My experience with outlet shopping in Hokkaido has opened up a whole new world and I am seeing it with a different light even though I am still not that willing to spend my hard earned money on branded goods!
Nevertheless, I was willing to check out Johor Premium Outlets (JPO) when I traveled to Kluang last December and we happened to chance upon the weekend with additional discounts dispensed at JPO!
As expected, the place was packed with customers and compared to the cool comfort within our air-conditioned car; it was insanely hot in the open-air shopping mall.
Even the mist fans failed to bring down my temperature; they should have installed big ass fans instead for better air circulation! Oh well, no point complaining when we were the eventual decision makers in paying JPO a visit.
Navigation at JPO was pretty straightforward; three long buildings spread over two floors but the interesting design with wide aisles gave the impression you are always on the ground floor.
JPO first opened in December 2011 and got to its current size with 130 stores in 2013 with its Phase II expansion. There's actually another premium outlets branch in Malaysia that started operations in June 2017; the Genting Premium Outlets!
I bet the second branch would be nicer to shop as it's at Genting Highlands where the climate would be way more comfortable than Johor! At JPO, i almost wanted to jump into the water fountain to cool myself down.
As it was close to Christmas when we dropped by; there were festive decorations like Christmas-themed LED lights in the bushes although it wasn't as elaborate as in the case of Singapore.
There were play areas for kids but i thought it was pretty small and might not appeal to kids nowadays, given how reliant we are on ipads and tablets.
Another playground was also under maintenance then.
A lot of familiar brands for you to shop around; we allocated two hours which proved to be sufficient yet insufficient. Sufficient for the fact that i really couldn't stand walking under the hot and humid weather and insufficient as i actually didn't step into many shops!
Those i am interested in had a long queue and i dislike having to queue to shop! Queuing for good food is another matter altogether, by the way.
I did join at one point and give up in less than 10 minutes when the line didn't seem to have moved. My time can be better spent in other less popular shops.
Especially when i can enjoy the air-conditioning for a short moment, before the salesperson came over and asked if i need any help.
Did i manage to get anything? Of course i did; a shirt from G2000, a pair of shoes from Hush Puppies and a few candle holders from Bath & Body Works!
Random photos of JPO for your viewing pleasure. Numerous dining options were available at JPO but please keep in mind that the crowd on weekends would mean a longer waiting time during peak mealtimes.
I finally got a seat and an ice-blended coffee at Coffee Bean! In my short "stay" at the cafe, i noticed many people were hogging the seats on behalf of others. For example, it could be a family of six at first but four would disappear to do their shopping while the rest would just play their phones.
In all, i am glad to have visited JPO despite the hot weather and might actually return in the future with a longer allocated time and equipped with a portable fan!
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Location
Jalan Premium Outlets, Indahpura 81000 Kulai,
Johor Darul Takzim, Malaysia
Map
As above; search under day 2 for Johor Premium Outlets.
Website
Store Directory
As above.
To read more about my short 2-day, 1-night road trip to Kluang, click here!
Wow so many branded goods! Good that you got something for yourself during this shopping trip.
ReplyDeleteHahaha ya! but too lazy to queue up; if not would have purchased a lot more. :P
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