Eastview Mall is certainly no Houston Galleria, which sees 35 million visitors every year from all around the world. But despite the fact that some of Eastview’s main department stores, like Macy’s and Sears, are struggling to survive, the mall has gotten quite a bit of news coverage lately — but for all the wrong reasons. For the second time in a month, Rochester-area parents have found themselves in legal trouble for leaving their children unattended for long periods of time in one of the mall’s most kid-friendly stores.

Although it’s becoming more common to ditch the brick-and-mortar experience for an online one, many local families still head to the mall to get what they need. And since around 82% of purchase decisions are made in-store, a lot of these consumers are likely to make impulse buys. While following an impulse when making a purchase is allowed, some parents are paying a much heftier price when they follow their impulse to leave their kids alone while they shop for themselves.

In early July, a Pittsford mother was arrested on charges of child endangerment after leaving her 10-year-old son unattended in the Lego store for more than two hours. Ontario County Sheriff’s deputies said the child had no way of contacting his mother, nor did he know her location during that time. Store employees followed company policy regarding unaccompanied minors, according to Lego corporate, when they contacted mall security. The mother, 44-year-old Jia Fan, was later issued a ticket to appear in Victor Town Court.

Astoundingly, the same scenario played out again later that same month when two sisters — Yaquelina Francisca Rosario De Hernandez, 54, and Francisca Lopez, 48 — left their seven- and nine-year-old children alone in the Lego store for two hours.

St. Kelly Fogarty of the Ontario County Sheriff’s department told 13 WHAM, “These children had no idea where their parents were in the mall and had no way to contact them. The parents were paged overhead multiple times over the course of 45 minutes, to my understanding, with no response.”

When the mothers finally returned, they were arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child. They were also given tickets to appear in Victor Town Court at a later date.

The incidents have sparked passionate debates on social media. Some are quick to shame the parents for being irresponsible, while others feel today’s kids are being overly sheltered. Kristen Ray, a mother of four, had a problem with the parents treating a business like a built-in babysitting service.

“There are ways to have your child watched without leaving them with an employee or a store that isn’t even aware the child is there,” said Ray on a 13 WHAM social media post.

But many parents wanted to know under what circumstances it’s okay to leave a child unattended in a public place. According to the Democrat and Chronicle, the answer isn’t always clear-cut. In New York State, there’s no law on the books that says anything about how long a child can be left alone or at what age. Ontario County Sheriff’s Lieutenant David Cirencione says decisions pertaining to these types of scenarios are made on a case-by-case basis. Cirencione says that the location and the age, maturity, and comfort level of the child in question come into play. So does whether or not the child can contact a parent if necessary.

The New York Office of Children and Family Services explains the issue on their website: “Some children are responsible, intelligent, and independent enough to be left alone at 12 or 13 years of age. Likewise, there are some teenagers who are too irresponsible or who have special needs that limit their ability to be safe if they are left alone.”

In the end, Lt. Cirencione says, parents need to employ their best judgment and make sure their kids feel totally comfortable being left alone. But no matter how mature a child is, they shouldn’t leave their child unattended in a place of business for hours on end — unless they want to end their shopping trip in handcuffs.