Mommy Monday- Braving The Mall on Black Friday with RBC Avion Holiday Boutique VIP Lounge

This post and the photos within it may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Braving The Mall on Black Friday with RBC Avion Holiday Boutique VIP LoungeIn what could only be described as a bout of stupidity, over the weekend I headed to the mall for some Black Friday shopping with my 5 year old in tow. “We’ll have girl time!” I exclaimed “Just mommy and Bean, conquering the mall, looking for great deals and fun Christmas presents for friends and family. And if you’re really good… we can stop at Dairy Queen for a Blizzard,” I bribed.

Oh the Dairy Queen Blizzard… I can’t tell you how many times I pulled that one out of my pocket as we staggered through the mall.

The trip started out innocently enough. I was in receipt of an RBC Avion Card and was told that the card would grant me free valet parking, access to the VIP lounge and free gift wrapping. Honestly, the offer of getting to experience all of those perks was enough to get my butt to the mall. I was tempted to drag along all of my previously purchased Christmas gifts to have wrapped as well… but I didn’t.

Bean and I circled the mall to the food court entrance where a valet station was set up. A very nice young man opened my door, took my keys and wished Bean and I a happy shopping trip.

97f3d1f65bc011e3b11a12f2bc0fbd78_8

Into the mall we headed and from there we hunted down Old Navy where they were having a 50% off EVERYTHING in the store sale. We spent about half an hour walking through the women’s and girls section, then we headed over to the boy’s section. That is when I saw a line that stretched all the way to the back of the store.

“Is this the line for the changing room?” I asked a woman in line.

“Nope, this is the checkout line” she answered.

Ugh. I looked down at my arm full of clothing. I examined all of the pretty outfits that Bean had picked out that she wanted for Christmas presents. I looked at Bean, contemplating dropping my pile and heading out of the store. “It’s worth it Mommy” she said. “The line isn’t THAT long.”

055e47f45bc011e3a801121e0f202bd6_8

I grabbed a few more items for gifts and then we got into line. 10 minutes went by, then 15, then 20… we slowly inched forward. Funny how after standing in line for 20 minutes my girl wasn’t thinking it was so “worth it” anymore. 30 minutes in we could see the checkout desk. My girl had started whining and fidgeting. 50 minutes after getting into line we arrived at the cashier. By this point Bean wasn’t so happy that we had we decided to make the long trek to the cashier and flopped down on the floor in front of the cashier desk.

“You have to get up,” I said to my girl as people tripped over her trying to get to the next cashier. “We are almost done.”

“I’m tired Mommy. I just want to sit down. I’m SO bored. Can we go now?” With our purchases paid for we tripped out of Old Navy exhausted and only part way through the Christmas shopping plans I had for the day. I looked up and this was right in front of me…

121d93f85bc211e3b548127e8010d13a_8

The VIP RBC Avion Lounge. I grabbed Bean’s hand and dragged her towards the lounge.

“I have an RBC Avion Card…” I said to the woman at the desk as I fumbled for my wallet.

“Welcome,” she said in a soothing voice “Please come in, make yourself comfortable and help yourself to complimentary beverages and treats at our cafe.”

b761cb8c5bc111e3bce812f5a4d786f6_8

Make ourselves comfortable we did. I dropped my carrier bags next to a comfy chair by the cafe counter, had Bean sit down and take a load off and I placed our order.

745b3ed65bc111e3b93c0aee2b594061_8

1 tea, 1 hot chocolate, 2 candy canes, a dark chocolate covered pretzel and 2 mandarin oranges later (all of which were complementary) we were recovered. I sorted through the bag of gifts that we bought at Old Navy and sorted into two piles, one pile to be wrapped at the complimentary gift wrapping station, the other bag to be checked in at the bag and coat check.

f2beb5e25bc011e3b4f012b8d6fff5a9_8

While our gifts were being wrapped, Bean and I headed to a few more stores, knowing that if the crowds got overwhelming, our bags got too heavy or we got tired of the hustle and bustle we could head back to the VIP RBC Avion Lounge and recover.

318c88e45bc111e3b8b60af705758581_8

The Avion Lounge helped me be a better mommy that day. I only wish every mall had one leading up to Christmas.

RBC Avion Holiday Boutique VIP Lounges can be found at Yorkdale in Toronto, Mail Champlain in Montreal, Coquitlam Centre Near Vancouver and the Halifax Shopping Centre.

Tell me… Do you enjoy Christmas Shopping? Do you have a Christmas shopping horror story? Have you ever experienced VIP treatment when shopping?

“Disclosure: I am part of the RBC Avion Holiday Boutique Blogger Campaign with Mom Central Canada and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group.  The opinions on this blog are my own.”

A message from RBC:

Earning is simple and easy —
You’ll earn RBC Rewards points every time you make a purchase with your RBC Avion card.

Great value and then some —
Earn 1 RBC Rewards point for every dollar spent on purchases. Plus, earn bonus points when shopping through the RBC Rewards eMall.

Premium and Extensive Insurance package including trip cancellation and protection for your trip, hotel, rental vehicle, and purchases.

Choose air travel rewards from the Air Travel Redemption Schedule starting as low as 15,000 points and fly on any airline, anytime with no blackouts, or seat restrictions.

Book travel rewards instantly. Only the RBC Rewards program has an online booking tool that’s powered by Travelocity.

And many more perks! Check out both the RBC Infinite Avion Card and the RBC Platinum Avion Card details here: https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/credit-cards/travel-credit-cards/

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

4 Comments

  1. My hubs recently got an Avion card so we’ve enjoyed some of the perks as well!

    1. Hi Salma,

      I have to admit… the lounge was pretty fabulous. You should check it out if you are ever near Coquitlam Centre. Also take advantage of the free valet parking and gift wrapping!

      Best Wishes,

      Crystal

  2. Wow! You were brave to go out on Black Friday. It sounds like you got great deals at Old Navy. I don’t know if I would have lasted 50 minutes in line. I don’t have an Avion card but we did receive a free bag from them as we walked by at Coquitlam centre, which was nice. The lounge sounds like airline lounges in airports. It sounds like a real life saver when you’re trying to cope with shopping during Christmas season – which can be a taxing affair.

    1. Hi Pamela,

      It definitely reminded me of the VIP lounges in airports. It was a real life saver. When the mall is busy like that it’s near impossible finding a bench for your kids to sit down on in the mall. It was definitely nice to have a quiet place to escape to.

      Best Wishes,

      Crystal