Outlets of Des Moines

Quick To get to except for that circle Drive haha
Those are always fun to drive Around a few times then slingshot back towards your destination. The grounds are always kept up and parking is ample soo pick your shopping corner or if you are new start in the middle!
There are a lot of good stores here for any shopping Mission; new pants, girl friend needs a purse, kids need clothes, need a serrated bread knife, or in my case need Jerky? Its a good half day out to just browse and get some lunch, if you need a somewhat full day, swing over to Bass Pro Shop and look at Fishing gear or even a Boat, or just go bowling if thats your thing...Not mine haha...
All in All its a good alternative to your Megga Mall and you still get a good walk and some free Midwest Oxygen...There is piped in music too soo if you are a patient husband you can chill on a bench with some of your Jerky, Stam's
Cream filled hedgehogs, and a Soda Pop...

Good selection of stores, plentiful parking, easy to find everything. The mall is rectangular-shaped and if you get turned around, it's easy to go back through to the other side since there were pathways in multiple spots. That's a much better design than malls where I have to talk all the way to the end of a pathway to get to the next set of stores.

We come for the Vera Bradley Outlet, utmost, but they have a wide variety of other highly sought after stores! I love their seating areas with the fire pits! It is over-all just a REALLY nice little outlet mall!

This factory outlet is located in Altoona (exit where the Iowa State Fairgrounds are located at), a simple 10 minute drive from downtown Des Moines. The 80 freeway will not have a sign, allowing you to know of an outlet mall so it's best to use a navigation system unless you are familiar with the area. I arrived when the stores opened and a very sparse crowd (I could count people with my fingers) gave the appearance of an empty outdoor mall. Christmas music was still blaring over the speakers in early January but the entries/exits/restrooms were clean and most parking spots were cleared from a recent major snow storm. The directory signs are conveniently placed as are the restrooms and eating places. Overall, a nice place to visit if you feel the need to walk outdoors and see if any potential bargains are available.

This is a great mall to stroll through on nice days. I love that it's outside. My boyfriend and I come here all the time for the Levi's store and usually visit the Nike store as well. I recommend if you're looking for great deals and an awesome time.
We accidentally made it a habit of coming too often. Don't do that or you'll get bored of the stores.

I brought my two young kids with me on a warm spring morning so we could make a one stop shopping trip for a few things. A huge perk to me is getting the kids out of the car and into the stroller once since all the stores are right there. It also wasn't very crowded of a place and easy to maneuver the stores/outdoor walkways. We went to the Nike Factory Outlet, Under Armour Factory Outlet, Carter's/Oshkosh, and had lunch. That would have been multiple in and outs of the car in another area of town.

I especially appreciated the nicely appointed Mother's Room by the food court/restrooms. It had a changing area, two nursing chairs, and a play table for the older kids (very helpful). They also have a nice Family Restroom. We had to wait a bit for it because a male employee decided to use it instead of going to the men's restroom.

There are a few options for food. Two inside the food court so far. An Asian place and Charley's sandwiches. Neither were very busy but I'm guessing that'll change with time. There's also an information desk there and they have a coupon pamphlet so go talk to them.

I plan to come back and do some more shopping here soon. Very happy with our first impression.

Well I was underwhelmed to say the least. The prices were extraordinary high fir full retail and this is an outlet mall. It confused me. I have been to so many outlet balls and this was the very first that charged more that full retail.

The place was dead especially for the week before Christmas. There were many store fronts that were not occupied so I would say the place is 2/3 occupied only.

I will not be rushing back. If I want an outlet I will drive an hour to the Tanger outlet.

I was not impressed. First the Nike Outlet didn't have the same sales that MN Medford outlet had.

Then when I tried to use the customer service's coupon at the VF Outlet store it didn't actually give 20% off only a penny off! I told the cashier that it didn't apply correctly and she looked at me blankly. Then I looked at the other random employee standing behind her reiterating that the coupon was not applied. Neither of them did anything to correct the situation. My ride was leaving so I looked at them both again. I should have just returned the stupid item, but had to catch up with my group.

Check your receipts before you leave and make sure the prices are what they advertised!!

The only positives were everyone at Auntie Annie's pretzels are super friendly & helpful. Also the manager at Francesca's gave us a deal since her employee told us incorrect information on sale items.

Just don't bother with VF Outlets.

I really enjoyed the variety of stores and the community areas. But unless I had a specific reason to go, I couldn't see myself coming here to just browse. Most of the stores are thematically the same. While there is a nice fireplace and a few places to sit, nothing that would bring groups of people together. They do have some interesting art installations as well.

Parking is great, if you just take the time to drive around the mall, there's parking in the front and rear. This mall is always clean. Not just because it's new, but because there is ALWAYS someone cleaning. The layout is perfect, with maps and signage at every corner. There are more stores on the way, with the latest additions being Michael Kors, Lucky and American Eagle. I wish they had more to offer than 3 eateries, but the way the surrounding area is growing, it won't be long before there's more.