Great Mall

Reviews 4

BR

Bruce

We stop into this "Outlet Mall" several times a year to brows shop or at times, actually make a purchase.   However, this is unquestionably not the place to go "during the holidays, because everyone comes here!"  This place gets extremely packed, "particularly during those last minute shopping days for Christmas which I found out the hard way last year!"   The holiday rush has to be one of the few times where people essentially turn into that "Jekyll and Hyde" temperament where nothing is going to stop them and quarrels flair up over the littlest things.   Ive been told this building used to be, "The Old Ford Motor Plant," which explains the weird shape of this place!   In addition to all the shops and venders stuffed into this place like "sardines" so are the shoppers!  "Im glad were at the top of the food chain because if "it," had a palate for humans, all they would need to do is set up a "mall trap" and fill it with deep bargain-basement items and watch us stupid people come running in like mice smelling cheese or in our case, sales!  The entrance would operate like a roach motel, where you check in but cant check out!" Heres another analogy; "Have you ever seen a large school of sardines and how they all go one way!"  Thats what we look like at these malls!"  "REALLY, just go to any aquarium and see for yourself." Anyway, getting back on topic, you also have those meaningless cubicles on wheels right in the middle of the walkway, which can be a bit problematic to navigate especially when its crowded!  Im also not a big fan of "pushy venders" trying to sell you anything from knock off phones to the shirts off their backs! The illumination in this place is dim at best and could use an enhancement.  I was once told, "The brighter the lighting, shoppers are more likely to want to shop."  Not sure it would help here because people here walk around like they have no energy...   Then again, turning the "air conditioner" would help some of these "zombies" move along....  I saw one guy three times and on all three occasions, his facial expression never changed!  He looked like he was in a daze with his mouth opened.   Most of the stores have A/C but once youre out in the hallways, its warm and to add to the heat the "mall zombies" start bumping into you which gets worse during the summer months when people think they can escape the heat by coming here!  "NOT!" This mall is larger than most of the other malls in the Bay Area, hence the name "The Great Mall" but not as extravagant as some.  On most of my visits, they are always doing some type of makeover or the addition of a new business, which I guess isnt a bad thing.   A lot of the shops look "low-priced" with items Ive seen floating around at the "San Jose Flea Market."  You can get good deals here but have to be cautious what you buy because some of the stuff is not worth the price.   In my estimation, a lot of this stuff is inexpensive rubbish and basically, you get what you pay for, as the old saying goes.  Most of the shops "emulate" each other in that they carry the same thing.  They do have larger retailers, Levis, Forever 21, Bed Bath & Beyond, Marshalls, Burlington, etc.,. They have a "food court" which carries Japanese, Mexican, Filipino, Italian, Thai, Chinese, etc. cuisine, but I can never get seating and like outside parking, "everyones butts are competing for the same seat your looking to park your rear-end into."   They do have a couple large sit down restaurants like Outback & Olive Garden but on the days we were here didnt stop in. And lastly, this place could use additional restrooms and the ones they do have are "foul-smelling and jam-packed."   Overall, when it comes to a mall you can definitely do better.  When I imagine spending a day at the mall, its not walking around in a giant circle or watching a scene out of "The Walking Dead!"

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KI

Kiran Shirali

This mall is close to my house and we go to it often not the weekends. Here is what I think about the mall and my experiences: The good: There are tons of stores with decent prices. Some of favorite stores are the body shop, Nike, old navy and gap. There is always some promotion running in them and I tend to get good deals 8 out of 10 times I am there. The mall also has a century theater that has some decent sized halls and reasonable prices. Tip: they have discounted movie prices on tuesdays. Also, you can pick up a bunch movie coupon tickets at Costco and use them here for any other day. They always run the latest movies, but tend to have a fair number of people because of their location. The parking lots are huge and because there are 5 gates with a side entrance at the theater, there are multiple places to park. The bad: Even though parking is huge, it does tend to get crowded during the weekends and thanksgiving holidays (till Christmas). You drive to the mall from montage or great mall parkway, but nowadays it gets a little crowded in both these places. I prefer the entrance from Main Street. The ugly: The food court. The court is becoming really shabby and there arent any good options. Wish they would bring in some better options. Also the walkways are becoming more dirty as the days pass. Overall in an age of people shifting shopping trends to online stores, this is one gem in the Silicon Valley that is still an option for shoppers like me.

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JA

James Kilpatrick

The Great Mall of Milpitas is a great place to go to shop for a wide variety of things. There are clothing shops, shoe stores, cell phone stores, a ton of kiosks that provide such services like watch repairs. There is also a Wells Fargo bank in the mall that makes it very convenient to get money or conduct any of your banking business done before or after you shop. The only drawback to this mall and the reason why I did not give this place 5 stars is because the parking here can be a real hassle and very frustrating. I know that this can be said about many malls but the parking at this Mall just seems more difficult than other malls I have visited. There is a 3 story parking structure at the Mall but it is located at the very back of the Mall which is not close to the stores at the front side of the Mall so you have to walk all the way around the Mall to get to the stores in the front. But other than this, the Great Mall is a great place to shop and you will probably find whatever youre shopping for here!!

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DE

Debbie Reynolds

I absolutely love this mall. There is something for everyone. Some of my favorite stores here are the Nike outlet, Vans outlet, and Toys R Us Outlet. They have just about any store you could think of from Gamestop to Bath and Bodyworks. But what makes a small extra special if you couldnt tell from my list of favorite stores, is that it has a lot of outlets where you can find some great deals. It also has a super awesome food court. Last time I ate at the Mongolian BBQ, but it wasnt as great as some others that Ive had and the customers were like a bunch of greedy pigs. They piled their noodles up so high like it was the last meal on Earth and I was embarrassed for them. The mall also has some type of jumping place for kids, but the greatest thing about the Great Mall of the bay is that it has the most awesome Dave & Busters in the whole world.

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