Outlet Shopping: Is it Really a Good Deal?

On Saturday, my mother, daughter and I drove an hour north to hit the outlet mall in hopes of scoring some great deals on fall clothes. The kids desparately need new clothes for the fall and winter and I was in the market for a few good finds myself. And, while I did come home with shopping bags galore, I probably could have purchased so much more for the kids locally at Kohl's or Old Navy. Remember when outlet shopping really offered great deals? Anymore it must be just the convenience of having all of these stores in one giant location, because, I saw many of the same prices I encounter at the regular retail stores close to home.

I did find some deals at J. Crew and I did find the riding boots (above) that for which I had been longing. Again, though, I didn't walk away feeling like I had come upon the deal of the century.

If I want a great deal, maybe I need to head up to northern Kentucky where there's a Gap outlet - now, that's a great deal. Granted, some items may be ripped, marked or feature other flaws, but often times you can come across a gem of a find. Maybe that will be my next venture. Or, I could just sit on my bottom and order online, which I much prefer. :)
Photo courtesy of Anne Klein