What is Outlet Shopping?

Sign up now for a subscription to Soundview Executive Book Summaries and receive 5 of our most popular summaries FREE!

Upscale, fashion conscious shoppers who prefer designer labels have found that all outlet centers are not all the same. Outlet shopping centers that are owned and operated by Chelsea Property Group are where shoppers can expect the largest collection of designer brands. Chelsea Premium Outlets brings together the finest brands, unique outdoor settings, and savings of 25 to 65 percent every day. 

Shopping with Teenagers

A terrific solution my friends and I have found is to take them on a whirlwind shopping trip through our local outlet mall. Plan on a full day of shopping fun, and be sure to take a break at the outlet’s food court. Budget out your spending before heading out by checking out the list of stores at the mall.

Shop with a plan
To avoid overbuying, prepare a budget and a list of items you're looking for before you leave home. Do allow yourself some flexibility for spontaneous finds, but set your own bar for those impulse buys. Kathryn Finney, author of "How to Be a Budget Fashionista," goes by her Rule of Two: "If I can't think of two things to wear it with, or two uses for it, or two occasions when it'll come in handy, I don't buy it."

Adjust your expectations
These days, many retailers have created specific lines to sell at their outlet stores. In these retailer's outlets, traditional fodder -- overstock from previous years, factory seconds (damaged and irregular items), and retail returns from the current season -- is shunted to back shelves, if it's available at all, says Tod Marks, senior editor for Consumer Reports who visited dozens of outlet malls for a May 2006 report on the subject. Damaged goods are often sold to liquidators, who remove the identifying tags before reselling. "We had to practically go deep-sea diving to find seconds," he says.

Before you pile into your car and make another long drive out to your discount mall, take a look at what has been uncovered online. You don’t have to go standing elbow-to-elbow with that greedy woman who keeps snatching stuff right out from under you. Instead, you can live the life of luxury and find the best bargains in discount products right from your own home, and have someone else bring it right to your doorstep for you (yay for snail mail!). On the other hand, do be careful when considering products that are marked as irregular. Most items are just slightly off from the retailer's quality control standards, but you may occasionally find a defect that could spell trouble down the line. Marks spotted a pair of Gap jeans with a broken thread (they'd unravel quickly) and some Reebok shoes with a split seam (water could seep inside). Not sure what's wrong with a piece? Ask a sales associate.

A few minutes at the outlet's web site can yield you savings of another 30% or more. Sign up for the free VIP Club for Chelsea Premium Outlets, an outlet mall developer. Perks include free mall coupon booklets, exclusive online coupons and sale notification. Tanger Outlets, a developer, offers 15% to 20% discount coupons for AAA members, as well as free mall coupon books for members of the Red Hat Society, a women's group.

Once you're at the outlet mall, make customer service your first stop. The coupon books sold there, usually for $5 to $10, contain valuable store coupons.

Shopping malls reached their zenith nationally and in Texas in the late 1980s. Since then, malls have lost some of the consumer traffic they once attracted. But don't write them off as passe. Malls are changing to bring back their target customers--value-conscious Baby Boomers and their children, the members of the Baby Boomlet.

The national highway system, which spurred the growth of suburbs, also fostered the shopping mall phenomenon. Typically located near a highway, malls evolved into clusters of hundreds of stores surrounded by thousands of parking spaces. World class shopping and dining experiences plus exceptional savings at America's most exciting destinations.

Retail entertainment centers are the latest trend in mall design. According to U.S. News & World Report, "retailers that offer neither the high-end experience nor rock-bottom pricing are likely to continue to suffer." The "high-end" establishments cited by the magazine offer atmosphere and entertainment.

Factory stores originated in the mid- to late 1800s as back rooms where a single manufacturer sold irregular, damaged or outdated merchandise--first to employees, then to customers.

Today's factory outlet malls house hundreds of stores and rival conventional shopping malls in the amenities they offer to shoppers.

Generally, outlet stores carry merchandise delivered directly from the manufacturer; less than 15% is irregular, marked as such and further discounted. Prices at outlet stores average 30-70% below prices at conventional department or specialty stores.

According to Outlet Bound, an on-line directory, Texas has 18 outlet malls with more on the way.

Many outlet malls are located far from their department store counterparts because manufacturers want to avoid competition between their factory stores and the large retail stores that carry their merchandise. Outlet malls are often sited between metropolitan markets on major highways or near tourist attractions or vacation spots. Vacationers are a particular target because they usually have money to spend and may not mind taking a day off from sightseeing to shop--especially if they can find a good deal.

Are gift cards available that can be used at all stores?
Gift cards can be purchased online* and at selected Chelsea centers. Gift cards can be used in all stores in all Chelsea centers across the United States and are available in all denominations from $20 to $500. Major credit cards are accepted.
*US residents only. Excludes New York residents or those shipping to a New York address.

CUSTOMER SERVICES

Customer services available at most Chelsea centers include:
Wheelchairs
Stroller rentals
ATM machines
International phone cards for sale

The following services are available at selected Chelsea centers:
Foreign currency exchange
International shipping
Shopper trolleys

Can this website help me locate a specific item from an individual store?
Each store is individually owned and operated and we do not have direct access to each store's merchandise and pricing. Store phone numbers are provided so that you can contact the stores directly.