Almost everyone enjoys a good shopping trip once in a while. Other times shopping is a necessity, especially around the holidays. Whatever your reason for shopping, it is always better when you get a great deal. Hunting for bargains is one of the main reasons outlet shopping has become so popular.
If you are still relatively new to the world of outlet shopping then it is important to learn a little bit more about it. While outlet shopping was once thought of as only a way to save a few dollars on irregular or damaged items that were not the best brand names, things have changed a lot since the early days.
To get a more in depth idea of what today’s outlet shopping is all about you should learn about all that outlet shopping now has to offer.
What to Expect from Outlet Shopping
People who are not familiar with outlet shopping do not always realize why it has become so popular these days. Although the prices may not always be rock bottom, they are lower then what you would find in traditional retail stores. You can also find plenty of the biggest names in fashion and traditional retail at outlet malls these days.
Outlets have become a way for brand names to unload their merchandise that they don’t want in their retail stores for a variety of reasons. For example, many outlets carry past season merchandise that frees up space in their retail store instead of having clearance merchandise taking up prime real estate on the floor.
Another reason some merchandise maybe in an outlet location depends on the standards of the brand. For example, if a clothing brand rolls out a new shirt but the color isn’t the exact shade of khaki they wanted, all of those shirts end up being sold off in outlets instead of standard retail stores.
So what kind of merchandise can you find in outlet stores? To put it simply, any type of merchandise or store you would find in a traditional mall can be found at an outlet. This includes:
- Clothing
- Tools
- House wares
- Jewelry
- Footwear
- Candy
- Gift Items
- Toys
- Furniture
- Kids Merchandise
- Perfume
- Cosmetics
- Plus so much more
Making the Switch to Outlets
Many shoppers who swear by outlet shopping can’t imagine spending their money any place else. Maybe you’re not ready to make the switch completely but ready to give it a try. A good rule of thumb is to try outlets when you are looking for something specific. If you don’t find the right item you can always still find it in regular retail.
So what are some of the brands you can find at outlet malls?
Much of this depends on the location of the mall as there are several brands that are only at a few select locations. To get an idea of the variety available though, here is a sample of some popular outlet stores:
- GAP
- Old Navy
- DKNY
- Disney
- Adidas
- Calvin Klein
- J. Crew
- Juicy Couture
- Nike
- Gymboree
- Wilsons Leather
- Fossil
- Harry & David
- Plus plenty of other premium choices
While outlet shopping, you’ll find that most modern day outlet malls also have a food court or several good choices for stopping to grab a bite to eat. While early malls usually had nothing more than a snack shop, the choices are much better these days. In addition to choices such as Panera Bread or well known pizza places, some outlet malls have fine dining choices such as the Chop House.
Outlet malls have become quite popular and are even destination spots for many. It means that people travel just to shop at outlets and many even plan their vacations around it. For many shoppers there simply isn’t anything better than hitting the outlets.