Dadeland Mall hacks: How to holiday shop in Kendall’s favorite mall without losing your mind

Even in this age of online ordering, sometimes you find yourself at the mall.

Maybe you need ideas. Maybe you don’t want to give that Internet retail behemoth in Seattle all of your money. Maybe you want to get away from your family for five minutes because oh my God, why can’t everybody stop arguing for five minutes?

So sometimes you end up at the mall, and that mall is Dadeland.

How do you survive the mayhem of the holiday season in retail? Here are a few tips for making your shopping strategic and your holiday less horrifying.

Park smart

Don’t spend hours circling the lots and raising your blood pressure. Reserve a space ahead of time with the MyPark app. There’s also valet parking at the main entrance by the Cheesecake Factory and another over by Saks. If you want covered parking, the third floor of the parking garage connects A, B and C garages.

Know where you’re going before you get there

Dadeland has a directory of stores; consult before you leave the house. You can even download a map of the mall to plan your route if your OCD is acting up.

Find out what’s on sale before you go

Save valuable browsing time by consulting the Deals section of Dadeland’s website.

Go early or late

Don’t hit the mall at prime time. That’s madness. Come first thing in the morning or late at night. (Note: this does not mean right after work at 5. That will only lead to hostility and regret.)

The mall changes to holiday hours on Dec. 13 and will be open some mornings as early as 8 a.m. and close as late as 11 or 11:59 p.m. Last minute shoppers have from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. See full schedule of hours at dadelandmall.com

Know when it snows

Snow falls every night at 6 and 8 p.m. through Dec. 30 at the holiday tree in the fashion wing near Tesla. If you’re on a mission, show up later.

Don’t load yourself down

Got a lot of people to buy for but don’t want to get loaded down with packages? Dadeland has complimentary luggage and package check at Simon Guest Services at the main entrance of the mall.

Stay fueled

Shopping while hangry is how people end up fighting over the last George Foreman grill in the Macy’s home section. Eat something. Here’s where you can eat.

This story was originally published December 9, 2019 at 2:35 PM.