Wholesale Tote Bags

To shop at outlets or not to shop at outlets??

Why are outlets better than ordinary malls, full-price stores, or department stores? Well there are several reasons, but to really get the best out of an experience with an outlet center, you should know the ins and outs of the business first. Knowing what to look for and what to avoid can make all the difference in your shopping experience.

Does location matter? Most of the outlet centers that are actually worth your time are going to be located in fairly rural locations. This isn’t because they’re not good enough to be located in big cities or they didn’t want to invest the money in building around more urban locations. It’s actually due to the fact that getting the public to venture far out of their way creates a more beneficial situation for the stores. Shoppers plan their whole day around visiting outlet centers (since it isn’t right down the road) and end up spending significantly more in a single trip. Placing outlets in rural areas also creates revenue for the area and opens up new jobs.

Can you trust factory outlets? Know what you’re purchasing when shopping in factory outlets by investigating the tags. If the model number is the same as the original product, you’re getting a quality product. If there is an F printed on the tag, this means that the item was made specifically for a factory outlet. Lots of times, these items will have been made cheaper or be made of lower quality material. If what you’re getting is truly the product that’s in the actual store, you shouldn’t have a problem with it, and you are probably getting an awesome deal. The store isn’t actually losing money by selling you the same product for less, because the markup on their department store version makes them enough money, and they know you’ll probably buy more at the outlet anyway.

Are you really even getting a deal? When you’re shopping, ever notice that you feel much better about a purchase if it was marked 60% off? You just got that tote bag for so cheap! However, this is usually just a trick to make you think you’re getting an awesome bargain. If you’re looking for a real deal, invest in whole sale tote bags instead of something “marked down” from the original price. Typically, the reference price was never used at all.

Where else can you get a deal like that? If they aren’t even selling wholesale items at the outlets, you have some other options to try. Quality flea markets offer good deals and not all of their items are knock-offs of the real thing. Do some research before just stopping in at a local stand located on the side of the road. There’s plenty of credible flea markets if you know where/how to search. Also try getting wholesale items online. Auction sites are a good place to start because factory items might be sold for much less than the retail value.

Can outlet stores deceive you? Absolutely. There is no legal definition for what an outlet center/store actually entails. This means that they could technically call themselves an “outlet” while selling everything at the exact same price as the original store, or even more. Some owners of outlet centers can control this by putting specific discount requirements in the lease. Even though it’s possible for an “outlet” to get away with this, it’s often not even worth it because they will quickly lose credibility and cause consumers to distrust authentic outlets.

Overall, is it worth it? This depends. If you have a specific store or stores that you’re looking to spend a substantial amount of money at, you’re definitely better off finding the outlet version(s). If you’re going on an all-out shopping trip, you’re going to save a lot by going to an outlet center instead of a typical shopping mall. However, if you’re just browsing or looking for a specific item, it might cost you to make a trip to the outlets. You will probably end up being bombarded by all of the “deals” and end up spending a heck of a lot more than you originally intended. Another thing you must always take into consideration is that the supply of items in outlet centers is usually more limited. At a normal store, you can usually order something if they do not have the correct size or model. An outlet store is more “take what you can get” style. Some of them won’t carry the most new/in season items. However, a lot of them carry exactly the same products as their upscale counterpart, so you should call and confirm what they have in stock.