Outlet stores sell name-brand products at discounted prices, often located outside of major cities. They may have irregular sizes or out-of-season items. Customers can maximize savings by researching and using coupons or signing up for mailing lists.
Store shopping refers to the process of purchasing at retail stores, which are stores that sell name-brand products at discounted prices. An outlet store may stand on its own, but is often nestled among other outlets as part of an outlet mall, to make shopping easier. Points of sale are often located a distance from the retailer’s main wholesale accounts and outside of major cities, in order to keep overall prices and competition from the retailer to a minimum. Items most commonly found on a shopping excursion include clothing, fashion accessories, electronics, sporting goods, toys, and cosmetics.
Direct sales stores first developed in the United States, with retail stores attached to the warehouse or factory that made the products for sale. Border states such as Maine and Minnesota became a popular location for outlets, attracting Canadian tourists for cross-border shopping. Today, shopping malls can be found all over the world, and are known as ‘designer outlets’ in many parts of Europe.
Items shipped to their manufacturers’ outlets are often made up of a mix of excess inventory that isn’t selling fast enough at major retailers, and items that show minor damage or blemishes. For this reason, clothing found in outlet stores can come in irregular sizes or all in one size, compared to a retail store that often stocks an item in a variety of sizes. Items in a store may also be out of season compared to products of the same brand found in a regular mall. While outlets have long been associated with discount savings and bargain hunting, many major malls have begun comparably lowering their prices to compete.
Customers can often maximize their outlet savings by doing some research prior to outlet purchases. Visiting the outlet mall’s customer service station to receive a coupon book, checking the store’s website, and signing up for the store’s mailing list are all ways to increase your chances of finding a bargain. Outlets also often offer tax-free weekend specials during the summer months, such as the 4th of July weekend. One-stop shopping websites offer links to savings information for malls throughout the United States.
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