Oak Park Mall — Attraction in Overland Park

Being the only remaining mall in the area, Oak Park pretty much dominates the market. There's not much great to say about it other than they have decent stores, but it's all the typical mall stuff you'd find anywhere. The only "unique" thing about the place is they have a vintage Merry-Go-Round to ride on in the center court (for a fee of course) and there are two (yes, 2) Dillard's stores. Why? Who knows...Other anchors include JC Penney (they're still around?), Macy's and Nordstrom. The mall also has a nice Barnes & Noble and a Lego Store, which are bonuses. If you're looking for overpriced stuff or random gifts at Christmas, this is the place to be. Otherwise, it's just a place to walk around and be hassled by the many kiosk vendors. It's almost like a carnival atmosphere sometimes..."Come on friend, try this, I know you like it" they say as they beg for your business. The mornings are filled with elderly "walkers" and the evenings are blessed with groups of teenagers hanging out. On the positive side, there are many good food options inside and outside. There is also a Target and an Academy Sports (great store!) on the south perimeter of the mall. Be sure to remember where you park when shopping at the mall. With 2 Dillard's stores (one north and one south) and 2 different parking garages, visitors often get lost trying to find their car. If you visit, be careful, especially at night...Generally, it's a safe place to shop but use common sense: Lock your car doors, roll up the windows, don't leave valuables in sight and be aware of your surroundings as it is a high crime area. The mall tends to attract a certain criminal element, but security is there to escort you out if you feel uncomfortable. It's not a scary place, but many things happen there that you won't see in the brochure. Your only other real mall option in the area is Independence Center in Independence Missouri, but that is NOT recommended and it's far from Overland...

For Macy's. If I could give neg score I would. Macy's used to be a clean nice experience today we went there immediately saw no help. Women's section first things were in a shabby situation. New clothes on the floor racks were a disaster and no reps at all. After taking or items to another dept. We found two ladies trying their best. One of the two open registers crashed 3 times in our 30 minute wait to purchase. Following this we went back to the houseware dept. Found an air fryer on sale for a good price looked for and waited another 30 minutes I finally called the store number asked to speak with someone in the department I was in, no answer. Operator transfered to other dept asked for a manager got one asked her to come to where I was she showed up and after looking and calling the warehouse found the two reported was really one and it was the demo. The manager I spoke to them says it is a discontinued model that was displayed for the sake they were having. Generally the store was in shambles. Understaffed and the staff they did have tried to be kind and helpful didn't complain but looked like prisoners. Tired overworked and in need of a break they were probably denied. There has never been a display of worker abuse so obvious Iand braison as what we experienced today. The upper management of this location should be forced to come to an open meeting and explain their decision to leave a store so understaffed that shopping there today was the worst decision of my day. The misorganization was so unbelievable with no pricing and help a better day would have been had giving blood out of my eyes. I did get the regional managers name and will be contacting her directly if she fails to respond I go higher. I will post a couple of pics I took during this...

Oak Park Mall has been around for a decades. A number of years back it got a facelift and a remodel. It still contains most of the best known retailers in the country. It has anchor stores including JCPenney, Macy's and Nordstroms. (Nordstrom rack is right across the street if you like that place.) Although it had a pretty rough run during COVID it is still the place to go if you need a shopping mall. Everything is pretty nice and safe. There is ample parking throughout most of the year except maybe for immediately around Christmas. The stores other than the anchor stores rotate regularly but you will find all of the favorites here. Bath & body works, Victoria's secret, American eagle, forever 21, and Starbucks, topsies popcorn, as well as a full food court. I almost forgot one of the other long time anchor stores is Dillard's. They're actually two Dillard's one of the ones has women's clothing and the other has a fragrances men's children's and household items. They are at opposite sides of the mall but within about 50 ft of each other at the closest point. I don't love malls but if you have to go this is a pretty one to go to. A couple other stores I haven't mentioned include Abercrombie, Express,...