SHUT THE FRONT DOOR: Nine NYC Stores Fined For Open Door Policy

For anyone who had to trudge down the sidewalk in this week's punishing heat, the frigid breeze from an air conditioned store with an open door felt like a little gust of heaven, but it turned out to be an expensive one for nine city stores in the Bronx and Manhattan including the Filene's Basement, DSW and Forever 21 locations on the south side of Union Square.

Since 2008, any business larger than 4,000 square feet or part of a chain with five or more stores in the city cannot leave its doors open while using air-conditioning, but these are apparently the first fines the city has charged since the law was enacted. The law was intended to discourage excessive use of electricity, especially during heat waves when antiquated power grids are overloaded. Penalties range from $200 for initial infractions up to $400 for subsequent offenses within an 18 month period, which could be a pesky punishment for some qualifying stores, but is probably something like the change you would find in the sofa to the folks at Forever 21 who are probably willing to pay the price for straining ConEd as long as they can get those teenagers into the store.

Nine Stores Fined for Propping Doors Open in Heat (NYTimes)