January Sales in Florida

[FRANTIC FROG]

Do the shops have them and if so, are there really good bargains to be had?
Lin xxxxxx

 

[keith&carol]

Yes they have great sales! But they start the day after Xmas when most Americans have to go back to work.
I never have trouble finding sales there tho, they have them all the time. If you're going to a Mall,Saturday always sees bargains in the Department Stores.
There are sales also after every Public Holiday (sometimes even on the day itself) and if you want bargains in Disney go to the furthest corner of each store which is where they seem to tuck them.
Happy shopping,
Carol

 

[Beejayjay]

Frog,

I've visited DW and Orlando about 20 or so times now, at various times of the year to, except during the kid's summer hols, and they really dont see to have the same way of doing their 'sales' as we do. There doesn't seem to be a set period when all the stores have sales at the same time as we get here, ie the January Sales. It seems to be more of a store by store choice/decision, so you mayfind one store witha sale on, the next not, etc... I'm sure now however that someone will completely disprove this and tell you the exact opposite !

A part of the reason for this is that the many outlet stores are all selling at big discounts to the regular stores anyway, so Sales as we know them are a bit unnecessary.

( See ? Even while I was typing this reply someone comes along and proves me wrong ! )

As for normal stores, I've actually been in them, been about to go and pay for something and had the staff tell me that if I wait about half an hour, they will be cutting prices by 10, 15, 20 % !! They seem to have a price reduction/sale whenever it suits them !

I dont know if this is your first time to Orlando or if you're a regular there. If this is a first trip, you might not be too familiar with the Outlet malls. These tend to have shops for all the major retailers such as Levi's, Gap, Guess, Nike, Adidas, etc, and as mentioned, have prices way below what you would normally pay for the same or similar goods in there regular stores or other chains. Some of the goods may be end of season/line bargains, but its all pukka stuff and often at stupid prices. For example, on my last visit, I got a pair of Guess combat shorts for $7 - They'd be about £40 here !

Here are links to some of the better shopping venues in Orlando, in my order of preference :

Orlando Premium Outlets

The Florida Mall

(The Florida Mall isn't an Outlet store mall, but it's still top shopping ! Many a bargain to be had.)

Belz Factory Outlet Mall

Belz Designer Outlet Centre

Lake Buena Vista Factory Outlet

The Mall at Millenia

The Millennia only opened this time last year, so I haven't visted it yet, but I sure will at Christmas ! People here rave about it - it's an upscale mall with many designer names, so it wont be as thrifty to shop at as some of the others, but it will still be cheaper than the good old UK !

If you love shopping, and getting a bargain, you'll love Orlando !

Hope this helps.

 

[FRANTIC FROG]

thanx for all the useful info.
I have been before this it my 5 th time but never in January.
Looks like Vinny the Visa card is going to be on a mission once again!!!!
Lin

 

[GO2209]

The department stores in the Malls often have special discount days and promotions.

Get a copy of the local/regional paper (eg Orlando Sentinel, St Pete's Times etc) at the weekend - they usually have full page adverts for the big stores.

 

[DocRafiki]

Originally posted by Beejayjay
There doesn't seem to be a set period when all the stores have sales at the same time as we get here, ie the January Sales. It seems to be more of a store by store choice/decision, so you mayfind one store witha sale on, the next not, etc... I'm sure now however that someone will completely disprove this and tell you the exact opposite !

A part of the reason for this is that the many outlet stores are all selling at big discounts to the regular stores anyway, so Sales as we know them are a bit unnecessary.

I'd say you're exactly right about not having a set period for sales. You can hit the back of pretty much any store at any given time to find sales. I almost NEVER pay rack rate, personally.

Sales are big after holidays, but by January you won't find much left of after-Christmas sales.

The outlet stores, IMO, aren't much of a bargain. I will go there when I need a big selection and don't have time for bargain-hunting. BUT, the best bargains are to be found on the sale racks of regular stores and stores like Ross or TJ Maxx. Those last 2 stores are my favorites... you can find REALLY cheap brand name stuff there, but you might have to hunt a bit. They get product from all different store chains, which make them different from outlet stores. It has also been known that some outlet stores actually manufacture a lower-quality product especially for their outlet stores, so it's not always the bargain that it appears to be. (The Disney outlets are an exception -- I love them!)

Happy Shopping!

 

[Beejayjay]

Originally posted by DocRafiki
...the best bargains are to be found on the sale racks of regular stores and stores like Ross or TJ Maxx. ... you can find REALLY cheap brand name stuff there, but you might have to hunt a bit.

Happy Shopping!

I have to say you're right there too Rafiki - I've gotten some outrageous bargains in the past in the likes of Dillards and Sears.

Example - Roundtree & Yorke fleece lined, quilted, hooded, waterproof winter jacket with a double zip. UK Price around $130-150, in Dilliards post Chrimbo sale... $27.00 inc taxes !!

I do find the outlet stores very good for bargains personally, it's all a matter of individual taste, but you will certainly be getting much better prices anywhere in O-town than in the UK !

(Note to self - pack a spare bag...)

 

[jersey shark]

Hmmm...based on your original question and some UK replies (and I'll display my ignorance of the UK here)...are there not retail sales going on all the time in the UK? If not, why wouldn't there be in a free and open economy?

To answer your question, it is almost impossible NOT to find a store having a sale at any given time in the US...any Sunday paper purchased will come with a near-ton of flyers, ads, coupons etc....read one and you'll see what I mean.

Here's another tip...if doing a lot of shopping at one store in particular, (let's say you want to spend $200 at a Burdine's -sale merchandise or not)....you could probably get another 10-15% off your purchases just by opening a store charge card, or failing that, asking for an extra discount in advance by talking to the store manager ("If I spend xxx dollars here, will you give me a break (discount)"...if not, just leave!)

The competitive pressure is very high....retailers want your money...so they tend to be agreeable to your terms if you spend big with them!

Still trying to figure out the UK sales thing.....please let me know what's up with this!

 

[Beejayjay]

Shark,

There is no legislative or legal reason why stores here in the UK can't have a sale whenever they may want one, it's just a traditional/expected thing here that the majority of stores, whether they be part of a chain or independents, all tend to hold sales at the same time, and at the same times of year too.

Hence we get January sales, as per the original posters question (which actually also tend to start directlly after Chrimbo now) Spring, Summer, then Autumn (fall) sales - usually referred to as End Of Season Sales. You may find the odd retailer who has a short sale between these periods, but it's not nearly as regularly done as it is stateside.

As I say, it seems to be a tradition rather than for any real solid reason - maybe someone can tell you other wise ?

A more cynical - quite possibly my own - view is that it's done as a means for the major retailers to try to control prices - well, more correctly to keep them high - and to prevent smaller retailers from being able to cut into their trade by beating them on price...

The consumer in the UK just isnt as forceful as our US cousins, and we tend to just accept it as the way of things. I recall a few years back that just prior to a visit to Florida, I'd read that the car gas retailers had put prices up by some 5-10c a gallon in the US, and people simply stopped buying gas ! By the time I got over a few weeks later, the price had dropped again. It just wouldn't happen here, and it's our largely own fault !

Oh, ahem, er, sorry for the political diatribe...

I hope I've answered your original question ok dude !