There is no holiday cheer at a Cherry Hill, N.J., mall this year after the price to see Santa sent parents ranting to Facebook.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Cherry Hill Mall is offering an "Adventure to Santa" package this year, complete with Dreamworks characters from movies such as Shrek and a virtual reality sleigh ride to the North Pole. But there's a catch — the price tag to participate ranges from $35 to $50.
"I think it's outrageous,” Eliza Anzideo, a mother of two daughters, wrote.
According to the Inquirer, the package was free last year and brought in a lot of families, but now with a price tag added to the experience, parents took to Facebook to voice their displeasure.
Sulaiha Bitar said she found the move “classist” in a Facebook comment. “It creates a divide between children during a holiday which is supposed to be about equality and giving and having everyone participate in the joy of Christmas,” she added.
Bitar said she wouldn’t have been so fired up if they hadn’t offered the service for free last year. "I probably would have paid that much for pictures this year," she said. "It's just the fact that they're charging me for something that was free last year, something that should be free."
The Inquirer adds that a nearby mall offers photographs with Santa for prices ranging from $19.99 to $50, but said they also allow kids to see Santa at no charge — something the Cherry Hill Mall neglects to do.
Read more at the Philadelphia Inquirer.
