In Los Angeles, Eagle Rock Plaza spruced up Santa’s arrival by replacing his sleigh with a red Ferrari. Plans were already in place for next year, when he would arrive in a Jacuzzi-equipped limousine, along with Elvis and Marilyn Monroe impersonators.

To drive mall gift certificate sales, Huntington Beach Mall offered a free $10 gift certificate to any shopper who purchased four $25 gift certificates (to a limit of $50 in free certificates). It worked: gift certificate sales for December totaled just under $40,000 – a 310 percent increase over 1992.

In July 1994, Tropical Storm Alberto ravaged Florida and Georgia. Infinitee Communications Inc., an Atlanta-based company, designed and sold 800 T-shirts to make a $4,000 contribution to the American Red Cross.

During its back-to-school season, Biggs Park Mall hosted a “Grubbiest Sneaker Contest”. Young shoppers could deposit their shoes into a container in the mall to be judged. The grand-prize winner was awarded new shoes, and runners-up received mall gift certificates.

Biggs Park Mall staged a “Pretty in Pink Tea Party and Doll Look-alike Contest” for its young shoppers. The inexpensive event was good for community relations, and because the event only lasted an hour, most of the girls and their moms stayed in the mall to shop and have lunch.

To draw shoppers to its summer sidewalk sale, Southgate Shopping Centre gave them the opportunity to crack a safe and win valuable prizes. 1,658 of 60,000 “Crack the Safe” scratch-and-wins were returned, and month-end sales increased by 8%.

Inland Center Mall rewards its “In Crowd” members with discounts, freebies, birthday gifts, and special purchases-at-cost. Shoppers who sign up a friend receive a potpourri as a gift. After a little over a year, the program had 8,800 members.

For shoppers’ convenience, Bramalea City Centre set up a one-stop “Sign-Up Time Activity Fair”, where they could register for sports and other activities without any hassle.

Together with the Sheriff’s department and local school districts, Eastern Hills Mall sponsored a School Bus Safety Fair. The event cost $351 and resulted in a six percent increase in mall-wide sales.

Lakewood Center Mall pits 70 contestants, ages 8 to 14, against each other in an annual 2-hour bubblegum blowing contest.