The biggest problem with MOA. (Shakopee: sales, consignment, buy)

[PeachSalsa]

Originally Posted by HighFlyingBird

Really, you don't find it hard to figure out how on earth to get places?

Nope. Never have. I only go once or twice a year, but have never gotten confused at all.

Of course food will be expensive -- it's a MALL!! Mall food is always expensive, kind of like the airport.

[CCbaxter]

The MOA has an app. It has all the stores and all the addresses. Each address number has a E,S,N, or W in front telling you which quadrant of the mall its in. I don't know if it could be much simpler.

[cheddar]

The Op was staying in the MOA at the Radisson, which is ideal as you can just take your large packages to your room and you don't have to carry your winter coat around. Crave is a good restaurant.

[HighFlyingBird]

I guess I am in the minority.

[Glenfield]

Originally Posted by HighFlyingBird

I guess I am in the minority.

I'll agree with your assessment of the food. I clearly haven't eaten at every restaurant but we just ate at Crave and I thought it was terrible. Fire Lake Grill at the Radisson was ok but nothing special. I wouldn't expect to find fine dining at a mall though.

[ellysbelly]

I don't get the appeal of shopping at MOA (or any mall, frankly)-- that's why God invented online shopping, especially with free shipping and/or returns, coupon codes and cashback from Ebates, there's almost no reason to shop the 'old fashioned' way, but I digress.

As others have pointed out, it's an easy mall to navigate, it's just absolutely HUGE, so you need to map out your path so you don't have to backtrack and walk the equivalent of a marathon.

Agreed that the mall (as some do) should have some sort of delivery/holding service so you don't have the lug your purchases around (yet another reason that I despise brick-and-mortar shopping).

As far as food goes,the two times that I was dragged to MOA (by out of town guests), we stuck to Chipotle and Buffalo Wild Wings-- neither are culinary phenoms, not even close, but they're both affordable and decent-ish. I was disappointed in Crave (I haven't been to the one in MOA, only the one in SLP)- the portions were tiny for the price and what was there was underwhelming.

[Lodestar]

I live in Southern MN and probably have gone three or four times for the amusement and spectacle. I think the shopping aspect of that leviathan is secondary.

You can get a good afternoon's workout just making a single pass through all the corridors and along the way you'll probably run into some interesting things to see and do.

But other than that and as a tourist attraction I've never seen the MOA as functional.

[HighFlyingBird]

I didn't like crave either. They had very few actual sushi options, way way expensive and not good portions. And I am not a huge portion kind of gal. not to mention it was slammed and they couldn't keep up so it took 45 minutes to even get waited on.

[PeachSalsa]

I went to MOA today. Walked all 3 levels (I did not need to go to the 4th floor), bought a book at Barnes and Noble and some chocolate at Lindt. Listened to a few choirs sing at the east atrium (a different choir at each lap). I like what they are doing with the food court on the north side, 3rd level. Lots of renovation going on. Talked to one of Santa's elves in front of the Sears court. All in all, spent about 3 hours there. Then drove to Maple Grove for lunch.

I had some other errands to run up there, so why not?!

[Astron1000]

Originally Posted by ellysbelly

I don't get the appeal of shopping at MOA (or any mall, frankly)-- that's why God invented online shopping, especially with free shipping and/or returns, coupon codes and cashback from Ebates, there's almost no reason to shop the 'old fashioned' way, but I digress....

Philosophically speaking, I'd MUCH rather spend my money in a store - that if not based in the Twin Cities at least has a brick-n-mortar presence here - than at an online store like Amazon.

Why? Because all of your money is going to Seattle. All of it. Not that I'm against Seattle, it's a lovely city .

Yes, I'm "old-fashioned" in this regard, but I'd rather spend money in a store whose profits and salaries at least partially gets distributed to my neighbors and friends than hand it over to a faceless corporate identity on the west coast. (A corporate identity that is in many ways is even a worse employer than Wal-Mart. Google some of the Amazon horror stories. You may want to think twice about giving your money to them.)

The other upside of buying locally is that many, many retailers (though they don't always advertise it) will match Amazon's prices. And you actually get to touch the thing you are buying before you buy it and take it home right there.

But hey, that's just me being an ideologue. And I do have an Amazon Prime Membership