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The Mall-lite 8 continues with Food Court vs Mixed Nuts. Snacks vs Scene. Wetzel's Pretzels vs Hot Topic!Wetzel's Pretzels was our fifth seed in the Food Court and has surprised all but one of us with its win after win. Gen-Z correspondent Ashley Dueñas knew all along what kind of contender we had on our napkin-covered hands. We talk about shopping while pretzeling, the story behind their founders, and if we think it has what it takes to make it to the Final Floor.Facing the pretzel stand that won't quit is the number one seed in the Mixed Nuts region, Hot Topic. After handily taking down mall icons along the way, Hot Topic finds itself facing the question du jour when it comes to mall stores: Is it still relevant? We dive into what Hot Topic has provided to generations of adolescents, our memories, and whatever "scene" might be.Wanna get involved? Find us on social media @maxfunhq and participate in our mall polls! But be quick, because votes close in 24 hours.Find the March Malldness bracket here: maximumfun.org/march-malldness-brackets/

We're wrapping up the Mall-lite 8 and going though the stories of The Sharper Image and EB Games/GameStop. Which store will move on to the next round? It's up to YOU!DadCore catalog The Sharper Image has dominated the Tech & Gifts region as the first seed. Did the now defunct store-turned-brand only make it this far due to a lucky bracket draw?GameStop was the second seed in Fun & Games and makes it to the Mall-lite 8 after victories against KB Toys, The Disney Store and FYE. Will the gamers' like/hate relationship with the store propel it to the Final Floor?Wanna get involved? Find us on social media @maxfunhq and participate in our mall polls! But be quick, because votes close in 24 hours.Find the March Malldness bracket here: maximumfun.org/march-malldness-brackets/

We're onto the Mall-lite 8 and going though the stories of Macy's and Vans. Which store will move on to the next round? It's up to YOU!Mall directory icon and dependable parking lot entrance Macy's has dominated the Department Store region as the first seed. We talk about Macy's place in the present-day mall and whether or not it's the 'empty calories' of mall shopping. Vans was the second seed in Shoe Stores and makes it to the Mall-lite 8 after victories against top seed Foot Locker, Steve Madden and Clarks. Can the iconic skate culture icon score another win over another one seed?Wanna get involved? Find us on social media @maxfunhq and participate in our mall polls! But be quick, because votes close in 24 hours.Find the March Malldness bracket here: maximumfun.org/march-malldness-brackets/

We're finally here, folks. It's the Mall-lite 8. We're doing things a bit different for these matchups. We're going though the histories of each store and talking about our own memories attached to the stores in each matchup. First up, it's PacSun and Bath and Body Works. PacSun has been picking up a lot of steam during our matchups and it's now going up against a titan of mall stores. We talk about what PacSun brings to the table, our experience with the store and their relationship with The Met. Bath and Body Works was the first seed in the I'm Just Looking region and one of the favorites to win the bracket. We get into some of the more memorable scents, the subreddit community, and that iconic gingham.Wanna get involved? Find us on social media @maxfunhq and participate in our mall polls! But be quick, because votes close in 24 hours.Find the March Malldness bracket here: maximumfun.org/march-malldness-brackets/

Hello mallrats! We're at the end of the region finals in Tech & Gifts! Which is the malliest of this matchup: Sharper Image or See's Candies? It's up to you to decide who should be part of the Mall-ite 8!Maximum Fun Technology and Data Specialist Danny Baruela's pick is Sharper Image. He's going to tell you why it's not just iconic. But, Sharper Image is in and of itself an illustration of the idea of malls.Stacey Molski, MaxFun's Director of Business Operations, says that See's Candies is the right pick for this game: a clean, well-lighted place, source of free chocolate samples, and perfect gift destination.Which of these are going to make it to the MALL-LITE 8? Tune in this week to find out. Wanna get involved? Find us on social media @maxfunhq and participate in our mall polls! But be quick, because votes close in 24 hours.Find the March Malldness bracket here: maximumfun.org/march-malldness-brackets/Support Maximum Fun and get some great gifts during the MaxFunDrive maximumfun.org/join

Mallrats! The Sweet 16 heads to every young mallrat's dream, Fun & Games, and only one can make it through to the next round. It's up to YOU! Producer Christian Dueñas tells us why KB Toys is the perfect introduction to mall culture to children.Producer Valerie Moffat explains how no mall is complete without a GameStop and its ruthless trade-in values.Remember to check for our next matchup, we'll be heading into the next round, the "mall-lite 8," in MaxFun's quest for the perfect mall store. Wanna get involved? Find us on social media @maxfunhq and participate in our mall polls! But be quick, because they’ll only be up for 24 hours.Find the complete March Malldness bracket here: https://maximumfun.org/march-malldness-brackets/ 

Hello mallrats! The March Malldness Sweet 16 heads to the oasis of the mall, the Food Court. Pizzeria Sbarro takes on pretzelria Wetzel's Pretzels and only one can make it through to the next round. It's up to YOU! Senior Producer Kevin Ferguson tells us why no mall is complete without Sbarro serving a slice of New York pizzeria-core.Technology and Data Specialist Daniel Baruela explains how Wetzel's Pretzels represents the mall-ification of amusement parks, sports venues and transit centers across America.Remember to check for our next matchup, we'll be heading into the next round, the "mall-lite 8," in MaxFun's quest for the perfect mall store. Wanna get involved? Find us on social media @maxfunhq and participate in our mall polls! But be quick, because they’ll only be up for 24 hours.Find the complete March Malldness bracket here: https://maximumfun.org/march-malldness-brackets/ 

