Outlet malls gettin' all uppity
Filed under: Newspapers, Shopping
I recently ventured over to the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets for what I thought would be an exciting day of bargains and fun.
Boy was I wrong. Although they were outlets, they were mainly discounts in the sense that you could get 10% off a $200 Burberry scarf. Nearly all the stores at the Wrentham Outlets were decidedly booshie: Barneys, Burberry, DKNY, Guess, Kenneth Cole, Lacoste, Coach, Swarvoski, etc. There was even a Vitamin World outlet that sounded intriguing, although it made me a little nervous. What exactly is a vitamin outlet? "The ones the FDA said we couldn't sell"?
In any case, these seemed more like designer stores rather than outlets, with clothes that you only knew were a "bargain" because they told you they were 20% off their regular prices.
The New York Times reports on this emerging trend of the deluxification of outlet shopping. Top designers see it as a way to better manage their own inventory, and shoppers flock for a whole store of True Religion products rather than just a few racks at the department store.
Bottom line: Outlets aren't what they once were -- places to get really inexpensive name-brand clothes. If you're a label whore, it's probably cheaper than buying stuff in the department store. But for the truly budget-conscious shoppers among us, Filene's Basement, Marshall's and the thrift store reign supreme.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-26-2007 @ 2:41PM
Jim said...
The article is basically true. However, if you catch the sales and, particularly, the clearance sales at the upscale outlet shops, you really can get a bargain.
Reply
12-26-2007 @ 10:38PM
stavros said...
BOOSHIE new vocabulary word 2007?? u r 100% correct!!!!!!!!! identity theft pays better!
Reply
12-26-2007 @ 4:08PM
Jonessa said...
I once lived 3 miles from some very popular outlet stores. I never went there.
A lot of the stores weren't really outlet stores...they were reatail and just located in the same area.
I bought a coffee filter at WalMart for $4. Same thing at the kitchen outlet was $11.
You really have to be on top of bargain hunting.
Reply
12-26-2007 @ 6:29PM
Jazzie said...
You can't even find that much on sale. If you want it, it's in your size, they have already sold it by the time it becomes a sale.
So... if you are a 17 EEE or a 48 waist, you've got it made!
Reply
12-26-2007 @ 5:12PM
brad said...
The best bargains to me is at the regular department stores when they run sales. Outlet shopping is not fun, way overcrowded and I wonder sometimes if the merchandise is "irregular" or manufactured specifically for them, like The Gap and Banana, the clothes are not the same, nor returnable to a regular store.
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12-28-2007 @ 1:03PM
Susan Messenger said...
Did you know that outlet stores actually make the clothing specifically to sell in their outlets? Out of less expensive materials etc?