Discount Mall — Attraction in West Chicago Township

Sadly the parking scam that the owners of this property has going on makes this absolutely not worth visiting or dealing with at all. I went there to visit the neighborhood from out of town and I was loving it, we went to grab food and were gone for ten minutes. We came back to go to the mall to shop and had a boot on our car. Not only that but the parking attendants were extremely rude and like to basically hunt for people who go into the neighborhood to visit from out of town. Like I said we were gone 10 minutes. The main guy was really unprofessional and rude, smoking a cigarette. Told my wife to shut up when she asked a question because he only has to talk to the driver: It really sucks and doesn’t benefit the community and businesses around it because while you got $170 from us now we will not be coming back to the neighborhood and surrounding businesses at all again and detour any future tourism into the area. We would have spent more than $170 in the mall I’m sure, and more in the future but we will never be back. We have family in Chicago and have visited for years and have never had this issue, until visiting Little Village. The whole thing was super sketchy and they of course wouldn’t let us use a card. We went to get the money and got 180 and broke a 20 knowing they wouldn’t have change. We bring the money and the first thing he yells at us is I don’t have change. At that point we literally laughed and said yeah we figured...

$170 parking fee

As out-of-state visitors who shop at the Discount Mall every couple of months, we were shocked by our recent experience with aggressive parking enforcement in the lot. After patronizing the family-owned La Baguette Bakery and other small vendors inside, we returned from a brief errand across the street to find a $170 parking boot on our car. The enforcers, wearing bulletproof vests and riding in an SUV, said we should have looked at the sign. Yet when asked, they pointed to a single small sign with tiny text atop a pole at the distant end of the massive lot — unreadable unless standing right below it. Their demand for $170 in cash only to remove the boot shows a blatant disregard for customers. This experience highlights a broader issue with the mall's redevelopment by Novak Development, which started kicking out small, locally-owned vendors in favor of national retailers, and appears more focused on profits than people.

The local vendors inside the mall building rely on customer goodwill to survive. Yet they report losing patrons who are rightfully wary of getting booted and facing an exorbitant cash fee. While Novak Development may gain short-term revenue from parking tickets, this threatens the diverse small businesses that make the Discount Mall a community treasure. As out-of-towners, we always appreciated the mall's unique local flavor. But Novak's redevelopment approach shows no regard for the well-being of long-time vendors, patrons, or the community as a whole. With intimidating parking enforcement and the displacement of local businesses, they have created an unwelcoming environment focused on wringing every dollar possible from customers. This is not the way to sustainably redevelop an area or build a community.

Como visitantes de fuera del estado que compran en el Centro Comercial de Descuentos cada par de meses, nos sorprendió mucho nuestra reciente experiencia con la agresiva vigilancia de estacionamiento en el lote. Después de comprar en la panadería familiar La Baguette y otras pequeñas tiendas dentro del centro, regresamos de un breve mandado al otro lado de la calle para encontrar una bota inmovilizadora en nuestro coche con una multa de $170. Los guardias, usando chalecos antibalas y manejando una camioneta SUV, dijeron que debimos haber visto el letrero. Sin embargo, cuando preguntamos, señalaron un único letrero pequeño con letra diminuta en la parte superior de un poste al otro extremo del enorme lote, que solo se puede leer estando justo debajo. Su demanda de $170 en efectivo solamente para quitar la bota muestra un desprecio descarado hacia los clientes. Esta experiencia resalta un problema más amplio con la remodelación del centro comercial por Novak Development, que comenzó a sacar a los pequeños vendedores locales en favor de cadenas nacionales, y parece enfocarse más en las ganancias que en la gente.

Los vendedores locales dentro del edificio del centro comercial dependen de la buena voluntad de los clientes para sobrevivir. Sin embargo, reportan la pérdida de clientes que con justa razón desconfían de recibir una bota inmovilizadora y enfrentar una tarifa exorbitante en efectivo. Aunque Novak Development puede ganar ingresos a corto plazo de las multas de estacionamiento, esto amenaza a los diversos pequeños negocios que hacen que el Centro Comercial de Descuentos sea un tesoro comunitario. Como forasteros, siempre apreciamos el sabor local único del centro comercial. Pero el enfoque de remodelación de Novak no muestra ninguna consideración por el bienestar de los vendedores de mucho tiempo, los clientes o la comunidad en general. Con la intimidante vigilancia de estacionamiento y el desplazamiento de los negocios locales, han creado un ambiente hostil enfocado en exprimir cada dólar posible de los clientes. Esta no es la forma de remodelar un área de manera sostenible o...

I am profoundly disappointed with the current state of the establishment. It has deviated significantly from its previous standards. The management's pursuit of profit appears excessive. The Discount Mall has engaged private security personnel to surveil all individuals entering the premises. The placement of inconspicuous signage, positioned at considerable heights on poles, renders it difficult for patrons to receive adequate warning. Consequently, patrons are subjected to constant surveillance. During a brief absence of approximately 5 minutes to utilize facilities elsewhere, I returned to discover my vehicle had been immobilized, and I was subsequently levied a fee of $180. This occurrence represents a significant deception. I vehemently caution against patronizing this establishment. It is advisable to redirect both your hard-earned funds and business endeavors elsewhere. Pursuing police intervention is futile, as this matter is deemed civil, precluding their ability to intercede. Security personnel are known to report these incidents to their superior and openly deride affected individuals. Opting for online shopping is a more...