Shops at Merrick Park — Attraction in Coral Gables

• The sleuth of 5 star reviews in the same week just shows they are paying for reviews to look better than what this mall really is.... THIS is a real review of what that mall is like and did to me**

Will NEVER return to this mall. The parking is absolutely absurd. It's in fact criminal what they are doing to customers. I hadn't been there in years so did not know this new parking QR code, which is the worst thing to have in a mall with terrible service in the parking garage. I had to go out into the mall around to look for a payment station which the only one there was was far af from where I was parked so tried to go to a different area of the parking garage to find service to use the QR code. Finally paid. less than 30 minutes from the time I entered the parking garage to getting back to my car I had a ticket....issued 2 minutes before I finally was able to paid which just meant some security person was stalking my car waiting vs. trying to help me figure out how to pay. The ticket sounded like a threat. I absolutely was not going to pay the extra amount. I submitted an appeal and the man or responded "Carlos T.", had excuses as to why I got the ticket which made no sense whatsoever....he said first that I inverted the letters in my payment....I assumed he meant from my license plate. I checked both the ticket and my receipt and nope, they plate was inputted perfectly.....then he said that I needed to park "head in" so the camera can read my plate.....there were 0 signs anywhere that I was at that said that....so much so that most of the cars I was around were parked head in. He proceeded to just send a pic of my car driving in the lot....which was for no apparent reason but to prove that from me entering the lot to the moment I got the ticket it was 7 mins.....YUP 7 MINUTES. so meaning they expect you in less than 7 minutes to enter the lot, find parking, find the QR code, hope there's wifi, input your credit card info, then wait 2 minutes to be approved (because it takes forever to generate).

This mall and the city of Coral Gables (since you know they are pocketing from this scam), is doing everything in their power to keep citizens hating the city and avoiding going to any businesses around due to this...

Although it was once a great place to visit for Shopping, Fine Dining or for Entertainment, that's not the case anymore. BLUF - save yourself some grief and go elsewhere! Recommend conducting your own online research regarding their parking comments!

Sadly the parking scheme that is in place only serves to enrich Management and deter Visitors from returning. Furthermore, aggressive and overpriced parking rates only serve to push away potential clients to other venues within 10 min drive that provide a much better customer experience. Be FORWARNED Parking lot service attendants have been reassigned to parking enforcement roles with No in-person customer service onsite. Their sole purpose is to cite vehicles that exceeded their initial estimated time allotment immediately.

Specifically, the parking scheme REQUIRES visitors to guesstimate their stay and pay for their parking upfront. Visitors are not charged based on actual time spent but rather charged upon entering based on preselected ESTIMATED (preselected) duration, whether one actually ends up using a fraction of it. Businesses DO NOT validate parking, and Handicapped are NOT exempt from parking charges!

It's gotten to the point that my entire family has had a negative experience, resulting in a drastic drop in the frequency we go there anymore. On multiple occasions, I have witnessed irritated visitors confronting parking attendants about how deceitful and un-customer-friendly their parking operations are. I genuinely hope that management reads this and decides to improve their parking operations and guest experience. Until then my family nor I will not...

The Shops at Merrick Park has a lot of spots I deem necessities in life.

Target - This is the closest Target to me and while it's not my favorite in the grand scheme of Target world, it gets the job done. Party City - I plan events for (part of) my living and this Party City comes in handy when it's time to grab some helium, costumes, candy, and more. Nordstrom Rack - I'm a Nordstrom gal so have fun checking out the Rack every now and then. Pasion del Cielo - You can check out my other review for this coffeeshop but I love this specific outpost because it's quite big and cozy! European Wax Center - When you're in need of a quick hair removal! Restaurants galore! From some of my longtime favorites like Sugarcane and Cheese Course, to up and comers like Midtown Oyster Bar and Apeiro, there's something for everyone. Petsmart - My little hedgehog needs food every now and then. Sports Authority - For sporty things...

Yes, parking can be a pain, but isn't it everywhere in Miami? I often find myself doing laps trying to find street parking and 9 times out of 10 end up in the garage. I guess I never spend more than 4+ hours here, but garage rates have never seemed completely unreasonable to me.

Overall, I'm thankful this complex is around! It's easy to get to off of I-95 which makes it simpler to access compared to similar spots like...