By Heather Wanner
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
A new program put into effect last week at the Towson Town Center prevents teens from entering the mall unsupervised after 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
The Parental Guidance Required program requires minors ages 17 and under to show identification and be accompanied by an adult 21 years or older in order to be admitted into the mall.
Lisa Bisenius, the senior general manager at the Towson Town Center, said the program has been a long time coming and wasn’t put in place as a response to any particular incident.
Extensive market research that was done to raise sales revealed that one of the main reasons why some consumers do not shop on the weekends was the large number of teenagers.
“The problem we were having was teens roaming and not buying, causing security to not be able to focus on what they should be,” Bisenius said.
The program was put in place to provide a safer and more comfortable environment for shoppers.
“I like to use the analogy of when you tell your 14-year-old daughter she can have four friends over,” Bisenius said. “You choose that number because it’s what you can handle and be able to supervise to ensure everyone’s safety.More families have come and the crowd is easier to maintain since beginning PGR.”
As for sales, Bisenius isn’t concerned about any negative effects.
“Sales are up and retailers are encouraged and like the program a lot,” she said.
Bisenius said the program was adopted from a sister mall in Kentucky, which has seen a 60 percent decrease in shoplifting since introducing PGR.
“I don’t think sales will be affected in a negative way,” said Julia Higham, who works for Ivivva. “I think the new rule will help improve business. The kids that stay or come past 5 p.m. don’t usually buy anything anyway. They just come here to run around.”
Bisenius explained that minors are asked for identification by security guards at any of the mall’s 19 entrances, where they will then be given a colored wristband to show all security that they are accounted for.
Any minor already in the mall before 5 p.m. will also need to show identification and receive a wristband to be permitted to stay.
Minors unaccompanied by an adult will be asked to leave but may return with an adult at any time.
“You’re getting rid of the teens that just loiter around all night, and in return gaining actual paying customers that avoid the mall because of those teens, so I think it will definitely have a positive impact,” said Katie McDonald, a Baltimore resident who was shopping at Towson Town Center.
According to Bisenius, each adult over 21 can account for four minors at a time, excluding children 10 years and younger. Teens are required to be within an arm’s distance of their adult supervision at all times.
With the addition of this new permanent program, Bisenius hopes to continue to further improve the shopping environment.
“There haven’t been any problems so far, surprisingly, and we have received great feedback about the program,” Bisenius said. “We will be constantly evaluating and improving any problems that may arise, but as of now it’s honestly pretty flawless.”