| Do you shop at the outlet malls? Years ago my husband & I did much of our shopping for clothes & housewares there. At that time, the outlet malls were about a couple hours' drive away, so we'd make a special trip of it. Once, whilst doing our holiday shopping there, we even stayed over night in the hotel across the street. I always assumed that the outlet stores carried "seconds"--slightly flawed versions of a item. We had bought our refrigerator at the Sears Outlet & saved thousands of dollars; it had a tiny dent on the back. I figured it was the same with the outlet clothes--they might be mis-cut, mis-sized, or last year's color. It seemed like we were getting a deal. Lately I've been surprised to see that some outlet stores are carrying clothes "made for the factory stores." What's this? I thought we were getting rejects from the factory, but now there's a factory intentionally making mistakes? The toys on the Island of Misfit Toys would be very pleased :-) Many Factory stores have also moved online. Here's a sampling: J. Crew J.Jill Aeropostale Guess REI Reebok Tommy Hilfiger Saks Neiman Marcus Amazon | The Factory?  "Pollution de l'air." Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. |
Most recently GAP & Banana Republic opened separate factory websites.
As expected, when factory items become so easily available, they lose a little of what made them exclusive.
It's also seemed all along that the outlet clothes are not that inexpensive; we can often find lower prices on the same basic items when they're just on sale.
Sometimes it amazes me how much merchandise I can access without getting up from the couch. But if my husband said he'd like to do an overnight getaway to the outlet stores, I'd still jump up at the chance!
As expected, when factory items become so easily available, they lose a little of what made them exclusive.
It's also seemed all along that the outlet clothes are not that inexpensive; we can often find lower prices on the same basic items when they're just on sale.
Sometimes it amazes me how much merchandise I can access without getting up from the couch. But if my husband said he'd like to do an overnight getaway to the outlet stores, I'd still jump up at the chance!
A few finds from the Factories:
From Banana Republic Outlet:
 Banana Republic Factory Dalmatian Graphic Tee, $12.98 |  Banana Republic Factory Pencil Skirt, $29.99 |
From GAP Outlet:
 GAP Factory Poplin Print Boyfriend Shirt, $12.97 |  GAP Factory Crossover Jacquard Skirt, $14.99 |  GAP Factory Boyfriend Shirt, $8.97 |
From Guess Factory:
 Guess Factory Jayme Tank, $10.77 |  Guess Factory Charm Necklaces with various letters & charms, gold & silver toned, $4.77 |
From Tommy Hilfiger Outlet:
 Tommy Hilfiger Outlet Printed Shift Dress, 2 colors, $22.97 |  Tommy Hilfiger Outlet V Neck Solid Cardy, 5 colors, $14.97 |
From J. Crew Factory:
 J. Crew Factory Jeweled Tuxedo Cami, $19.99 |  J. Crew Factory Warmspun Colorblock Zip Sweater, 2 colors, $24.99 |
Do you shop at the outlets?
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