King of Prussia vs. Franklin Mills ???

[Debralynn]

Well looks like I am heading to Philadelphia on MONDAY to go back to school shopping with my DD. I have never been to Franklin Mills, I have been to King of Prussia, which would be better shopping for a 17 year old???? I know they are close to each other, but I do not want to go to both malls on Monday, I am not a happy shopper. I know, I know, I am a rare breed, but I hate shopping! So please, any advice you have to help make my shopping trip a success would be greatly appreciated !!!! Thanks. Debralynn :)

[Jessnc]

I lived in Philadelphia for a few years and I only went to King of Prussia once. I went to Franklin Mills a few times and would reccommend that for your purposes. FM is smaller than KoP. For some reason I'm thinking FM had outlet stores too, but I could be wrong - it has been about 8 years since I've been there. Good luck and happy shopping! ;)

[gabbyh]

King of Prussia (IKEA!!!) and FM...some of the best shopping when I lived in PA...makes me homesick...FM is an outlet mall, and we're lucky to have it's sister mall, Sawgrass...right here in South Florida...I would say you'd do better at FM, especially with a 17 y.o.

~Gail

[cas]

Definitely King of Prussia. I took my 16 year old there last summer with a friend (2 hour road trip) and they loved it. I went to Franklin Mills about 6 years ago and didn't care for it at all. Most of the clothing was from 2-3 seasons ago and very outdated. The only good store was the gap outlet and I'm not sure if older girls like that anyway. But King of Prussia had everything they were looking for- Hollister, American Eagle, Abercrombie,plus many stores that I was happy with. Wear comfy shoes though, it is huge!

[southjerseymom]

I second the trip to King of Prussia. It has ALL the stores that appeal to teens. You're more likely to have a successful day there rather than FM. Comfortable shoes are a necessity. I haven't been there in years, but they added on and the place is mega huge.

[lindrusso]

It's kind of hard to compare the two because they are completely different. KOP is a really nice mall - actually two malls combined - with all of the latest. Frankllin Mills is a huge outlet mall. Both have their purposes and places, but it all depends on what you're looking for - the latest or the good deals.

I would suggest visiting both of the websites and looking at what stores they have to offer - that would probably be the best way to decide.

But you're right, both in one day would be WAY too much. Both are oversized as it is!

[GingerPow]

Definitely King of Prussia. I took my 16 year old there last summer with a friend (2 hour road trip) and they loved it. I went to Franklin Mills about 6 years ago and didn't care for it at all. Most of the clothing was from 2-3 seasons ago and very outdated. The only good store was the gap outlet and I'm not sure if older girls like that anyway. But King of Prussia had everything they were looking for- Hollister, American Eagle, Abercrombie,plus many stores that I was happy with. Wear comfy shoes though, it is huge!
What 'cas' said. EXACTLY!:D

[BucknellAlum]

I would definitely pick KofP over FM. Plus, you can look in Williams Sonoma and Crate&Barrel!

The Plaza is bigger and has a more diverse selection of stores, from Old Navy on up to Neiman-Marcus and Nordstrom. The Court is slightly smaller, but has a Macy's, Banana Republic, Urban Outfitters, Bloomingdales. Check out the mall websites!

[Debralynn]

Thanks for all the input. I did not know FM was an outlet mall until you posted it here. We ended up going to King of Prussia, we hit the road at 8am and got to the mall right before it opened! It started out as a quiet day, but by 2pm, look out. It wasn't packed, but long lines for dressing rooms and even longer line to pay! It was a big big success with the 17 year old. We just got home at 9pm. Long day, but Thank goodness, I can now say that we are DONE shopping!!!!!!!! Yippeee. It was a nice day with just the two of us. Thanks for all of your help everyone. Debralynn :)

[Jessnc]

I'm glad your shopping trip was a success! Only 364 more days til next year's trip? ;)