Dufferin Mall

Malls in Toronto all blend in to one eventually … Hard to pick them apart This is like the rest, nothing special but certainly not a wasted journey, if you’re in the area pop in

After a recent Talk thread, I’ve been inspired to actually review this mall.
The bottom line is that if you’re looking for cheaper prices than other malls, this place might be the one to go to. That of course does not mean better quality, so take that with a grain of salt.
Between the Walmart, Winners, Marshalls, Dollarama and No Frills, we’re talking about some of the more discounted retail shopping environments. Even the Gap store is an Outlet location.
And then throwing in a swarm of poorly manufactured and super cheap clothing that you should avoid like International Clothiers and Pinstripes (seriously, if you think you’re ever going to get a decent suit for $ 100 you probably need to rethink that), you can tell this malls target demographic, and it ain’t pretty.
But there is the convenience of free parking and admittedly this is one of the better No Frills locations you can visit… So there are upsides. And being that mid-​point between the higher end options like Yorkdale and Eaton Centres, versus the slummy places like the Galleria Mall, I suppose I still have to give it 3 stars.

30+ years ago this was an outdoor strip mall which over time grew to the monstrosity it is now. Regardless of how many ramps they have, not all of the mall is fully accessible. I love shopping at Dollarama’s and sadly this one is located down two flights of steps from the main mall level. It can’t be accessed any other way other than down the steps and my failing knees and arthritis makes it painful to get down them stairs. Walmart has escalators so is somewhat accessible and though the new Marshall’s is on the ground level, it can be access from the street, escalators from the mall and even an elevator.
Overall the mall is loud and packed at all times of the day and night. Holiday shopping is one of the worse times to try to get through the mall. If you’re only there to access Walmart or NoFrills, use the street or outdoor entrances instead of trying to fight the crowds to get to them. Ever since the latest updates, the mall has added free WiFi, and new seating in the centre of the individual wings as well as table and chair seating areas for the various food vendors located outside of the food court.
The main mall washroom used to be opposite the entrance to Walmart right by the rear entrance but that has since changed and it’s location moved to the wing where Winners and the intersection where Telus is. But even that newest renovation only a year old has been taken away because as a main mall washroom there was line-​up right out the door which spilled into the mall because of the entrances were exactly in the mall instead of down some corridor where it should be. The last time I was there, they were boarded up and a very large porta-​potty station was stationed at the north entrance with a sign claiming the new new washroom was coming soon.
The food court washrooms are very tiny and can not accommodate the amount of traffic for even ¹⁄₁₀ of the patrons in the food court. Overall I find there is as much traffic here as there is in the Eaton Centre or Scarborough Town Centre.

The only place that I love in Dufferin Mall is Spencer’s. They have nice character tees. Sonic, SpongeBob, any character there is. You name it. Family Guy, The Simpsons. So much to decide!

I used to come to this mall as a kid and what can I say, they have changed it completely. The mall used to be a bit on the ghetto side, but I used to always frequent Walmart and Toys R Us. i still do the same, except the mall now contains many higher end stores that people love. Including H&M, Marshalls, Winners and various other clothing stores. Also there are great budget shops such as Dollarama and the ever popular Walmart to get household supplies and other items you may need to stock up on.
The mall itself has come a long way from what it was before. It used to look like a run down strip mall, and now it looks a bit better with all the renovations and new décor. I mean it’s no Yorkdale, but it’s something very decent for the area on the West end of Toronto.
The mall does get a lot of traffic, but I find the supply and stock for all my favourite stores are usually great. The H&M isn’t picked clean like the Eaton Center location and the Walmart usually isn’t sold out of all their door crasher and sale items such as other ones around the city.
Overall a great mall to visit with plenty of options for food, clothing, groceries and household items. I definitely enjoy coming here over places like STC, Yorkdale and Fairview!

I took my iphone 5 for replacing the cracked screen to the mobilicity shop.
The guy, Muji, opened it up, unscrewed it and then he realized he didnt have more black screens: S… So he had to put everything back for the 1^st time.
I realized the camara wasn’t working so he had to open it up again, his boss arrived with more supplies so Muji replaced the screen but now the home button wasn’t working… Opened it up for the 4^th time and he replaced the home button as it was broken but now the display was flickering. He realized the screen was defective!!! He asked me to go back the next day and for the moment I left with a white screen and a no working camera!
I lost count how many times he opened my phone and how any screws he lost… He doesn’t seem to be experienced or skilled!!!

