Sticky, germ infested, but hey, that’s home. Nothing gives us more comfort than the endless lines of stores, small children, and inflated price tags. Malls are the foundation of our country, consumerism at its finest. In Loudoun County, when you feel the abrupt urge to go shopping, only two places come to mind: the Dulles Mall and the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets. No matter what they may say, every LoCo resident has some sort of opinion on these two locations, a preference if you will. These two destination hold many different features, and this question makes or breaks whether you go to Dulles or the Outlets: Do you enjoy being in a large, heated indoor facility with shared air or do you prefer the fresh oxygen of the Outlet mall? The food court is an essential area in any mall. One is always in need of nutrients with the strenuous exercise of shopping. Dulles has the advantage of a larger variety for their customers. And a Chick-fil-a. The Outlet may have a smaller array of shops, but they have a large court and a smoothie shop to satisfy any appetite. But who’s to say which one is better? Who’s to say if we should favor Forever 21 and Regal theater over Lulu Lemon and Kate Spade? Being the curious journalists we are, we decided to question our peers about their preferences concerning these two malls. We interviewed some peeps, who you may know as your peers, about their preferences for each location.

• Lexi Keefe prefers The Outlets because it’s affordable, has more variety in stores, and she doesn’t mind the weather. In her opinion, the parking lot is equally annoying, so it’s not a factor in her decision. However, credit is given to Dulles Mall for their superior food court.
• Sha’nelle Huff favors Dulles Mall because she enjoys their stores and food court more than the Outlets. Additionally, the weather helps her decide which establishment she chooses to shop at, though she does agree that the Outlets is more affordable.
• Zamerial Sanders likes Dulles because they provide a large selection of stores, space, and food variety. Parking does not influence her decision, but the weather does.
• Abdulah Kahn prefers the Outlets because it has a better selection of stores and Dulles is scary. The weather affects where he shops, but he doesn’t mind the parking lot because they are both full depending on the time of day.
• Ms. Dawson likes the Outlets because of its proximity to the school and affordability. The weather does affect her decision, but parking lot does not.

Preference for a store is all based on the needs and wants of the shopper. These interviews were to help anyone who is torn in the decision between the two to think of these factors.