HOW WE ROLL | The Vaughan Mills Shopping Shuttle Returns

My shopping compadres: the lovely Momming Inc. ladies, Classy on the Run & The Curious Creature. 

As someone who likes to shop (a LOT), I've developed several coping strategies to make my shopping experiences as joyful as possible. My goals are always the same:

1) Find cute stuff

2) Score amazing deals I can brag about later

3) Buy cute stuff (see #1)

4) Feel happiness/elation/joy

5) Avoid stress to keep the happiness/elation/joy rolling (see #4)

I personally find things like parking, driving and 407 tolls take away significantly from my shopping joy. So, the Vaughan Mills shopping shuttle is my go-to. When VM announced that the shuttle was back for yet another year, I gave a little woot-woot and hopped on the GO from Kitchener to Toronto to celebrate the shuttle's summer launch.

I arrive at Union Station and head to 123 Front Street at 9:15 am to grab my shuttle wristband with fellow shopping enthusiasts Momming Inc., Classy on the Run & The Curious Creature (aka Trouble). We go by blogger aliases because we take shopping that seriously. Seriously. You can register for a shuttle wristband the morning of but they recommend you arrive around 8:30 to secure your spot. The coach usually fills up quickly because it's FREE (seriously) with free WiFi on board - Vaughan Mills is a bit of a trek if you're coming from downtown so the shuttle is a no-brainer. The shuttle holds 55 passengers and runs round-trip rides twice daily from Union Station to Vaughan Mills (full directions & details here).

After spilling half of my latte down the front of my shirt whilst talking a little too enthusiastically about pom-poms (again, seriously), the mom bloggers grabbed me some napkins, patted me down, and then we all hopped on board. The shuttle left promptly at 10 am and arrived at Vaughan Mills by 10:25 (!).  

I had several missions to accomplish by 3 pm so I had to focus. On my list: a few Sephora splurges, anything and everything with pom-poms and/or fringe, summer shoes (always shoes), and possibly a few things for my husband and kids because they're cute. I also had a styling session and video shoot booked with girl boss, Katie Zeppieri so had to be extra efficient. Luckily, Vaughan Mills makes shopping easy. I found my pom-poms at DSW and HR2, scored some adorable kids clothes at J.Crew Factory, did a little damage at Nine West Studio and Capezio and then splurged, as planned, at Sephora. Quick lunch at Aroma Espresso Bar (my fave), very pink styling sesh with Katie for Girl Talk Day, and then back on the shuttle for 3 pm. 

Looking for a quick, easy and fun way to get your summer shopping on? The Vaughan Mills Shopping Shuttle is officially rolling and operates from now until September 30th, returning Nov 24th - Dec 26th (shuttle doesn't operate Dec 25th) just in time for your Holiday shopping.  

See you on board! After all, I've already thought of a few more summer things I just might need ;)

Um, did somebody say FREE? 

Love, exciting and new, all aboard, we're expecting youuuuu....

I didn't get the memo. I made the memo. #matchy

Distractions...

Styling sesh with girl boss Katie Zeppieri...

A few of my fun scores...

EVERY DAY I'M SHUTTLING | My Day on the New Vaughan Mills Shopping Shuttle

A mini cardboard replica of the Vaughan Mills Shuttle Bus that's actually - wait for it - a Kleenex box! 

Mondays are usually a little rough. I mean, after a weekend of fun and frolic, it can be torture to dive right back into the work routine. Yesterday, though - yesterday was a different kind of Monday. As Official Stylist of Vaughan Mills (eek!), I was asked to come to Toronto to celebrate the 2015 launch of the Vaughan Mills Shopping Shuttle. If you read this blog, you'll know that my arm never needs to be twisted when it comes to shopping so obviously, I was in. 

I arrive at Union Station with two fellow Toronto blogettes - Samantha Kaszab of Worth the Jetlag & Amanda Cosco of Girl About Toronto and after receiving our wristbands, are escorted by a girl from the City Tours Attraction Desk to the shuttle bus parked just a few blocks away. As soon as we spot it, we are all totally blown away - the Vaughan Mills Shopping Shuttle is a floral tour de force, covered from head to taillights in a bold wash of pink, purple and blue flowers. Stun. Ning. 

We hop on board with a bus full of other giddy shoppers, ready for a day of fashion fun at Vaughan Mills. As the lucky Day 1 riders, we all find swag bags on our seats filled with shopping essentials - headphones, smartphone chargers, water, a pen & notepad (for shoe shopping lists, of course), and the cutest Kleenex box I've ever seen. I've been known to cry tears of joy while shopping so this is a very smart move on the part of the Vaughan Mills marketing team. Plus, we all score a Vaughan Mills gift card to help with our shopping. Yes!

The morning shuttle leaves at 10 am and only takes 20ish minutes to get to Vaughan Mills. We scour the shops and designer outlets (J.Crew, Aritzia, Banana Republic, Town Shoes, Lululemon and BCBG topped our must-visit lists), then settle in for a leisurely lunch (Aroma, anyone?) to refuel before an afternoon at the rest of the stores on our list (I pick up a few things at Ivivva for my daughter, H&M for my son, shorts for my husband at Joe Fresh, and even pick up a birthday present at LEGOLAND because Lego is awesome). Next, it's time to do some damage at HR2. I hone in on the sale racks and spot a classic white Pink Tartan shirtdress, normally $500 marked down to $119. Magic. 

At 3 pm, it's time to jump back on the shuttle. I pass out leis to everyone on the bus to celebrate a successful shopping day and then we all compare our scores. I'm tempted to go back in and pick up a pair of pumps a stylish 20-something found at Capezio but remind myself that the shuttle runs twice daily. I can always do this again tomorrow, right?

Whether you don't own a car, don't feel like dealing with traffic, or are just looking for a fun, FREE way to spend the day at Vaughan Mills, be sure to test-ride the Vaughan Mills Shopping Shuttle, running twice daily all summer long until Sept 30th - no reservations or pre-booking necessary (first-come, first-served so get there early to make sure you get a wristband). I live in Kitchener so plan on taking the VIA into Union Station with my kids, then riding the shuttle bus to Vaughan Mills for a day at LEGOLAND this summer. Oh and get this - for the first time ever, the shopping shuttle will be running during Christmas shopping season from Nov 23rd-Dec 23rd. Genius!

Can't wait to hear what you think of the new Vaughan Mills Shopping Shuttle. See you on board soon!

 

Flower power. 

Samantha and I in our synchronized shuttle poses. 

Shuttle stowaways. This shuttle's so posh, even the cargo hold is squeaky clean. 

This is my happy shopping face. 

No blogger trip is complete without a back-of-the-bus selfie. 

Amanda gets her shoe shopping on. 

Pink Tartan on clearance. This is my jam. 

Can't even with these mini shuttles. 

Shopping joy. 

Aloha. 

This shuttle makes all the other buses jealous. 

Swag bag spoils. Thanks Vaughan Mills!