games, view images of the toy store and have their pictures taken with Santa.
That year, Macy’s said in a statement, “bringing the experience to a virtual platform will bring the magic of Santa Claus to children of all ages.”
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