I survived Dufferin Mall today. Something about this mall makes you just run home and need to wash your body

The variety of stores isn’t bad if you’re not too picky. Walmart is always a zoo. No Frills is good for grocery store basics. There’s a Beer Store that shares the same parking lot but is not accessible through the mall.

I much prefer this mall over any others in Toronto. Eaton Centre/​Yorkdale are both always way too crazy and I don’t shop at 90% of the stores there.
DM meets my needs and is literally two blocks away, it’s great. :)
Visited Foot Locker and picked up some Converse. Sales clerk was great.

This isn’t the run down mall I grew up going to… back in the day I remember coming all the way out here when it still had a bowling alley (where the Marshall’s is now).
Then it got even more run down.
But since it underwent quite a bit of reno a while ago now, it’s now a much more serviceable mall. For a value oriented mall, it’s got both a winners and marshall’s, a Walmart, no frills, and a Dollarama.
If you’re looking for Gucci or Versace, I think you made a wrong left turn somewhere.

I love The Duff for it’s convenient access to cheap everything. Walmart, Dollarama, McDonalds, No Frills, that covers pretty much everything the budget conscious shopper could need. Since before I moved to Toronto I had people telling me this place was gross or sketchy or blah blah blah. To those people I say go to the Galleria and get back to me. I’ve never seen anything sketchier here than any other mall in the city. Sure it doesn’t have $ 400 shoes like Yorkdale but most of us in the real world don’t care.

Not sure why people are constantly nagging & undermining this mall in other reviews. It’s much bigger and has a lot more than compared to the galleria several blocks north of it. Sure it may not be as fancy or as much of a maze like Yorkdale mall or Eaton centre, but at least products here aren’t extremely overpriced in many of the stores.
Sure I may have shown up a lot at this since 1997, not much has really changed except that it looks a bit more modernized especially since 2008, clothing only stores that just open & close within 2 – 6 months, & a bunch of kiosks within the mall that don’t seem to be as annoying now as compared to in 2011 – 13.
This place has pretty decently sized food court that gets busy around 12 noon especially at McDonalds having the biggest lineup sometimes spanning over 20 people at times. Sometimes it takes too long to order either because a customer causes a fuss or can’t speak English. There’s quite a variety of food to choose from, whether it’s Asian culinary on which is tasty, pizza, subway sandwiches & your typical over greasy fast foods that’s popular.
On the bright side there’s a Swiss Chalet near the main entrance on Dufferin St. that serves great food all the time, & beer for those who like to drink.
Kind of wish there was more seating throughout the place inside, whether it be those comfortable black sofa like benches (on which mostly elderly sit on for hours) or even double/​triple the seating locations within the food court area since so many people cram the area or seem to loiter for over an hour on peak times.

Dufferin Mall has come a long way since the 1980s. I will always have special place in my heart for Dufferin Mall since my mom used to take my brother and I there when we were kids, when it was a bit of a ghetto mall, the anchor store was Woolco and their was still a Biway there.
Dufferin Mall actually has a really neat history about how in the 1990s mall management worked with community partners to address problems like crimes and street drugs. The story is quite inspirational. You can read the story from the Caledon Institute of Social Policy here:
The Mall now is much bigger, brighter and cleaner than it once was. I love that it has a Winners and a Marshalls. The anchor store now is Walmart, there is also a No Frills. They have regular stores like Reitmans, Sirens, and Suzy Shier. They also have a Dollarama. There is a Gap Factory Outlet.
The Catholic Children’s Aid Society’s office is here, as is Skills for Change (a non-​profit organization that provides learning and training opportunities for immigrants and refugees to enter the workforce or to get better jobs).
Dufferin Mall is very much a community mall. There are no high end stores here. It’s a mall for the working class and the middle class. I might be biased because I spent a large chunk of my childhood here, but I like Dufferin Mall. It’s very multicultural. You will hear lots of different languages spoken here. It’s genuine and unpretentious.

