Sure, I love the thrift stores and the yard sales, but they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. Outlet stores, on the other hand, can really appeal to a wider form of frugality. Also, there are some times when shopping an outlet store is preferable to thrift stores and yard sales, even for me.
This past Friday, we headed up to Lancaster County (Amish country) to have a nice family day. Our last stop for the day was an outlet mall, where a wide array of brand name stuff could be had for much less than retail. We were there specifically to find some dresses for my daughter. I had admired the long floral dresses on three little girls we came across the weekend before at our local botanical gardens. Since I am so shy (not), I asked the mom about the dresses, sure that they would be too high end for our blood. The dresses looked as through they were from a boutique, since they had a lot of higher-end detail, such as the stitching and the fall of the fabric. To my surprise, she told me she got them at the outlets! So of course I knew that the next time we were in the area, we would have to check it out.
This is one of the reasons that makes outlet shopping fun. If you are looking for something specific, such as those dresses, a pair of new sneakers, a rug for your home, etc., you are more likely to find it at an outlet than at the hit or miss of a thrift store or yard sale. And, although you may find similar bargains at your own retail store in the clearance rack, you won’t get much that is still in season. Another benefit of the outlet stores is that you can find great quality and high-end items.
There were only two stores that we visited that day. The high-end clothing store and a bookstore. We got some great bargains at both, and I am looking forward to returning in the future when needed.
Do you shop outlets?
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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