A visit to Central Florida cannot be complete for me without a trip to Florida Mall. I feel the excitement as I approach The Mall and drive around the extremely large car parking area so I can park not too far away from the Food Court which is at the centre of the Mall.
Once inside, the buzz of the shoppers hits you as you stroll by the Food Hall with all it’s exciting smells coming from the many vendors including Chick fila, Charlies, Creperie, Wendy’s, various Chinese eateries with staff offering many samplings as you wind your way through the large seating area.
Make your way to Macy’s and go straight to the Customer Service Department not forgetting to take your Passport with you. Here you can fill out a short form and receive a coupon which will give you an extra 11% of most things in the huge store. This discount also applies to items that have already been discounted, sometimes by 75%. If you look carefully, you can find some absolute bargains in every department. One of my favourite departments is the Homewares where I gaze at the abundance of beautiful colourful towels and the great variety of bedding. Buying a ‘Bed in a Bag’ is an easy way of transporting this beautiful linen back to the UK without too much bother. It is then off to the Ladies Department, where you need to go the outer edge of the store. This is where you will find many of the reduced items racked up. It is rather like a rummage sale, and you need plenty of time to pick stuff out. The dressing rooms are enormous, and although there is a limit on how many garments you can take in, there is usually no one to check so you can take loads of things in without having to continually change clothes to find more bargains. Don’t forget to show your discount card when paying and you will be shocked at how many items you can get for under a $100.
Shopping is a thirsty business, so it is off to Starbucks for a coffee before the next grueling session begins. I generally take my coffee up the stairs where they have lovely comfy chairs and balcony’s, where I can sit and watch the world go by and spot the ‘Brits’ with all their colorful bags. Feeling totally refreshed, it is off to the car to put the first load of shopping in, making sure it is out of sight in case any opportunist is on the prowl!
Part 2 to follow! ! !
Once inside, the buzz of the shoppers hits you as you stroll by the Food Hall with all it’s exciting smells coming from the many vendors including Chick fila, Charlies, Creperie, Wendy’s, various Chinese eateries with staff offering many samplings as you wind your way through the large seating area.
Make your way to Macy’s and go straight to the Customer Service Department not forgetting to take your Passport with you. Here you can fill out a short form and receive a coupon which will give you an extra 11% of most things in the huge store. This discount also applies to items that have already been discounted, sometimes by 75%. If you look carefully, you can find some absolute bargains in every department. One of my favourite departments is the Homewares where I gaze at the abundance of beautiful colourful towels and the great variety of bedding. Buying a ‘Bed in a Bag’ is an easy way of transporting this beautiful linen back to the UK without too much bother. It is then off to the Ladies Department, where you need to go the outer edge of the store. This is where you will find many of the reduced items racked up. It is rather like a rummage sale, and you need plenty of time to pick stuff out. The dressing rooms are enormous, and although there is a limit on how many garments you can take in, there is usually no one to check so you can take loads of things in without having to continually change clothes to find more bargains. Don’t forget to show your discount card when paying and you will be shocked at how many items you can get for under a $100.
Shopping is a thirsty business, so it is off to Starbucks for a coffee before the next grueling session begins. I generally take my coffee up the stairs where they have lovely comfy chairs and balcony’s, where I can sit and watch the world go by and spot the ‘Brits’ with all their colorful bags. Feeling totally refreshed, it is off to the car to put the first load of shopping in, making sure it is out of sight in case any opportunist is on the prowl!
Part 2 to follow! ! !