This mall is pretty small compared to the other Toronto malls. I’ve only visited this place twice and I had a terrible experience at one of the stores, Sirens.
There was a dress there that only had 1 xs left. I went to check out other stores before I wanted to buy it. I was gone for 30 mins and when I came back, ¹⁄₃ of the rack was gone. I looked around and found them on the cashier counter. I went through the pile and couldn’t find my size. Someone must have bought it. A lady approached and demanded, «What the hell are you doing?» Yes, she used those exact words. As I was explaining my situation, she rudely brushed me off. I don’t think that is how you should be treating your customers. Another coworker noticed this and came to help me. I didn’t look at other dresses or purchased anything else because of this terrible experience. I will never shop at this store again either.
Other than that, the rest of the stores I’ve visited had the usual salesperson that greets you and asks if you need any help. That lady should definitely learn from them!

From what I remember this mall wasn’t that great back in the day. Since I last visited as of recent, it got a little better but still needs improvement in order for me to find reason the visit again. Wouldn’t go out of my way for this mall.

How many fights can you have in Dufferin Mall, before you stop going to Dufferin Mall?*
There’s something about this mall that just doesn’t agree with me, but yet I keep getting drawn back in. I like the H&M there. WalMart is so much fun (sorry, neighbourhood enthusiasts). It’s really close to the subway, and there’s not too much else drawing me to that neighbourhood that makes me want to go.
I don’t love the… vibe? Strange… sampling…of people. (And of course, me among them) The layout is a bit strange as well. It’s a destination because of the WalMart, but not else really draws me there.
* two. Two fights.

This mall is what it is. It serves the void for a a shopping center in this neighborhood I guess. Located within a walking distance to the subway this mall houses the all important Walmart. People might complain and cringe but the largest retailer in the world is here to stay and if you are looking for a decent price guess where are you going to go? Unlike many big cities we at least don’t have to trek to the suburbs to go to Walmart. It also houses one of the bigger no frills I have been to so thats another positive. In addition there is a Best Buy Mobile which is a bad thing from my experience there. There is a bigger The Source store and then the rest of forgetful stores.
I would say an average mall with a small mix of standard stores.

I’m not a fan of malls to begin with but this one is pretty good for all your one stop shopping needs. Winners, Penningtons, Walmart, food court, Dollarama, No frills. some good stuff!

A no frills mall packed during the lunch hour with students and the elderly.
Decent size food court if you decide to take a break from shopping.
Don’t let the front entrance fool you, once you enter, this is a rather large mall involving plenty of walking distance. Watch out for the elderly racing in their motorized carts.
Another older lady was apparently screaming at no one in particular while I was enjoying my poutinue in the food court.
If the elderly don’t scare you, then you’ll enjoy this mall

The Duff! Truly an incomparable shopping experience. This is not a flattering review, but I think I love this place. Read on, friends.
It is by far the grossest shopping complex in Toronto, but sometimes the pull of a Walmart, Toys R Us or the Pizza Hut/​Taco Bell/​KFC mini food court in the middle of the parking lot is just too strong.
I really hate coming here, but I make the trek about 5 times a year. Those Walmart flyers will get ya!
I’m a big fan of their Dollarama, it’s really disorganized, but has a lot of the nicer $ 2 items on hand that other locations seem to run out of, like vases. This last sentence seems like I’m being snarky, but I’m serious.
The buyer at the H&M in The Duff should be the buyer at Suzie Sheer. Ugh. Also best to avoid the Gap Factory store, I know these are extras, but this place also looks like it was curated by Ms. Sheer herself.
The girl at the Frozen Yogurt kiosk is very, very friendly, though her toppings don’t seem to pair well with FroYo. Melon bits on Strawberry frozen yogurt? Weird.
If you’re with a shopping buddy make sure they are familiar with the shit show that is The Duff and are a patient individual. Otherwise, you might not like each other after the visit. I know many strong relationships that have dissolved at the hands of this dark mistress.
PEPPER POINTS: For having a Babies R Us. I’m neck deep in baby showers.

Centre commercial parmi tant d’autres à Toronto. Vous y trouverez surtout un wallmart et de nombreux magasins de vêtements.
L’incontournable food court est aussi là afin de rassasier les acheteurs en balade.
Bien desservi par le bus 29 qui s’arrête juste devant.