Bargain hunters know how to search for the best possible price on the items they want, and with so many outlets stores in the Chicago area boasting big deals it might seem like a treasure map for savvy shoppers. But a new report shows some outlet mall stores aren’t exactly offering up outlet store prices.
Chicago is surrounded by prominent outlet stores like Fashion Outlets of Chicago, Gurnee Mills, Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora and Prime Outlets in Huntley, to name a few, but a survey from Consumer Reports shows that some stores in outlet malls may not even be outlets at all and others may actually be selling items of lesser quality.
“By the industry’s definition, an outlet center is a shopping center in which most of the individual tenants are owner-operated outlets,” the report states. “During the leasing agreement process, developers usually require tenants to maintain a certain percentage of merchandise that is sold at a discount compared with retail-store prices.”
How much that discount is, however, is might not be specified.
In addition, manufacturers have also started making items solely for outlet locations, taking the stores away from their reputation of selling “seconds” and instead providing stores with items using different materials or fewer embellishments.
Consumer Reports sent secret shoppers to several different outlet malls in the country and those shoppers then ranked stores based on price, product availability, quality, customer service and overall satisfaction, the TODAY show reported.
The stores that the shoppers ranked the highest were:
- Bon Worth
- L.L. Bean
- Haggar
- Carter’s
- OshKosh B’Gosh
- Jockey
- Bose
- Coach/Coach Men’s
- Bath & Body Works
- Vitamin World
- Corningware Corelle
Among the worst-ranked stores were:
- Nike
- Levi’s
- GAP
- Old Navy
- J. Crew
Overall, survey respondents reported they were happy with outlet stores, finding savings ranging from 3 percent to 72 percent. Roughly 17 percent, however, felt prices were actually higher.
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And with industry experts predicting shoppers will spend $42 billion at outlet stores this year, Consumer Reports has offered these tips for making sure shoppers get the best deals.
Time your trip.
Discounts are often highest during the holidays and traditional retail sales periods, including Black Friday. When possible, try to shop in the middle of the week when there are fewer shoppers and arrive early to shop before items get “picked over.”
Use a map.
Download a map and determine which stores you want to go to. This way, you’ll avoid walking around in circles trying to find the stores you like.
Use coupons.
Some stores offer printable coupons or downloadable coupon books.
Use apps.
Using price-checking apps like Red Laser, which can scan bar codes, will help you make sure the item you want isn’t available for less money at a nearby store or online.
Know the return policy.
Most retailers won’t take returns from outlet stores and some outlet stores might not take returns from their websites.
