Things to keep in mind while outlet shopping:
1) Stores will have a mix of sale items and outlet clearance items. Look carefully at the price tag for stuff that is actually clearance.
2) Be disciplined! If you don’t like the price, don’t buy it. There will be a better deal waiting for you in another store.
3) You can stock up on your basics, like socks, t-shirts and underpants so skip Wal-Mart and head to the outlets.
4) You can find high-end things at a really good price, but examine the item closely for seconds tags, flaws and poor construction. It might be in the outlet store for a reason!
5) Start early so you can hit all the stores you want.
6) Park close to the shops so you can go back to the car.
7) Wear clothes you can take on and off quickly. You will lose interest in shopping if you find going into the dressing room a hassle. I was a dork and wore lace-up boots instead of slip-ons.
Saturday was a brilliant day. I met Single Ma for a day outing to Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets. I hadn’t been out there yet, but my fabulous Joan and David shoes I’ve been trying to rescue for years were from the Petaluma Premium Outlets. I figured we were going to get a good deal.
Sure enough, we bought boots on sale at Nine West. There was a small flaw on the toe of mine, so we were going to ask for a 10% discount, but instead, when we pointed it out, the saleswoman whisked the boot away to clean it and when she couldn’t get it off, she gave us a 10% discount with Final Sale terms. This was going to be great because the boots were $80 on sale from about $120 original price. It gets better though. Turns out their Boot Sale was even deeper discount on the written sale price, so I was getting 10% off of about $55! Yippee!
I only purchased one other item which was a pair of green wide wale corduroys. They weren’t as cheap as I would have liked them. Original price was $50, sale was $40, but I would have liked to have paid $30. At any rate, Single Ma approved the cut and fit. Getting plump this past year has been a bummer for me, and my ego is only soothed my pants which are cut in a manner that makes for a more comfy fit for sitting 8-10 hours a day. Nothing like having a waistband cut into your gut all day.
We looked at some wonderful dress clothes for work at Kasper ASL. I wanted to go into Under Armour but we didn’t have time. Single Ma indulged me and we looked at luggage for my mom for Christmas. She has reiterated that she wants a really large bag, but I am uncertain she is going to be able to lift a full bag into the car. But either way, now I know where to find Samsonite luggage at a good price when I’m ready to buy.
All in all, it was a fantastic day outing.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
At the outlook mall near where my parents’ lived, we’ve learned to look at prices. You can find some good bargains there, but my mom has found things at the outlook mall that are more expensive than sale prices at regular stores.
Hurrah for pants!
And good luck with the mortgage shopping.
LUGGAGE shopping.
Hee.
Very exciting!
I haven’t done enough outlet shopping—I wonder if Leesburg is the closest to me or if there’s something better. I need some more casual stuff…
A PF-blogger shopping trip sounds like even more fun that a PF-blogger drinking meet-up! THough I guess depending on who went and what kind of mood you were in, it could be a day full of people telling each other not to buy anything!
Madame X – Yeah. We had some of that going on! Not letting each other buy a handbag. It was kind of funny.
that is such a cool idea! i love woodbury commons, in the nyc area, and i usually make it up there once a year. you can’t beat the bargains is you shop well. i agree with with X, a PF blogger shopping trip sounds like a ton of fun.
Yea, we had “a little” of that going on. I won’t admit which one of us needed the slap on the hand. LOL
I wish we had more time. I’m sure we would have found many more bargains to report. I guess I should have listened to mapgirl and got my butt out of bed a lot earlier.
P.S. Are you returning those boots? I tried to wear mine yesterday and ruined the heel after 2 hours. Ugh!