by Mary Mcindoe

Created on: May 25, 2007

Outlet stores have come a long way over the past few decades. Originally set up as a place to unload articles that were not quite up to the full quality for a product, now many are simply discount centers for the manufacturer. In such a case, the articles for sale may simply be overstock items or things that didn't sell as well as expected and therefore may not actually be factory seconds at all. But in the case of the original style of outlets, the articles may be classed as seconds and may have slight imperfections, so you'll need to inspect them carefully before buying.

For many years, the city of Reading in Pennsylvania was the best known and largest of all the East Coast Outlet Centers. The outlet stores were generally located very close to the manufacturing centers for the companies and were a far cry from the outlet stores we see today. The items were often jam-packed into the large warehouse areas and searching for a particular item could be a real adventure but the bargains to be had were often quite substantial. Even today, though the facilities are generally more upscale and fitting rooms are more common, it still may be difficult to find the items that you want, so be prepared to spend some time.

It pays to have a general idea of the retail value of the items that you are looking at, as not all outlet purchases will be a great bargain. Because of the popularity of these centers today, they can be very crowded, often attracting large groups of people, so a trip to the outlets may be a tiring trip unless you are somewhat prepared. Plan your trip out a bit before you go, choosing ahead of time which stores you are most interested in visiting and concentrate on those. You will want to travel as lightly as possible and avoid loading yourself down with too much to carry. Where possible, you will probably do best if you can carry your purchases back to your vehicle before heading to the next store. Many of the outlet stores have very narrow pathways between the display racks and may not be able to handle strollers, so you want to think twice before bringing young children along. Dress lightly and comfortably and take breaks often as the crowds can be very tiring.

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