Over ten thousand years ago Neolithic humans invented the wheel. In the late 19th Century Thomas Edison invented the lightbulb. But in the 1930s, we saw the rise of one of the greatest inventions the human mind has ever developed.
The outlet store.
Originally conceived as a means to sell off damaged or misconstructed merchandise (sometimes referred to as “irregular”), the almighty outlet store has become synonymous with premium brand names at affordable prices. And while many outlet stores can still provide irregular products at wildly discounted rates, these days nearly all outlet stores can also offer top of the line merchandise without the added cost of exorbitant retail markup.
For example, a typical Coach store will offer bags in the range of $300 to $600. But a Coach outlet store can offer those exact same bags for less than $200, sometimes even under $100. And if you have no problem with the models and designs of just a few years ago, outlet stores can save you even more money.
While some outlet stores can exist as standalone fixtures, there are also nowadays a huge selection of outlet malls, populated by a wide variety of outlet stores for an even wider variety of products, from kitchen goods to clothes, music to memorabilia, and computers to camping gear. As the outlet mall phenomenon has grown, more and more facilities have started offering dining options as well, knowing that many die hard shoppers will make long distance trips just to find the best deals outlet stores can offer.
Whatever your passion, be it shoes, clothes, toys, or virtually anything in between, there is an outlet store for you. And while at the mall, browse around for deals on products you might never have thought of, and see if you might not become an outlet store junky too.