They say the recession is over but there's no need to tell the Westfield Garden State Plaza, which continues to attract big crowds. A piece of advice: Make some time to go there. It's well worth it!

It can take hours to explore everything the Plaza has to offer and that’s a big reason why approximately 20 million shoppers will make their way through the mall this year. That's comparable to the number of customers the mall hosted in 2008, according to Lisa Herrmann, the Plaza’s marketing director.

“The bottom line is that our traffic has been steady even with the recession,” said Herrmann, a Bergen County resident. “I think people are watching their pennies and instead of going on vacation, they are staying local. They are shopping, dining or going to a movie from what we’ve seen.

“We’re finding that people are coming to the mall as their weekend getaway. We’ve been running some special programs to meet our customers' needs. One of those programs we call Fabfinds, and it highlights the 16 best deals in the mall in a brochure that we hand out every week.”

Other programs, such as The W Family, have also been warmly received by shoppers. Patrons receive a free membership card upon joining and are eligible for discounts at more than 40 mall retailers every Wednesday when they show the card. There are also dinner and movie programs that will net customers special deals at participating mall restaurants when they present a same-day movie stub.

“I love the Garden State Plaza for a lot of reasons,” said Mahwah businessman Joe Margherita. “It’s convenient to get there, there’s so much to do, and if I need to buy anything, whether it’s clothing or gifts for clients, I know it’s all under one roof. The place has everything. And to top it off, it's entertaining."

On Black Friday, the Plaza will kick off "The 12 Days of Shopping" program, which will run throughout the holiday season. The program, based on the 12 days of Christmas, will feature charity days, choral days and other exciting giveaways for shoppers.

“It’s just a fun program to ring in the holiday season,” Herrmann said. “It makes the shopping experience for the customer very festive.”

There are also several new additions set to join the nearly 300 stores at the Westfield Garden State Plaza. Gucci will open in time for the holidays and Pandora, an eclectic jewelry store, is already welcoming customers. Pilly's will be open shortly, providing a combination of trendy denims while mixing skating and surfing themes. Tous, which sells scarves, jewelry and handbags among other items, also recently opened.

And the dining options are equally diverse. Flirt Sushi will be joining the large selection of eateries at the GSP, setting up shop on the lower level by Lord & Taylor.

“It’s a great mall because it has a little bit of everything,” said 21-year-old New Milford resident Kristina Scoppa. “It has everything from mid-priced stores to high-end designer shops so you really don’t have to go anywhere else to find what you are looking for.”

Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus
www.westfield.com/gardenstateplaza