Being the child of an avid bargain-hunter, I was raised to believe in the power of the outlet: a rare oasis where one can relish in their favorite stores leftovers and walk away with very satisfying deals.
My problem, however, lies in how many retailers trick us into thinking the outlets have the same quality merchandise that a normal store would. Favorites of mine like Banana Republic, Gap, Ann Taylor, Brooks Brothers, J Crew come to mind as examples of retailers whose "outlet" locations do not have their leftover merchandise, and instead carry a separate factory store line that mimics the styles of the regular stores. Translation: poorer quality, and definitely not as stylish. You can normally tell this is the case when you look at the label in a factory store and see a slightly different font on the tag, and three stars or dots below it to sneakily suggest it is a different line.
But not all stores are this crafty, and some have been kind enough to conform to the traditional meaning of outlet. One place that has never let me down is the Kate Spade outlet. I have been to at least 4 or 5 of these and each of them have had a fantastic selection of genuine leather bags in all colors and sizes.... significantly discounted... and undoubtedly recognizable for earlier seasons. I had been weighing buying a big, black leather tote and the price they were willing to give me should have been enough to put me over the edge. A $400 dollar bag, discounted earlier, with 40% off plus another 20% off for labor day which I asked her to give me even though I didn't have the coupon. She saw me hesistate, I asked if she could do any better, and she tacked another 10% off. In the end I ended up getting an amazing bag I will use for years for $140. Advantage, Diva!
No, but really, the selections are just as good as you would find at a Bloomingdales or Nordstrom, and at the outlets they will give you an added discount if you ask and smile. This is the second time this has worked-- and I bet many of my readers are far cuter and better actors than I am so I'd gamble that it would work for any of you.
Other stores that keep things real in the outlets are Nine West, Naturalizer, Saks Off Fifth, Neiman Marcus Last Call and BCBG (though the stock is sometimes eh). If you have any other tips on good outlet finds give a shout!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment