McGowin Park — Local services in Mobile

Shopped at the petco there and petco is to high for what you can get anywhere else that sells pet supplies substantially cheaper. The staff is nice but not enough of them there. Takes to long to get help. I can get my own fish quicker. Although polite, they know little or nothing about the animals they sell. If you buy a reptile, they cannot tell you the age or gender or any history about the critter. Knowing how old the animal is, determines what to feed it and how often. It's a very important detail. They stick it in a box then hand you your receipt and a pamphlet to read with basic instructions but no information on the individual. At least not for reptiles. These critters can live for decades in some cases. Knowing when it was born and the gender or any medical history is essential. But nobody can tell you anything. If they cannot provide those details, they need to provide the breeders contact information so the customer can maybe find out thru them. For all anyone knows, they could be wild caught in a foreign country and shipped...

This is a new outdoor mall. I'm not really a fan of outdoor malls in general. I prefer to go in and see what I need, from shop to shop. I really feel like had they built a new mall and added a parking garage, they'd have more room for shops and walking time would be limited. That said, it's okay. They still need businesses but even so, the place is booming! There are a few restaurants (one off my favorites is Firehouse and the manager there is really nice). There's a movie theater and Mobile's first Costco, with a gas station and pharmacy. I hate the traffic circles though. I always hate those things. They're very popular in New England and was grateful we didn't have them here, but no more. They're here now and they're apparently here to stay. All in all, it's fun but it gets sweltering hot in summer. Oh and the one serious benefit with an outdoor mall is that you can avoid something like what happened at Kenya's...

Found an item I didn't need but really wanted. After trying 5 times to put it down, I ambled toward the checkout, prize in hand. When I got there, 23 people were in line and 1 register was open. Decision was made and I walked out empty handed. Sales people were all over the floor putting out new merchandise. Should have thought more of the people who were gauging their shopping experience. Bad thing is, in the parking lot, almost everyone coming in asked those of us leaving about our shopping experience. Not to say I won't be back. I really like shopping at Ross. Maybe it was near the first of the month, maybe it was a Monday, maybe half the sales staff called in sick, who knows? Management should have been paying...