Sometime in the 80s, an amazing retail destination was born. It was called the Outlet Mall… and it was good. These days, Outlet Malls seem to be popping up in every podunk town… a surefire way to make sure that they remain “destinations”. But in the age of $4.00 plus per gallon, is it still worth it to make the trek to the Outlet Mall? Here’s what we found out…

1. It is not an accident that Outlet Malls are “out in the middle of nowhere”. The designers and retailers did their research and found that if people take a “shopping trip”, they are less likely to leave without making a purchase. For me, my nearest Outlet Mall is 40 miles, which can cost as much as $20 in gas at today’s prices.

2. Is the merchandise really first quality? According to research from the editors at Learnvest.com, retail buyers choose items specifically for their outlet stores. These items are often lesser quality than their regular-priced items.

3. What about the discount price tags, are they for real? Learnvest.com says probably not. According to their research, 75-80% of “retail prices” on the Outlet Mall price tags may be fabricated.

4. Our last shocking revelation about Outlet Malls is that not all stores are outlets! It turns out that there are no consumer protection definitions about what type of stores should be at an Outlet Mall. Now that’s a scam…

Our advice about visiting the outlets is this: if you are looking for something specific (which, if you’re rubbing nickels is probably the case since you’ve given up retail therapy), visit your local mall first. If you add in gas and the emotional purchases, you’ll probably save money at your neighborhood mall.

Darcy Ratner and Julie Arnheim
Founders, Rubbingnickels.com

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