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Journal of a Bottom-feeder; Or How I learned to stop worrying and love outlets.

Amelorn

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The outlet store is a fascinating beast. {We have a thread for thrift and discount finds but not the stores.} They draw a most interesting crowd of customers. Such persons I have encountered are parents on a shoe-string budget, those at the beginning of a career, label hunters looking for an unbelievable gem, college students, hipsters, and price conscious middle and upper-middle class shoppers. It's an interesting mix. You have a mom who is juggling 3 kids in this economy and can only afford the $15 jeans next to my grandma whose husband (aka Grandad) had banked a few million from his executive job and investments. All parties worked for every cent they have, inheriting nothing, and thus see no point in paying full retail. I'm a college student who was burned once seeing an $80 (£50) Jack Wills polo hit their outlet site for 40% less 8 weeks later. I bought it at full price.

Fortunately, my style is preppy/American classic. Do I own a tweed blazer? Yes, and both are 100% cashmere from ebay for $45 each. However, I'm neither as insufferably dressed nor as exquisite a specimen as the models at rugby.com. In any case, my wardrobe staples are khaki trousers, polo shirts, and button downs. These are available more or less all the time at the various outlet stores in my area (Nassau County, NY). Within a highly convenient drive, I have:
~TJ Maxx x 2
~Marshall's x 3
~Loehmann's
~Saks Off Fifth
~Nordstrom Rack

And after Christmas, I get the 9th floor @ Saks at their flagship store.

TJ Maxx: My first memorable venture here was to check out the luggage. I was headed off to college at the U of St Andrews in 3 months and needed suitcases. First, my aunt and I went to Macy's and checked out their Delsey bulletproof nylon stuff. A roll-aboard was $250 and the large checked size bags were $400. Dissatisfied with the prices, especially in light of the sale next week, we checked out TJ. The large bag section was disappointing, but we found a Delsey roll-aboard for $25. My aunt asked if I would be OK with the it being in blue and not matching the large green pieces she'd buy in the sale next week. I said: "1) I like the color, and 2) I don't care if my luggage matches." The bag has come with me on all trips, including small inter-europe voyages were large cases were unnecessary. It has held up better than the Macy's bags. Was there a great deal of generic cloth luggage? Yes. But for that one find, we saved a fortune. And my dear uncle is an investment banker, so auntie could well afford (and intended) to spend.

Otherwise, I use TJ for socks, underwear, and shirts. I can always get some Calvin Klein trunks/boxer briefs (his leg lengths on both are better than 2xist IMO) for $7-10 for the boxed stuff. Socks are generally PRL. My favourite buys are the PRL khaki's, shorts, and polos. All pieces seem to be priced at a flat $29.99. I compared a Polo RL polo from TJ Maxx (interlock) versus one I bought during an after-Christmas sale at Lord & Taylor (also an interlock). It had the same fit, fabric, and durability. The only difference was the price paid. At $30, I can afford them. Further, the quality far surpasses anything I'd get at the mall (American Eagle, A&F, Hollister, et al). As I suspected, the PRL items you see in both TJ Maxx and Macy's/Lord and Taylor/Bloomingdales are identical. The Lauren by RL stuff is obviously diffusion line crap. Also, our TJ stocks excellent Olive Oil, candy, European crockery, and even Waterford crystal. Again, it's hiding in plain sight next to the garbage, but it's there.

My complaints is the haphazard arrangement of the store, ranging from frenetically composed to something like the picture in the Onion spoof article about TJ. The men's section is much better put together with better brand selection given the vast gulf of a difference between traffic flow. The women seem to be clawing over discount polyester while men's is an offering of Dolce & Gabbana, RL, Zegna, and others waiting for someone who's looking for something better than Nautica. Filler brands include Nautica, Adidas, Calvin Klein, Izod, Van Heusen, Hilfiger, USPA (evil!!), and Perry Ellis.

Marshall's: Much the same as above (and owned by TJX corporation). However, they offer shoes for men, fragrance for men at scandalous prices (Lucky Brand @ $6 per ounce, Davidoff Cool Water for $25 down from $40). I saw Allen Edmonds loafers for $99 and Ferragamo for $270. They were in styles I would wear and reasonable sizes, too (9.5 and 10, respectively). Otherwise, they carried Cole Haan for $80 and underneath that, lots of Steve Madden. They did have some interesting watches in the $50-80 range, as well. The store organization has been quite been impeccable.

