La Plaza — Local services in McAllen

La Plaza Mall has grown, but for me it's less a place to shop and more a place to walk with air conditioning and observe with amazement and wonder the diverse crowd of humanity and also the evolved mall creatures with rainbow hair and pieces of metal sticking out of their tongues.

Unless you're really into paying large amounts of money for the privilege of advertising for a company by wearing clothing covered with their logo (so others know you paid $800 for your sneakers), or cheap Chinese imported fad stuff, you may want to use the entrance that leads directly into the anchor store you want to shop. Thank God, there is still a JC Penny, Dillard's and Macy's and a few decent places to eat.

Those who are more adventurous can enter the vortex that is the mall where there are other stores like Old Navy, Abercrombie & Fitch, Build a Bear Workshop, Torrid, Hot Topic, Sephora, Bath & Body, Victoria's (not so) Secret, Van's, Boot Jack, and a few chain jewelry stores like Zales, Kay, and Reed's.

Naturally (or unnaturally) there is also a labyrinth of kiosks and other smaller stores all competing for your attention and money. You'll find people trying to spray you with fragrances, straighten or curl your hair, fit you with a hair piece, put some new glitter make-up on your face, or polish your shoes for free ...only to try to pressure you into buying their way over-priced shoe polishing kit or at least give them a big tip.

Can you tell I'm not really into malls? I had not been in over a year. I was going to the bank, but discovered it doesn't open till 11 AM, so I could drive somewhere else or walk around for 25 minutes. I chose the latter as walking is good exercise.

The Northside newer expansion of the mall has some good restaurants like Texas de Brazil and Yard House. Of course you can always go to the food court and eat a large pizza sized cookie or some kind of fast food while trying to pretend you don't mind the whining children and their parents who ignore them.

Thankfully, when I went it was a weekday morning and not many mall creatures were out. The parking garage was mostly empty. But I saw enough that I know I do not want to return during the Christmas shopping season.

If you happen to be a mall creature, I wish you well, and a long happy life. Please don't take it personal if I do a double take when I see you made up as an Anime character doll complete with special pupil-enhancing contact lenses, or sporting subdermal implanted Vulcan-style bumps or a third eye tattooed on your forehead. My reaction is involuntary and partly out of shock. I've never had a piercing except for my...

La Plaza Mall, Ive been trying to call your administration office and no one ever answers. I wanted to make a complaint about a kiosk in your mall. There is a shoe shining spot across the Croc store that has an employee who harasses people who walk by! I went to the mall this past Saturday before noon with my daughter who has a hidden disability. She wears a mask at all times because of that. I also do it so she can feel at ease. As we were shopping near the croc store this young Hispanic male from this shoe shining stand started to scream at us! He laughed and said, 'HEY why are you all wearing masks? Do you all have Covvid? Oh wow sucks to be you all!! You should go outside then and go get fresh air and stop wearing a mask! I will pray for you all. Probrecitas. Then he started to walk towards us and we were so scared because he was walking behind us yelling and laughing. He then went back to his shoe stand to work. I hope someone can record his harassment. I have called and called you all report his harassment with someone you do business with and you never answer. This is harassment is totally uncalled for especially to my daughter with her disability. Also, even if someone is sick, that is not something to laugh and scream about. Our health should not be a concern to anyone of those sellers who you chose to sell in the mall! La Plaza Mall should be embarrassed by this behavior. I know someone probably has a recording of this worker who...

This is the largest and nicest mall in the Rio Grande Valley. They have completed a remodel and added additional parking. That said, the narrow corridors in the mall are so cluttered with kiosks that the mall feels busy when it is actually slow. Are the Kiosks a fire hazard? I cannot believe the fire department allows these kiosks to clutter the walk ways. They make it very difficult to maneuver through this mall. The kiosks need to go! They are selling junk items, they take up valuable walking space, and they are always trying to "hawk" their products. Terribly annoying!

This mall does have a wide variety of stores but the stores have terrible selections of products. The stores seem to carry a reduced inventory for this mall. The stores certainly do not have the same merchandise that I find when shopping at other malls.

In the three years that I have lived in McAllen, I have visited this mall twice. Once before the remodel and the second time after the remodel. I am very disappointed in this mall. Shopping is not enjoyable and the product selection in the stores is dismal. I will continue to shop online for items that I cannot wait on and I will continue to make "shopping" trips to...