Are Outlet Stores the same quality?
I love a good bargain and I also love to buy pieces that will last. Whether that be new high-end cookware, Banana Republic clothing, or Kate Spade shoes, I want products that are worth the price and will at least get me through a season or two and hopefully longer.
Lots of people shop at outlet malls for bargains, but is the quality the same as at regular retail stores? Let’s look over some ways to tell if the item you are buying is of equal, less, or bad quality. Maybe we can even tell if the products at an outlet store are even good!
Are outlet stores less quality?
My stepmom loves the look of Coach handbags and she had always wanted one but couldn’t afford the price tag. An average Coach bag costs about $375 and that is a lot of money to most people!
My sister recently gifted her a beautiful white Coach handbag that she purchased for $100 at the local outlet mall. My stepmom was blown away by the gift and loved the bag.
Now some major ways to tell the difference between a retail Coach bag and an outlet coach bag is going to be in the details.
- If the inside tag, has a serial number that starts with “F” this means it is a Factory Outlet bag. (If the bag has an “N” that usually means it was made for Nordstrom, and if it starts with an “X” it usually means it is a Coach bag that didn’t sell well last season and was released to a discount store.
- If the hardware is solid brass, this means it is a retail Coach bag and will feel slightly heavy. An outlet bag will have plated hardware and will feel very lightweight.
- Retail Coach bags will have the iconic C in metal or embossed on the bag. An outlet bag usually has the name stamped on the bag.
- Check out the lining inside the bag. A retail bag usually will have a lining with the initial or name Coach on the fabric. An outlet bag usually has a plain colored lining with no logo or initial on it.
Now the obvious difference in the two bag besides these details, is that a bag that costs $350 will probably have better quality leather versus an outlet bag.
The big take away is that the $100 outlet bag is not as good quality wise at the retail bag, but that is not to say that there isn’t any quality in it.
A $100 outlet bag will more than likely last longer than a $10 bag from Walmart. So, the outlet bag may be lower quality, but it is not the worst quality of handbag.
If you put quality on a scale of 1-10 with a retail Coach bag being a 10, then an outlet Coach bag is probably a 5. The bag my stepmom received will still last a long time and will be worth the money if it is well maintained.
She didn’t even care that the bag came from an outlet store, and in fact she was very happy that my sister didn’t spend $350+ on a handbag for her.
In this case, the quality may be less than a retail designer bag, but the bag is still a great bag.
Are outlet stores bad quality?
I have always been a huge fan of cooking and baking. I even have a degree in Culinary Arts and thoroughly enjoy learning the science of making food.
Some chefs believe that you must have the absolute top of the line knives and cookware in order to truly be a fantastic cook. In all reality, these are tools to get the job done, the final flavor is what really makes a chef stand out.
When I graduated Culinary School, my mom took me to the Tanger Outlet Mall because she heard they had some great outlet stores with kitchen supplies. We found some great outlets that sold La Creuset, Le Gourmet Chef, and even a Pyrex store.
I was in absolute foodie heaven! To celebrate my graduation, she let me go on a mini shopping spree to pick up some kitchen merchandise that I desperately wanted.
We had a blast and I ended up with 2 copper bottom pans, 1 giant sauté pan from Le Gourmet Chef, and a new set of Corelle dishes. I think total we spent about $250 or less. I would have spent so much more at the regular retail locations.
The copper bottom pans came from a more generic kitchen goods store and I can’t remember if they were a specific brand name. The copper pots did last for a good long time, but the copper bottom did start to tarnish fairly quickly. The pans had a stick proof layer that lasted pretty well, but didn’t last forever.
It has been 22 years since I graduated Culinary School, and my Le Gourmet Chef outlet giant saute pan is still in use regularly. It definitely is showing signs of wear like scratches, but it is still in great condition for over 20 years old.
Typically, low quality cookware is super lightweight and has very flimsy handles. If you pick up a pot or pan and it weighs hardly anything and the handle doesn’t seem sturdy, you should keep looking elsewhere.
The Corelle plates have eventually been given away or donated but that has more to do with their print than their quality. Corelle plates are incredibly durable and almost chip proof. They are amazing to have if you have kids and a plate gets dropped.
Overall, all my kitchen purchases have lasted for years, but what I bought was thoroughly inspected first. I am sure you can find some really bad quality plastic junk at an outlet mall, so you have to do some research.
Are outlet stores products good?
Overall you can save a ton of money at outlet stores for everything from clothing, shoes, kitchen stuff, camping stuff, and even sunglasses.
To find out more about outlet stores and how they work, check out “What is an outlet store?” where we cover how outlet stores started and why major retailers have them.
The trick to outlet shopping is not to be blinded by the name on the tag. If you forget the name and actually look at the piece to determine the quality, you will be much better off.
When looking at clothing, always make sure that you try the item on first. Check all of the seams for missing or sloppy stitches.
If you are looking at handbags, make sure that the stitching looks durable, and it is not a glued together bag. Look at the straps and see if they are flimsy and check the zipper and make sure it works well. I would also test any hardware like buttons or clasps to make sure they work well.
If you are looking at cookware or knives, you want your items to be heavier. A high quality knife will have a good weight to it, where a cheap knife will feel like you are holding feathers. Check the handles and make sure they are sturdy. The more you use the cookware or knives the more pressure at that point. If it is already a little wobbly, it will only get worse with use.
If you are looking at shoes, look at the soles and the stitching. Make sure all stitching looks durable and isn’t messy. If there are loose strings or the soles look weak or flimsy, these are signs that the shoes are very low quality.
If you are shopping for a hiking backpack at the camping store, does it have good quality stitching? Does it feel like plastic or polyester fabric? These are signs that your backpack may only last one season.
It really doesn’t matter if you shop at retail store or outlet stores, the most important thing is to inspect the items before you buy.
You should always take a look at the small details because this will tell you if the item is similar to fast fashion and will only last a season or a few months.
If the details are great and the items appears to be of good quality, then the item like my cookware could last for 2 decades. By properly cleaning and storing your items you can greatly prolong the shelf life.
Now this may be a bubble burster to some, but you can buy crappy and horrible quality stuff at major name retailers. Not everything you pay a lot of money for will last a long time.
Whenever you are buying something like a sweater or a pair of shoes, you really need to take into account how long you want this item to last.
If you just need a pair of shoes to go to one wedding and maybe a date night or two, then you may want to go mid-range on price. (I try not to skimp on shoes that have heels.)
If you plan on wearing that black cardigan sweater a lot this winter, then you may want to spend more money on the retail price versus buying a cheap one at Walmart.
Personally, I am never going to take $350 from my savings account and spend it on a purse. Unless this purse literally holds a million things and will never break EVER. That is a lot to ask of a handbag, so I doubt even a retail Coach bag is going to meet my needs.
As consumers, before we shop for “brand names”, we should really be shopping based on quality and how long we estimate that we will use the item!
To find out more information, check out “Are Outlet Stores the same quality?” and it will go in more depth about the quality that you can expect!
