American living in the UK left floored as he admits one thing is 'really different'

Daily Record

6 hours ago

An American who is obsessed with visiting different cities around the United Kingdom to rate them in a series of viral videos has been left "impressed" by a shopping centre as it's "insane"
An American living in the UK was left flabbergasted by UK shopping centres, branding his native American malls as subpar by comparison. TikToker @kjordyy, who rates different cities across Britain, was awestruck by Kent's Bluewater Shopping Centre and expressed his thoughts in a video captioned: "America...WHAT are we doing? British malls are genuinely insane".
He enthuses about the UK malls in the video, claiming they "blow his mind" and insists it's "so much more than a shopping experience". "I don't think you truly understand the complexity of these malls," he declares, amazed at the offerings. His tour showed him that "first of all", the architectural prowess of every centre he visits is "insane".
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He then marvelled at the discovery of "a moat outside of the mall".
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Diving into details, he reveals it houses over 280 stores, boasts a cinema with 17 screens and even an adventure park complete with ziplines and skydiving options.
Bemused, he noted that such attractions are unheard of in US malls, admitting: "If I were a kid, I just wouldn't leave this place," due to the variety of available activities.
Emboldened, @kjordyy announced his intent to try skydiving on-site, something not possible in American shopping hubs. However, after approaching the skydiving and zip line areas, he faced disappointment being told he was "too heavy" to participate.
Undeterred, he concluded: "Just the sheer fact that a mall has this, I'm impressed. I'm sad I've got too swole a body for them, but you know what, maybe next time".
In the comments, one person encouraged him to "go to the Trafford Centre" for its remarkable features. "Especially the ship area with the restaurants," another added.
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An individual recounted their astonishment during a visit to the Trafford Centre, saying it "blew their mind". Some commenters were quick to point out that "Bluewater is not an accurate representation of UK 'malls'."
One commenter reminisced: "Metrocentre used to have an indoor funfair including a rollercoaster!! It's no longer there now".
The impact of the internet on shopping centres was debated, with some arguing that "people are too lazy to go and walk round" nowadays, while others defended the irreplaceable experience of in-person shopping.
A woman queried: "Are malls shutting down over there the way they are here? Even our giant mall only has about two stores in it now".
Another boasted about their local centre: "I mean my local one is all outside and has a cinema, like 20 shops and 6 restaurants, but there's better further away".
Meanwhile, a UK resident described their local centre as having just "a Greggs, McDonald's and the absolute bare minimum of stores," reassuring the TikToker that this isn't the norm.