Loehmann's: The best of the discount stores. It sports wood floors and tastefully understated brass fixtures and a store layout befitting an "A" grade mall anchor store than a TJ Maxx competitor. The denim offerings beat all the others, offering a variety of styles and sizes of True Religion/7FAM ($80) and Buffalo ($65) at prices $30 lower than Nordstrom Rack and Saks Off 5th, who demand $100-110 for those brands. The lesser offering was Lucky Brand for $25. Given how comfortable they are, I won't denigrate them. The fragrances, sunglasses, and clearance section were amazing, the latter in both men's and women's. I had the men's section to myself. Also of note were some handsome Tumi wallets for $30.

Nordstrom Rack: This one is going downhill. I had bought some decent shirts here, but the buyer for men's casual apparel buyer must assume I've never been in a Nordstrom's before. The "From our Nordstrom's Store" tag is non-existent in the men's section. Looking at the help, I don't expect them to check each piece, so when I visit the mainline store (in Roosevelt Field vs the Rack in the Source), I note the brands. The good stuff does not exist. There is tons of Penguin and Izon, in addition to lots of other "ghetto" stuff. It's a marked-up TJ maxx in this department. The selection has waned over the years. The sport coats are however always worth a look, as you'll find an Italian 100% cashmere Zegna for $200 or then 85% cashmere/15%mink for $189 I saw the other day. Shoes include Allen Edmonds, To Boot NY, Sperry, and the better Cole Haans spread amongst lots of Direct-to-Outlet garbage. The Rack's men's shoes section sometimes strikes me more as a Florsheim outlet than anything else. Grandad loves them for the gems they do have in his hard-to-find 7.5w. The women's section is filed with wannabe social climbing, lower-middle class label whores who'd blow you for a $100 Burberry scarf. They do offer a decent cologne assortment...

Saks Off 5th: Also in the Source mall, this offers a shopping experience which, while tedious, always turns up a thing or two. Denim offerings include Rock and Republic, True Religion, Buffalo, 7FAM. However, the same denim here costs $15 more than the Rack and $40-50 more than Loehmanns. With 20% off, the gap decreases, but still. The shoe selection includes the in-house brand (Italian) and hugo boss (italian made). Both have the same sole stamped Cuoio ("leather") in the same size and font with an image of a cobbler at his work. Same maker? Anyway, they go for $180 and $190, respectively. Also on offer are LOTS of Cole Haan and converse sneakers. Unfortunately, many of the shoes are square toe. However, the leather soled (no nike air bullshit) Cole Haans generally are attractive and hold up well for me. The Cuoio shoes don't fit me well, for some reason, so I have to ignore them. The To Boot NY shoes are attractive, though beyond my price range. Fragrances here are not worth my time, as they are not discounted one iota. Why should I buy Burberry the Beat upstairs at the Off 5th for $50 when the Rack is selling it downstairs for $35...for the same size? My favourite suit offering here is the generally consistent supply of Burberry. Burberry London suits are now made in Italy. I only wish I had bought one at Off 5th rather than a full-line Nordstrom. The clearance section is generally where I find my greatest disappointments and joys. The disappointment is the lack of a Canterbury New Zealand henley fit for a young man (me-size m), rather instead in size 2xl for a land-whale. However, I did find a Cockpit leather jacket (brown, bomber) reduced from $600, clearanced to $191.70, further discounted by 50% to $95.85. It was a beautiful jacket for nearly $200. At under $100, it behoved me (laws of God and man) to buy it. I also picked out a Saks Black Label pair of khaki shorts for my grandad for father's day. He hasn't had a Saks item since he worked, and he deserves it times 10 for practically fathering me.

The middle class label whore mentality reaches a new height here. I beheld two human pustules waddle from women's, mother and daughter. Both were of washed out flaxen hair and were copies of each other. We're talking "people of Walmart" hideous. The girl (15?) was carrying a Juicy Couture bag embroidered with "juicy" in the cheapest and most obnoxious plastic gemstones you could image. If I could have snapped a picture and made it go viral, I could have ruined that brand overnight. Other problems include a proliferation of Michael Kors crap. After watching an episode of Project Runway and taking in his judging style, I will not give 1 cent to that snitty, bitchy, fleshy bald queen.

