Potomac Mills Is Ridiculous - First Visit in Years (Springfield: to buy, movie theater)

[mikecart1]

Today's goal: Get swim trunks or board shorts for a trip to Cancun this week.

Expected time: 30 minutes total

Real time including traffic/parking : 2 hours+

Well if Potomac Mills was crowded a few years ago when Steve & Barry still existed, I don't know what to call it now. Whoever decided to build a Cheesecake Factory right next to the entrance had to be out of their mind. And what is up with all the valet parking? I had to park like half a mile away. On the inside, walking is a pain. I'm not a fan of shopping. I do most of my shopping online these days. Anyways, I went from store to store looking for swimming stuff and apparently most of these stores don't carry it. I went to Pacific Sunwear and thought the shorts were cool but there is no way I'm paying $50 for a pair of swimming trunks. I thought this was an outlet mall? And there it hits. As I walked the entire mall from front to back I realized things changed a lot. There was a time when you could bring $20 to Potomac Mills and buy several items and . Now stuff is so expensive, I might as well have been at Tysons!

I wound up getting a pair at Modell's and a pair at Hollister for a total of less than $30. Call me cheap but there is no reason to pay much more for something I may wear 1-2x/year at most.

[bass402]

I only go to the Costco over there because I hate the mall atmosphere so much. Online is always a better option.

[Oldhag1]

It's not too bad if you go during the week. I avoid the place on the weekends. It gets just plain nutty then.

[CAVA1990]

You'd have been better off going to a Kohls.

[Carlingtonian]

I've always hated outlets for all those reasons. If I have to buy clothes in person, I'll go to Marshalls or TJ Maxx. Or (for shoes) Nerdstrom Rack. Otherwise, Sierra Trading Post or Amazon.

[ChristineVA]

Yeah, it has been awhile for you.

It is insanely crowded during the weekend, as you can see. No recession here. But, you know, I feel the EXACT same way about Tyson's Corner on a Saturday afternoon. When I went to Tyson's a month ago and arrived 2 hours after mall opening (something I try never to do), I was parked in no-man's land and they were directing traffic when I left. It was just like Christmas.

But back to Potomac Mills. It has not been an "outlet" mall since shortly after it first opened. Every store there is pretty much a normal store or a factory store.

I do think it's great that they have some true "clearance" centers that the regular malls don't have. Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch to name two of them (Gymboree is another). If you have teens, these two stores are godsends! The Carter's childrens store has been there from just about when the mall opened and is still a great place for infant/toddler clothing. I bought my kids clothes there 18 years ago and I still shop there for relatives/friends.

For a working woman, I find more clothes there than I ever do on my hopeful trips to Tysons. Ann Taylor Factory, Kasper, LOFT, Banana Republic Factory, Nordstrom Rack, etc. I can get pretty nice work attire at those places for a fraction of what I pay at Tyson's. In fact, sometimes I can get the *same* items at Potomac Mills as I do at Tysons for 3/4ths to half of the cost.

So, now you see why it's so crowded. People are savvy shoppers.

Even before Bahama Breeze and Cheesecake Factory were built, the worst parking was at the main entrance to the mall (where these two restaurants now sit). I never parked there unless it was the middle of the week. Besides the restaurants, the fact that Costco is adjacent to that entrance, helped nothing.

The best/easiest parking is down by Marshall's (where Steve and Barry's used to be) or on the back side by Burlington. Stay away from Nordstrom Rack and the movie theater and the main entrance. There is some weird, natural gravitational pull to park in these areas and everyone will circle and circle rather that, gasp, go look anywhere else.

That said, I'm not trying to argue with your awful it experience. It sounds painful and I find myself feeling that way if I go there on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Which is why I don't. But since I live about a 10 minute drive from the mall, I have options you don't.

Try to recover today!

[Kembek]

I go to Potomac Mills at least once a week. I've never had a problem finding a parking place (I park in the same area every time) and I only have to walk a short distance to an entrance. Easy.

[govmoneynvegas]

I was at IKEA last night. Absolutely nuts. Spent more time waiting in line than going through the whole store.

[persnicketygal]

"Never on a weekend." Repeat 3 times and click your heels together.

Ikea's also a big-time weekend destination, esp. by people who take their entire families along. I know it's hard for some folks to get a babysitter (and reasonably priced), but still ...
After work might be a bit easier. I have the flexibility to go during the morning/early afternoon one day a week if I need to go, but truthfully, it's not like it's entirely empty there at that time, either.

Cava's right on the rec for Kohls.

It also might just not be early enough for the stores to get their real summer clothing on the racks. Marshalls, TJMaxx, other stores seem to still be clearancing fall/winter.

[queenswake]

Look at the time of year it is, too. Not much else going on, no football, people are all at home, and it's too cold to go out and do outdoor things. Cabin fever. With Springfield Mall out, and Landmark Mall barren, look at the huge population both north and south of Potomac Mills that it serves. It's makes me stressed out even to think about it. If I go to Potomac Mills on the weekend, it's not too bad if you go before noon. After that, forget it.

And I totally agree what a terrible idea it was to build the restaurants on the side of the mall that was already insane in terms of parking on the crowds. What a mess.