The Outlet Collection Seattle — Attraction in Auburn

We visited this mall most recently on 6/23/23. I've been coming to this mall since they opened nearly 30 years ago. Like most malls, store options are fewer and product selection is not as great as in the peak years of brick-and-mortar shopping. Still, decent options abound here if you prefer to shop in-person as I do. I'm happy the mall is still here; it's nice to walk and browse. There is one very large store on the south side of the mall that I won't name -- but I won't step foot in it again, as it's a massive chaotic mess and totally disgusting with items strewn all about, even on the floor. I'm sure you can figure it out if you visit. Thankfully, better store options remain. If you're new to the area, beware of heavy traffic long before evening rush hour. Highway 167 gets congested as early as 2pm, so pack your patience and extra time for travel. I've found the hours of 10am to about 1:30pm to be least congested. The shopping went just fine that day -- we only stopped into two stores and found what we wanted. However, we were disappointed and may I say rather disgusted at the main women's restroom located in the southwest portion of the mall. More than half of the stalls were unusable, in disrepair, dirty and disgusting beyond description. And the one stall I found somewhat suitable still had to be cleaned by me before use. The sinks were no better. I understand that the general public is lacking manners -- but it would improve the shopping experience to not have to act as janitor just to use the restroom. I don't know what the problem is here -- a lack of staffing or a particularly bad-mannered public, possibly both. In any case, if you plan to visit and stay long enough where restroom use is likely, you may want to consider equipping yourself with a travel pack of disinfectant wipes and whatever else you may need to feel clean if you may need to use the restrooms. Bring a friend to hold your jacket and bags, because there's no clean spot to hang or place items in the stalls. That being said, I'll visit again and hope for cleaner...

I visited this mall as a vendor during black Friday weekend. My truck was stolen from their parking lot along with 8 other vehicles and numerous catalytic converters were cut from other vehicles on Saturday alone (November 27th).

Mall security had a dismissive attitude towards the whole situation. As the witness was explaining what she saw to the police, the security guard was rolling his eyes, smirking and shrugging his shoulders.

I followed up a few days later with the *head of security via phone call. He had the same dismissive attitude. Rather than acknowledging the negligence of his security staff, he explained to me that this is a common occurrence all over King, Pierce, and Thurston counties and basically all over western and eastern Washington.

I requested to talk to the general property manager of the mall and we connected on December 1st. Not surprisingly, he also lacked acknowledgement of negligence, accountability and willingness to listen. He disrupted me multiple times, talked over the top of me and completely missed the point of my follow-up.

He preached politics at me, told me that I need to call city officials, call the mayor and vote (assuming that I don't do those things while also assuming that I don't live 80 miles away in a different city). He preached this at me roughly 5 or 6 times in our 43 minute conversation. He told me about how well his staff watches the parking lot to ensure the safety of their visitors and their property, how close he works with the Auburn police department, and the mayor. He *promised that he is doing everything he can.

In order to fix a problem, you must first admit that there is a problem. Passing blame is counterproductive. These crimes will continue to be eradicated until the head honchos can swallow their pride and focus on the problem at hand.

Stay diligent...

This place has a very convenient location outside my usual bus stop, but it's also a very mixed experience on every visit. There is an excellent range of places to shop and find deals (I managed to find a pair of high quality boots in the discount shop for 20 dollars.) Some of my favorite places to peek into are the Miniso and Burlington.

Food court is depressingly anemic and dingy. In general, the only food experiences I've found consistently enjoyable are the Gosanko's and the bubble tea stand in the middle hallway. Very retro feel to the design, but you can also tell this place is falling apart at the seams. They don't even bother cleaning the toilets here (or at least, that's what it feels like.)

Mall staff is also a mixed bag. Some of them are lovely people (the woman working at Hot Topic on my last visit comes to mind. We got into a conversation about the works of Toby Fox and online spoilers while we were the only people in the store that was immensely enjoyable) but other staff members are quite aggressive and will hound you to hock their wares or harass you for some other nonsense reason (the spa staff and shoe stall are the worst offenders in this regard.)

This is not a safe, clean, or particularly friendly place to shop. Those who are bold enough to put safety aside and jump in for a dig will find some unlikely gems in the...