Everyone knows the best part about school starting is the
fresh chance you get to rock new notebooks, new hairdos, and of course, new
clothes! Fall shopping is super fun, and
outlets are a great way to get the stuff you want for way less than you would
pay at the mall! We got some tips from Andrea Woroch, a money saving expert who
has been featured by
Good Morning
America,
NBC’s Today,
CNNMoney and
New
York Times. Follow her on Twitter
(
@AndreaWoroch) for more savvy tips!
DO plan ahead
You want to know where to go and what you’re going to look
for before you leave the house. Andrea suggests
using OutletBound.com
to help you figure out where the nearest outlet mall is and where all the great
sales are. Your mom and dad will appreciate you knowing what to look for, and
they might even see something they like!
DON’T go overboard
Outlets are a great way to get big name brands for less money,
but just because something is at an outlet, it doesn’t mean it will necessarily
be in your budget. “Prices on outlet
items may not be as low as you expect,” Andrea says. You can expect items to go
down about 30% from their store price due to sales and promotions, so set a limit
with your parents on how much you’re willing to spend on any given item and
stick to it.
DO look for coupons
You can save additional money by looking for coupons
online. Andrea suggests CouponSherpa, which can help you find
more discounts wherever you go. Also,
check to see if the outlet offers any special deals. Some of them have a coupon booklet you can
buy for extra discounts! Who doesn’t want
to save even more money?
DON’T assume quality
Just because it’s got a nice brand name on the label, an
item might not necessarily be made out of high quality stuff! Some brands make clothes just for their outlets,
so you might be getting things with cheaper material that won’t stand up as
well as the full price stuff in the regular stores. Be cautious and ask a manager if the clothes
are overflow from the store or made for outlets.
DO have fun!
A lot of outlets aren’t super close to cities or big towns,
so make a day trip with mom and some friends and hit up your fave stores. You can start early in the morning and end
the day at home with a fashion show, strutting your stuff in your awesome new
clothes!
Blog about it: Will
you be going BTS outlet shopping this year? What are your best tips?
BY KATE GERAGHTY ON 8/5/2012 12:00:00 AM
POSTED IN fashion, cheap, trend, back to school, your BTS shopping guide