Outlet Shopping: Nirvana or Mirage

No one (I mean, no one) likes bargain shopping more than I do. So whenever I have a reason to, I head to the outlets, you know, those treasure troves of high fashion at dizzingly low prices. Really? Over the past few years, my dizzy spells have been fewer and farther between as I have noticed that more and more the prices have seemed disturbingly similar to those in the mall and other local stores. Could it be, I have wondered, that the outlets are really not the treasure trove they purport to be?

Recently, I had my theory validated by an article I read, "Dirty Secrets of Outlet Shopping,"  (http://www.learnvest.com/author/the-learnvest-staff/>). According to the authors, my suspicions were well founded. Here are some facts that we should know before we load up and drive over the river and through the woods to your nearest outlet center. 

1.  You usually have to travel some distances to get to the outlets. Think about how many outlets you know that are in semi-rural areas or small remote towns. Is it really because they need all that space in order to accommodate the myriad of bargains? Actually, it has a lot to do with shopping psychology. When getting to the outlets is a major endeavor because of distances (people take tour buses to get there!), do we really want to leave without purchasing something? In fact, we feel obligated to buy.  We think, "I came so far, I shouldn't go home empty handed."  In fact, we probably started out thinking about coming home with a bounty of bargains.   So even if the prices are not great, we are inclined to buy anyway.

 2. Much of what we buy is not a store irregular, overstock, or last year's merchandise. Stores are now manufacturing items specifically for outlets. In many cases, only a small percentage of merchandise actually comes from the local stores. More often than not, the outlet products are made from lower quality materials and with lower quality workmanship specifically for the outlet store.

 3. Because much of outlet merchandise does not come from the main stores, the price tags announcing drastic price cuts off store prices is a sham. We are actually paying full price for lower quality goods, so instead of getting a bargain, we are paying too much. 

If you are like me, you are not about to stop shopping at outlets because of these dangers. After all, the thrill is in the hunt, and if we are prepared, we can still bag our share of bargains without getting taken. Just remember these points:

1.  Just because you traveled a long way to get to the outlets, don't feel compelled to justify your trip by spending money on things that may not be good quality bargains.

 2. Don't get caught up in the deceptive numbers on the price tags.  Pay particular attention to the quality of the merchandise, and then decide if it is really worth the price you will pay. Do not make your decision based on the original retail price, which is probably an inaccurate and meaningless number anyway.

 3. Make a list of things you want to buy before you go, then check out the retail prices at the mall, online or in your local stores so that you won't be fooled by bogus markdowns.

 Outlet shopping can be a fruitful experience as long as we are armed with an understanding that the phrase “outlet store” does not always mean "a place where high-quality merchandise is sold for ridiculously low prices."