Orlando area shopping - all tips, advice, warnings, suggestions welcome!!!!

[disneyholic family]

Going to WDW in late august/early september 2023.
This time it's without family.
I'm meeting my best friend from university, but i'm arriving a week early to do some serious shopping.
I'm planning on Mall at Millenia (never shopped there but i figured i'd try it since i'm on my own).
Also the premium outlet mall near disney.
And walmart, target, kohls, and costco.
And probably a bunch of others (new balance for sure for my big footed family).
I'm trying to figure out which of the above to head to (which kohls, which target, etc).
There are so many, and i'm unfamiliar with the various orlando neighborhoods (in terms of safety since i'll be on my own).

Basically i'm hoping to pick your brains, since i know a lot of you love to shop when you're in orlando.

Any tips, advice, warnings, suggestions, recommendations, etc. would be greatly appreciated!!!!

thanks in advance!!!

 

[Lewisc]

Will you have a car?

 

[disneyholic family]

Will you have a car?

yes, i'll have a car. No way i could do all that shopping without one!!!!

 

[Lewisc]

Where are you staying

 

[leiaorgana]

After having too many iffy experiences with the kind of people that loiter around the entrances to the various Walmarts we used to go to around Orlando and not feeling as safe going to them anymore based on stuff we’ve seen in the local news about other Walmarts we tend to just stick to Target now.

There’s a couple of good Super Targets around but I can’t remember where they are off of the top of my head without looking up the addresses online. I do know there’s a newish Super Target not far from the Vineland Premium Outlets because we went there a couple of times when we were there Oct/Nov last year.

 

[disneyholic family]

After having too many iffy experiences with the kind of people that loiter around the entrances to the various Walmarts we used to go to around Orlando and not feeling as safe going to them anymore based on stuff we’ve seen in the local news about other Walmarts we tend to just stick to Target now.

There’s a couple of good Super Targets around but I can’t remember where they are off of the top of my head without looking up the addresses online. I do know there’s a newish Super Target not far from the Vineland Premium Outlets because we went there a couple of times when we were there Oct/Nov last year.

yes, that's exactly why i'm asking.
back in 2019, my daughter and i went to the disunplugged podcast meet (or conference or whatever it was called)
We did a small amount of shopping. We tried several different walmarts, but couldn't find any that didn't make us really uncomfortable.
We could only find one Kohls, and that one was pretty creepy as well.

So this time, i'm trying to research exactly where to drive. It seems like i'm better off heading in the opposite direction of where i tried that time. But i don't know.

 

[Lewisc]

The International Premium Outlets near Universal has a good selection of outlet stores. Most of the stores are in many outlet centers, all over the country. Brahmin has an outlet store, some deals. Character Warehouse.

 

[leiaorgana]

yes, that's exactly why i'm asking.
back in 2019, my daughter and i went to the disunplugged podcast meet (or conference or whatever it was called)
We did a small amount of shopping. We tried several different walmarts, but couldn't find any that didn't make us really uncomfortable.
We could only find one Kohls, and that one was pretty creepy as well.

So this time, i'm trying to research exactly where to drive. It seems like i'm better off heading in the opposite direction of where i tried that time. But i don't know.

I’m sorry you’ve had those negative experiences as well! Walmart makes us feel really uncomfortable too these days and that’s why it’s off our list of places to visit now. The last straw for me was some obvious crackhead outside of the store near the Florida Mall hassling me to use my phone and they were obviously going to try and steal it if I was stupid enough to let them.

I’ll ask a family member for the list of Targets that they’d suggest because they’re the one that handles all of the driving while we’re there so I’m not really sure of street names etc

 

[disneyholic family]

I’m sorry you’ve had those negative experiences as well! Walmart makes us feel really uncomfortable too these days and that’s why it’s off our list of places to visit now. The last straw for me was some obvious crackhead outside of the store near the Florida Mall hassling me to use my phone and they were obviously going to try and steal it if I was stupid enough to let them.

I’ll ask a family member for the list of Targets that they’d suggest because they’re the one that handles all of the driving while we’re there so I’m not really sure of street names etc

thanks! We went to the florida mall about 20 years ago, and i thought it was pretty sketchy even back then. I've never been to the mall at millenia. It will be interesting to see how it is.

 

[leiaorgana]

Okay so the Target we went to last Nov a lot was on Daryl Carter Parkway so quite close to the Vineland Premium Outlets. I can only speak for us but we felt okay in that area as there was a lot being built up around there when we last went.

Haven’t done Mall at Millena in a few years but last time we went it was more on the upscale side of things (Louis Vuitton, Tiffany’s, Chanel, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s etc) so you should be more than good there. I know they have quite a big foodcourt there and plenty of parking and Starbucks etc so it’s always been fairly pleasant to be there in the past. There’s also a big Target near there too.

 

[Woodview]

There are many Walmart & Target Stores & Grocery Stores AND Many Eating

places on Hwy 192 Animal Kingdom end ....... Leading to Hwy 27

 

[disneyholic family]

There are many Walmart & Target Stores & Grocery Stores AND Many Eating

places on Hwy 192 Animal Kingdom end ....... Leading to Hwy 27

that's the exact area i was looking at on the map when i said i thought i should turn in the other direction from disney to try out the target and walmart on that side. More in the area of windsor hills/four corners. I see on the map a walmart supercenter and target there.

 

[disneyholic family]

View attachment 766451Okay so the Target we went to last Nov a lot was on Daryl Carter Parkway so quite close to the Vineland Premium Outlets. I can only speak for us but we felt okay in that area as there was a lot being built up around there when we last went.

Haven’t done Mall at Millena in a few years but last time we went it was more on the upscale side of things (Louis Vuitton, Tiffany’s, Chanel, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s etc) so you should be more than good there. I know they have quite a big foodcourt there and plenty of parking and Starbucks etc so it’s always been fairly pleasant to be there in the past. There’s also a big Target near there too.

i found it on the map. That's definitely not the one we went to. Looks like an interesting location. It gets good reviews on google. And as you pointed out, it's near the outlet mall i'm going to anyway, so i can check it out at the same time.