Between the prices on the standard stuff I buy, the gems on what I want but normally can't afford, the treasure hunt mentality, and the comedic value of fellow customers, all the fawning at Bergdorf couldn't entice me in, hehe. I want to hear, what's the bottom feeding scene like elsewhere? NY enjoys decent merchandise shipments (as did a Rack in Boca Raton when I visited).
 

Imhoff

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Originally Posted by Amelorn
... The women's section is filed with wannabe social climbing, lower-middle class label whores who'd blow you for a $100 Burberry scarf. ...

Just skimmed and this was the one thing that caught my eye. Will be visiting local Rack tomorrow, with scarf in hand.
 

bigchris1313

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Originally Posted by Amelorn
The women's section is filed with wannabe social climbing, lower-middle class label whores who'd blow you for a $100 Burberry scarf.

teacha.gif
Good to know.
 

ohdannyboy

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this thread intrigues me, and may have convinced me to visit the loehmann's i just found out was up the street from me (thanks google), though i tend to get frustrated quickly in these treasure-hunt type outings, so i may have trouble adjusting.

anybody else with experiences?
 

SpooPoker

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Originally Posted by ohdannyboy
this thread intrigues me, and may have convinced me to visit the loehmann's i just found out was up the street from me (thanks google), though i tend to get frustrated quickly in these treasure-hunt type outings, so i may have trouble adjusting.

anybody else with experiences?


If you get frustrated hunting for a deal, this is not the game for you.
 

blahman

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I wonder how many SFers will be rocking up to the outlets with a burberry scarf in hand tomorrow morning.
 

Al_Merick

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I'm not sure if or how many people play golf here, but if you're a Peter Millar junkie, Marshall's has killer deals. Each time I check out the two I have in my area, I always find at least one polo and usually a pair or shorts. Polo's typically can be had for $30(retail $90+) and shorts around the same. Granted, the shirts don't have a club logo embossed on them but for the price, who cares if you played Pine Valley and over paid for a polo after your round.
 

ohdannyboy

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Originally Posted by SpooPoker
If you get frustrated hunting for a deal, this is not the game for you.

very true Spoo, but i suppose if i put myself into a situation that's got better than average odds of success, maybe i can force myself thru it, and maybe even get used to the idea
 

SpooPoker

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Originally Posted by ohdannyboy
very true Spoo, but i suppose if i put myself into a situation that's got better than average odds of success, maybe i can force myself thru it, and maybe even get used to the idea

What kind of a situation is that? a known honey pot for scores? Tell me where it is, Ill make sure its OK for you.
colgate.gif
 

Quadcammer

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I've read several times that the products that end up at these locations and factory outlets may actually be lower quality then those at main line stores, and not ONLY clothes that did not sell at those main line stores.

any truth to this?
 

ohdannyboy

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hahahaha, known honeypot? no... place that has at least a reputation for slightly better stuff than the rest? that's better than average to me
 

KObalto

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Originally Posted by Quadcammer

any truth to this?


YESSS! I miss SF. Sigh.
 

feastmaster

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Originally Posted by ohdannyboy
hahahaha, known honeypot? no... place that has at least a reputation for slightly better stuff than the rest? that's better than average to me

Daffy's could be interesting.

Forget going to the bar to pick up women, I'm just going to hang out at the Rack.
 

bwp

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Originally Posted by feastmaster
Daffy's could be interesting. Forget going to the bar to pick up women, I'm just going to hang out at the Rack.
The Rack near me is filled to the brim with hot women daily, sadly I do not wear a scarf that often so I cannot comment on their accessibility. I was in Marshalls the other day and found a wool/cashmere Armani made in italy suit, they had several nice suits for sale actually. Price was $400, fabric was wonderful but not my size unfortunately.
 

ShayaEXQT

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Originally Posted by Amelorn

Loehmann's: The best of the discount stores.

Nordstrom Rack: This one is going downhill.


I really enjoyed reading that, thanks.

I completely agree with the 2 quoted statements, they are right on the money. i was at a nordstrom rack today and it was horrible
 

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