I Think We’re Parked in Alaska

With Black Friday nigh upon us, mall-based retailers everywhere—not least of them the 520 or so stores inside Bloomington, Minnesota’s Mall of America—have visions of packed parking lots dancing in their heads. But the mother of all shopping centers has a problem that many retail settings do not: 12,550 parking spaces. According to the mall’s management, some 1,500 shoppers each year end up appealing to the mall’s security office for help finding their cars. In view of this problem, Mall of America’s management has prepared an SMS-based solution, which goes active today.