Anyone buying their products in outlets? We have big surfaces outlet spaces here in my country, usually outside the big cities, but that are definitely worth the miles we drive to get there because we can often get discounts above 50% in most items, not just in some. Sometimes even crazier discounts. Are these spaces common in your country too?
Yes, but not in the physical stores. The physical location of the discount outlets are located a few hours fro where i live. I see no reason to take a 4 hour trip to anther to get the same saving i can get online form the comfort of my home. There are tons of discount outlets online. That offer the same deals. The cost of shipping would be the same as paying for gas for the long trip. It all evens out. The big advantage of shopping online is the convenience. No physical store can compete with that.
That is even more revolutionary than what I do lol, it's much better to check for the outlets online, in my country that side doesn't exist just yet, so I really need to check the store, on the other hand they are just 30 minutes away, so it's not a big inconvenience.
Well in this case I'd say a short 30 minute drive is worth it. Sure you could do it from the comfort of your home, but I think it's better to actually drive up and go see the things you buy in person, unless it was a bigger drive. It's a different experience when you can touch the things you are purchasing, makes it feel like a safer purchase.
Yes, we have many direct factory outlets that are mainly situated in industrial estates. You pay considerably less there and don't get hassled by eager sales staff, loud music or other nuisances. It's also become a trend for small independent shops to open in those areas, that are focused on selling and not on advertising. All the fancy decorating and other extras fall away, there is only the product that sits on tables or shelves. It's actually becoming even chic to live in these estates and rent big spaces out to artists and other creative enterprises.
We have an Outlet space called Freeport that on the last Thursday of every month makes the craziest promotions, up to 75% off over all the existing discounts, so it's really tempting to go there after work. I've never done it so far, but I think I need to take advantage of that.
75% off every month? What sort of things do they sell there? I think I'd wait until that day to do all my shopping and buy in bulk, depending on what they sell.
Yep, pretty impressive right? It's 75% off everything!!! Freeport sells all sort of stuff, from sporting equipment to clothes for men, women and children and even stuff to the house and toys. It's really a great deal, I am needing a pair of sneakers so I'm going there soon enough.
I think that the outlets sell the clothes that we not sold on regular stores and possibly the price is so low because it's factory price, without the stores commission. The stores make a lot of money I imagine.
I like outlet stores in California because I like road trips. While it may cost less to shop online, there is the fresh air, chatting with other shoppers and some places have great gourmet food buys - something I wouldn't buy online. With gas prices being what they are, it may be best to keep these trips to a minimum.
Yeah, I know what you mean jneanz, it's also a family activity. For my wife it's a perfect Sunday to go spend the day in the outlet, go in the morning, have lunch there and return at the end of the day with no money, but loads of bought stuff!
They are not as common where I live. We have outlet stores, but not actual malls and huge spaces with several stores like in the US, for example. In here you can go to outlet stores if you know where they are, but it's usually only one store, so you need to go to each one separately.
I definitely try my best to check out outlets! You can save a bundle on great products and great brands! There are a number of outlets in my area, but they're not really the brands that I normally go for, so I go across the border to check out the US outlets. The prices are definitely better compared to the ones in Canada, because the taxes aren't as high ^.^'
I don't fully get the mechanics of the outlet, please correct me if I am wrong, but basically the outlet is selling the items that were not sold in regular stores and for that reason they have huge discounts right?
In my area we do have the large outlets that you travel to and get some good deals. I think it is more a social thing for us, we make a day of it and eat out, just spending time together. I still like to shop for my clothes and feel the material before I purchase the item.
I almost buy all my clothes from outlet stores exclusively nowadays. Unless there is something specific I really want enough that I'd pay full price for it, I find buying the bulk of my wardrobe is much more economical when bought from outlet stores since they sell everything at insanely low prices despite those items being branded. Also it's much better option to buying second hand since you get brand new items in these stores for the same prices you'd find at a thrift store where you could only get used items usually.
When outlets began to appear around this city I just learned two things about them; on the one hand, some outlets are run directly from a factory and therefore you get the price of a wholesaler without being one. These retail outlet stores are usually next to the factories. On the other hand, other outlets are simply businesses that sell discontinued, outdated or damaged items at lower prices whether they manufacture these products or get them from different factories or sources. Personally I this latter type of outlets because they may sell cheaper than the factory and "damage" of a product could be as simple as being dirt after being in display at the regular shops.
I wonder why outlets are almost always situated in far and hard to reach places? I find it so frustrating, especially if you don't drive, because by the time I get to this huge outlet place, I'm usually very tired and don't have much energy, and that takes away some of the spark! That usually leaves me with say 2 hours before I have to make the journey back on public transport Anyway, where I am we don't have those types of places. I used to have access to a few when I lived in England. I have this friend who has family in America and goes to visit them often. She's told me that American outlets are the best and always comes back with gorgeous designer gear that she's bought for ridiculous prices. It seems a lot cheaper than the UK.
I've never found the discounts at UK outlet stores to be that good. Oh sure, there's always some type of reduction. But they always seem to be situated in out of town areas that are costly to access. The cost of getting there needs to be factored in before deciding whether something really is a good deal.
They just built a Tanger outlet mall about 30 minutes from my home. It's fantastic. With the exchange on the dollar I'm so glad we don't have to drive to the US to shop at an outlet mall. We used to drive 4 hours to Lake George, NY but it was a great family trip. Great food and fun things for the kids in Lake George. Outlet mall have great deals and we always do our back to school shopping this way. I found Tommy Hilfiger khakis for my 12 year old on the clearance rack and paid only $12. Can't beat sales like that.