Outlet shopping

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hear that Woodbury Commons, one hour from Manhattan, still has high end designer outlets. These do not create a lesser line for outlets, I am told.

Yes, that’s true. That place still has some true outlets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Malls are pretty annoying places to visit. Outlets are usually mostly outdoor not mall atmosphere so that’s one positive.

Malls you have to go to the back to find the sales. Most outlets everything is on sale.

Idk is the Kate spade or coach bag at the outlet different than the one at the mall?

Are the Nike shoes different?

Most Coach bags at the outlets are made specifically for outlets and have never been sold at regular stores. You can also buy them online at their outlet website.

Usually there are a handful of bags that did come from a regular store. They usually have some minor damage or are weird colors.

[Anonymous]

Yeah. The stuff at many of the outlets is now specifically for the outlets. That's been going on for a while now. There was an American Eagle outlet that had branded AE stuff, but specific outlet clothing as well.

I have found the polos at Brooks Brothers to be good along with 501 at the Levi's outlet to be solid as well.

To really date myself, some of the best deals were back in the day of the large department stores and you'd go shop their "basement" where the off-season clothes would end up. You could find some really nice stuff marked down considerably.

J Crew Factory in town here has good T-Shirts as others have said.

[Anonymous]

My kid's high school had an annual exchange with Taiwanese students and I served as a chaperone for a few planned field trips 3 years in a row while my kid was a Chinese language student.

The factory outlets were a required trip and all those kids fanned out and went insane.

I remember they really focused on Godiva chocolates.

Factory outlet shopping is most fun when you're a certain size and know what fits you, you get to try on lots of things only available online (Lands End, LLBean)

[Anonymous]

Until about a year ago, I lived a 15 minute drive from Tysons mall. I now live about that distance from Potomac Mills Mall, which is an outlet mall. I really miss Tyson’s. A lot of way is sold in mall stores these days is trash, period. If you are looking for natural fibers, you need to read labels carefully, and in most places are going to be disappointed. But it is particularly bad at the outlet stores. In my experience, quality is much lower. And for the most part, stuff is not much cheaper if at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Malls are pretty annoying places to visit. Outlets are usually mostly outdoor not mall atmosphere so that’s one positive.

Malls you have to go to the back to find the sales. Most outlets everything is on sale.

Idk is the Kate spade or coach bag at the outlet different than the one at the mall?

Are the Nike shoes different?

The Coach bags at the outlet stores are made with a lesser quality leather. I don’t know about the relative quality of the Kate Spade merchandise.

[Anonymous]

Is anyone old enough to remember Gershman’s in Rehoboth?

Family owned, old school outlet. It was awesome!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Once upon a time there used to be factory stores that sold last season’s or slightly imperfect merchandise or some oddities that didn’t land well. I had a field day at a Le Creuset 20 years ago. I think there are still some like that. I know a few furniture/home goods by me (Brooklyn, NY).

But most outlet shopping now, especially clothing and footwear, is the products specifically created at lower price points to be sold at these places. That’s a waste of time.

The old mill outlets in Reading, PA were great for this! Bus loads full of NYC and NJ folks would arrive day after day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Malls are pretty annoying places to visit. Outlets are usually mostly outdoor not mall atmosphere so that’s one positive.

Malls you have to go to the back to find the sales. Most outlets everything is on sale.

Idk is the Kate spade or coach bag at the outlet different than the one at the mall?

Are the Nike shoes different?

The Coach bags at the outlet stores are made with a lesser quality leather. I don’t know about the relative quality of the Kate Spade merchandise.

Is that true? I bought a leather Coach bag at the outlet in 2005 and I carried it today! It still looks good and I used in all through college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Malls are pretty annoying places to visit. Outlets are usually mostly outdoor not mall atmosphere so that’s one positive.

Malls you have to go to the back to find the sales. Most outlets everything is on sale.

Idk is the Kate spade or coach bag at the outlet different than the one at the mall?

Are the Nike shoes different?

The Coach bags at the outlet stores are made with a lesser quality leather. I don’t know about the relative quality of the Kate Spade merchandise.

Is that true? I bought a leather Coach bag at the outlet in 2005 and I carried it today! It still looks good and I used in all through college.

Yes, it's very true. Things are different than they were over 20 years ago when you bought yours.

[Anonymous]

I like really good shoes. I go to Clarksburg to go to the Ferragamo outlet. Shoes are half the price of in the store.