It's the big one folks, two titans of the mall industrial complex battle it out in the Mixed Nuts region. It's Hot Topic vs SpencersDirector of Development and Membership April Pendergraft defends Spencers and explains the difference between "best mall store" and "malliest mall store" Communications Specialist CN Josephs is defending Hot Topic. We get into the everchanging landscape of Hot Topic and if maybe Hot Topic has lost its way.Wanna get involved? Find us on social media @maxfunhq and participate in our mall polls! But be quick, because votes close in 24 hours.Find the March Malldness bracket here: maximumfun.org/march-malldness-brackets/Support Maximum Fun and get some great gifts during the MaxFunDrive maximumfun.org/join

Mallrats! This Sweet 16 matchup is for the people who love to browse, Bath and Body Works faces off against Zumiez in the "I'm Just Looking" region. Only one can make it through to the next round. It's up to YOU! Director of Business Operations Stacey Molski lights the candle for Bath and Body Works and shares how cucu-melon defined her t(w)eenhood.Feeling Seen host Jordan Crucchiola explains what a Zumiez actually is and how it's the perfect store for the sk8r boi in your life and heart.Remember to check out tomorrow's matchup, we'll be going to the "Food Court" region and talking all about Sbarro and Wetzel's Pretzels.Wanna get involved? Find us on social media @maxfunhq and participate in our mall polls! But be quick, because votes close in 24 hours.Find the March Malldness bracket here: maximumfun.org/march-malldness-brackets/

Hello mallrats! We're getting deeper into the Sweet 16 and in one of the most hotly contested regions so far: Cool T(w)eens. PacSun and Urban Outfitters will duke it out and only one can make it through to the next round. It's up to YOU! Producer Jennifer Marmor defends Urban Outfitters and tells us about how clutch UO's curation can be for the t(w)een on the go.Producer Raghu Manavalan defends PacSun and talks about how the California beachrat culture it helped create has spread far and wide throughout the US.Remember to check for our next matchup, We'll be going to the "I'm Just Looking" region and talking all about Bath and Body Works and Zumiez! Wanna get involved? Find us on social media @maxfunhq and participate in our mall polls! But be quick, because they’ll only be up for 24 hours.Find the March Malldness bracket here: https://maximumfun.org/march-malldness-brackets/Support Maximum Fun and get some great gifts during the MaxFunDrivemaximumfun.org/join 

Hello mallrats! We are moving along to the Department Store region to talk about which is the most malliest one: Macy's or Nordstrom! Only one of these iconic department stores will make it to the Final 8 and it is up to you to decide! But don't worry, we have two more Maximum Fun staffers here to guide you through this tough decision.CEO Bikram Chatterji's pick is the top seed, Macy's. He might be the sole member of Maximum Fun's C-Suite, but he knows a department store for the people when he sees one.Marissa Flaxbart, producer and worker-owner, picks Nordstrom. She tells us why it's actually a better mall store, despite Macy's one-stop-shopness.Tomorrow, we'll be covering the Cool T(w)eens and "I'm Just Looking" regions. In the meantime, Find us on social media @maxfunhq and participate in our mall polls! But be quick, because they’ll only be up for 24 hours.Find the March Malldness bracket here: https://maximumfun.org/march-malldness-brackets/

Hello mallrats! Its the first matchup of our Sweet 16. Two iconic stores battle it out in our search for the malliest mall store. This time, it's Vans vs Foot Locker. Only one of these shoe store juggernauts can make it through and it's up to YOU! Production Fellow Daniel Huecias is defending Vans and tells us why that checkerboard slip-on pattern is so important to not only mall culture, but pop culture in general. Producer Richard Robey defends Foot Locker and explains why it's the best spot for window shopping.Stay on the lookout for our next matchup! We'll be heading to the Department Store region for Nordstrom vs Macy's!Wanna get involved? Find us on social media @maxfunhq and participate in our mall polls! But be quick, because they’ll only be up for 24 hours.Find the March Malldness bracket here: https://maximumfun.org/march-malldness-brackets/Support Maximum Fun and get some great gifts during the MaxFunDrivemaximumfun.org/join 

Hello fellow mallrats! Join MaxFun producers Christian, Jennifer, and Raghu on their journey to find the malliest mall store. We started off with a bracket of 64 mall stores and whittled it down to just 16. Now we need your help to find our winner! We discuss the process of cutting our stores down to the Sweet 16, our underdogs, and favorites to win. Plus, some interesting mall-nalytics from resident statistician Daniel Baruela.Wanna get involved? Find us on social media @maxfunhq and participate in our mall polls! But be quick, because they'll only be up for 24 hours.Find the March Malldness bracket here: https://maximumfun.org/march-malldness-brackets/Support Maximum Fun and get some great gifts during the MaxFunDrive! maximumfun.org/join