I've lost my love for outlets

[disneyofcourse]

Outlets used to have great stuff a couple years ago and now it seems like they use different fabrics and most places just make items just for the factory store. Even the cuts are different at some places. I get better deals by just going to the mall and buying all the stuff at regular stores. Yet going in these places you always see people running around and grabbing as much stuff as possible. I went with a friend and she started running around grabbing things and headed towards a register then I said " are you even going to try this stuff on before buying it" and "You know the stuff is cheaper at the regular store, right?" She thought about it and realized I was right and we walked out without anything. She said since its an outlet store she always expects things to be cheaper. So not true sometimes! We ended up going to the mall instead and getting better quality for less with the stores sales. She said she kinda goes off the energy of the other people shopping at outlets. ...Yesh, Glad I have some control Also, anyone else notice that the dressing rooms are just constantly packed with lines 20-30 people deep? Even people just dressing in the middle of the store?


For one thing she grabbed a J.Crew(I think) shirt in the same style I had but the fabric was totally different + Much Thinner and the pricing was almost the same. Same thing with a skirt she grabbed.


Do my question is- Have you also noticed how outlets have changed?

 

[Yoshi]

There is a VF Outlet near me, it used to be everything was 1/2 off the lowest ticketed price. Now the discounts aren't as great and I noticed they cut back the amount of items they have. I always used to get shorts there, now I haven't bought any shorts from them in years. My family still goes to the outlets once or twice a year but I rarely find much other than some MLB t-shirts.

I also find I can get better deals going to regular stores. I check the clearance areas at KMart, Target and Sears and usually can find some great deals. My favorite is when Sears marks down all seasonal items to $0.99. I got a bunch of summer clothes in the fall last year, including some $30 - $35 shorts and shirts.

 

[3boymthr]

Oh, yes, I have. You are so right. We have them right here in my town and I don't go at all anymore unless it's something I know I won't be able to get somewhere else or at a store that I know does not sell a cheaper cut of their clothes. I have even found that items other than clothes are also cheaper at the mall than at the outlets. For example, I have Villeroy & Boch china. Their prices on dishes are more expensive than any online seller, for that matter they are more expensive than Macy's if Macy's is having a sale. But, V&B has a seconds table where I can get plates for as much as 80% off suggested retail which is fine when I'm looking for oddball pieces that I won't use very much.

 

[Dewy]

I think some of the "outlet gimmicks" have been around for a long time. I'm reminded of a news story that one of our local staions did about 10 years ago. They went to the big outlet area in Kittery Maine and found lots of misleading stuff.

One of the biggest scams was the "compare at" price which is usually much higher than the selling price. They bought a couple of mens shirts and searched for the same shirt and could not find it anywhere. When they went back and interviewed the store manager he admitted, finally, that they items are only made for the outlet...but he really danced around the subject before he finally admitted. By the end of the interview you coud see him sweating(LOL).

The second one I remember was a woman's dress with a compare at price around $300 that they were selling for $75. The news station had hired an apparel expert to examine the dress. She found poor stitching, cheap zipper, and imperfections with the material. In her opinion a $35 -$40 dress.

When it comes to outlets...buyer beware.

 

[Pigeon]

I agree. They opened a lovely outlet shopping center about a half an hour from me. I was excited, right up until I shopped there. The prices were no big deal. I could do much, much better by watching for sales at the regular mall.

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

I agree, a few years back outlets were just that, outlets to sell over stocked itmes. Now they are like branches of the stores with similar pricing and worse quality

 

[chris31997]

Agree, gotta know what you are looking for and what it cost. Sometimes you can get it cheaper at the mall.

I like the thrill of the hunt for the best price

 

[pigletto]

It really depends on the store for me.
For example the Yankee Candle outlet is wonderful (If you're in to "paying for coloured wax" as dh puts it). I went to a Home store and saw a Yankee candle I wanted for 26 dollars. The next day we took a trip to the outlets and got four for $40. So I like that outlet.
Also, I find the EXACT same pieces in the Oshkosh and Childrens Place outlets for way cheaper.
In fact, most of the things I have found at the Factory Outlets in Niagara Falls New York I have been really pleased with. But I will admit that even at the outlets I look for sales and their best deals. The regular prices are pretty much the same as any other store most of the time.
Another one I LOVE is the Fossil Outlet. Bought 2 purses from there for half as much as the one cost in the Fossil store.

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

I agree with Outlet pricing not being much better than regular store pricing, especially when you can find a sale.

But, anyone know where you can find Van Heusen and Bass goods in a regular store? That's what I mainly go to the outlets for. Van Heusen and Bass. Geoffery Beene used to be good too but they closed a few years ago.

 

[Pigeon]

I've bought Van Heusen shirts for dh at Burlington Coat Factory.

 

[theycallmered]

I agree with Outlet pricing not being much better than regular store pricing, especially when you can find a sale.

But, anyone know where you can find Van Heusen and Bass goods in a regular store? That's what I mainly go to the outlets for. Van Heusen and Bass. Geoffery Beene used to be good too but they closed a few years ago.

You can find Van Heusen at JC Penney.

 

[taylorcpa]

I agree. If you don't know how much stuff is at other stores how do you know if you are getting a good deal? I went to a Maidenform outlet and their prices were higher than Kohls or Penney's. I guess it depends on where you normally shop as to how each outlet's prices compare. However, I LOVE the Stride Rite outlet since we bought 6 pairs of shoes for what 2 pairs would cost locally.

 

[RangerPooh]

Eons ago I worked for Eddie Bauer and I asked the manager about the difference between what is sold in the factory stores vs. mall stores. Her response was the label coloring. There is one specifically for items made for the factory store, online, and mall/standalone stores. Being a factory outlet store that I worked at we did ahve all of the labels there, but it was usually on the clearance racks, while the outlet specific label was the rest. As for the prices they were hit or miss. Some were better than the online/catalog prices, others the same.

Since this was back in the 90s things may have changed, but having lived in a community with an enormous number of outlet stores I have had plenty of time to scrutinize the pricing. Many are their regular stores just placed in an outlet mall, others are what they were designed to be, factory seconds or clearance. Unfortunately the prices just aren't what they use to be.