A few things happen before all the school prep and it is probably in every house not just mine. First, I do a quick summer overhaul of all the things that have stacked up on the center island, and just get rid of it. I do a quick run through on the house(the dust can stay, the kids don’t, so the kids win!) and I quickly sift the the piles in each of the kid’s rooms that have accumulated with clothing. I make a pile for donate, hand-me-down to sibling and I make a mental list of what is needed. Additionally, as summer has beckoned I have made a few trips to the local malls, and while I have not made purchases, I have shopped prices, trends and have a pretty good feeling for what styles are out there and trending. My guess is you have been to the mall a few rainy days this summer as well, but have not bought because, just like me, for your, it is never that first trip in that entices us to buy, it is the stuff you think about after that brings me back. My to do list has now dwindled down to one very important task……..I set out the most important map of the summer, and call a meeting as our biggest adventure is truly about to begin, and it is one that every family takes. With long faces and the famous, “what now MOM?” everyone joins in around a table filled with snacks and I present the shopping maven map of the summer known as The Tanger Outlets Stores Directory. Ahhhh, the faces light up, because I am not the only brand maven in this house and suddenly, the kids have followed in my footsteps with the desire to grab the best name brand clothing at the best prices. Here’s my top XXX Tips and Tricks for Shopping Tanger Outlets.
Preparation before The Shopping Games Begin
#1 ~~ My kids are just as shopping savvy as I am and knowing they are headed to brand name central, Tanger Outlets spurs on their passion. One grabs her student ID, as the other two ask me if I have my AAA card. Why are they asking me this? The shopping discounts increase at Tanger Outlets if you have a coupon book available FREE to you with an AAA card or a student ID! The kids then head out to my car, the largest vehicle in the Vento Fleet, to make sure the back of the SUV is very clean and organized and can fit all of the purchases we are about to make! We are about to head to Tanger Outlets in Washington, PA. to find in season, first quality clothing from our favorite brands in manufactured owned stores. This shopping maven knows that Tanger Outlets is where to find the best name brand clothing for back-to-school at the best prices all in one location. It’s time for the shopping maven to take on Tanger Outlets.
Location, Location, Location
#2~~ Our drive to an outlet is no different than yours, we live about an hour separate, so it takes planning to get there, but that is not a big deal as it is all manageable. Chances are, you don’t have a Tanger Outlets in your backyard, so you want to make that famous day trip. That is fine to do and most exciting, but remember kids tire quickly. Shopping is not about power shopping and take it from this shopping maven, if you push your kids you will end up with a miserable family. You have to have a plan and location, location, location should mean to you a quick mapped out plan of your expedition. Who loves what brand? Where is each store they love? How close is each store in proximity to one another when shopping in this large shopping heaven plaza? Remember, just like you can’t load everything in your home into your purse, you can’t get to every store, there are other shopping days folks. Focus on the terms of the prior contract you set up with your kids, lol! If everything goes as planned, and you get to their stores(which following location, location, location) you should, then reward them with a food treat, and yourself with a bag from Michael Kors or Coach at the end of the trip! Remember my tag line it applies to everything: Lavishly living life out loud!
Just a little preview of what you can find at Tanger Outlets
Wear Your Over-Priced And Buy Your Bargain
#3~~ Here’s to the Doubting Thomas’s out there that don’t like Outlet clothing. It’s first quality and it is delivered right to the store from the manufacturer and guess what the employees know the products in the store quite well as it is all they sell. Department stores employees don’t always know the details and background about the items they are selling because one day they are in bedding one day and the next in clothing—- GIVE ME THE EXPERT please! If you have your favorite shirt on that you already have bought by that brand, touch it, feel it, then find it in the Outlet Store. Look at the price tag, and feel sick in your stomach for what you paid and get ready to save like crazy here! The styles are what the season are, and you can buy 2 for the price of 1. See things are better now and you actually validated the feel and look of your shirt without saying, “is it really the same as the one I own already?” You did not have to think about it, or imagine it because you had it on.
Want to see our trip? Here is an inside view of some of the deals we found!
OUTLET ONLY Specials
#4~~You are shopping in an outlet and Tanger Outlets will offer you some of the best OUTLET Only specials, look at what we found at 60% OFF the marked price making these shorts just about $5! There were more exclusives like this in many stores, so open your eyes and find a real deal, spend less, grab more and have one heck of a shopping day getting your shopping maven on! Bring on the Outlet Exclusive Prices and treat me to the best there is for so much less!
Did You Mall Shop Recently?
#5~~There were rainy days, so don’t pretend like you did not head to the mall, because we all do it, but then reality sets in because we get something known as a price tag heart attack. Suddenly the trip you might have thought could wait(heading to the Outlets) looms in your very near schedule to save yourself from having a full blown price tag attack. Face facts, that even with coupons in the mall, it is rare to bring those prices down, and the there is the other problem: you have to basically sort your way through to your favorite brand, unless of course you go to a Brand Store in a mall. IF you are headed to a Major Department Store Retailer, you have to go through 100 racks to find the rack you are looking for and I bet you end up spending more on things you did not go in for, than if you would have just headed right to the brand you wanted and bought the things in their store, with the use of….
The Tanger App
#6~~So my iPhone and this App are completely fabulous together they are suddenly new besties and you have to get the APP. Some stores, like Under Armour, did not want a coupon in any other form, except from the APP, then I got 20% off my purchase, as that was the special they were running on the APP. I shopped and I dropped less cash than most because the APP rocked my iPhone world. I am not sure if you remember or not, but last year when I parked at Tanger Outlets, I totally forgot where I parked, no problem this year, because the APP pins my parking spot to free my brain to shop till I drop and think of nothing else but RETAIL THERAPY. I marked off my FAV stores before I went shopping, and I checked out all the specials because I needed to know what I could save where, to save me both time and money. The Tanger APP is cool because you have so many fantastic services you can use on it from saving money to calculating your cost per wear on a particular piece you might buy(yes this is just how I am!) Don’t Just Buy To Buy AND Be smart, and use your smartphone. Not sure about a price look it up. Compare apples to apples, shoes to shoes, and anything else in between. I am a brand girl, so I know what I should be paying and when it is too much but even my brain goes into overload. I check out my budget list and see what I paid previously in one of my spreadsheets or I Google prices, it’s that easy. I never buy something while I am there if I have to debate it. That is a gut thing, it is a shopping rule and I adhere. Yes, I might have driven an hour, and I might not see it again, but…. if you can’t decide on it, or your child is unsure, leave it, and use it as an excuse to come back and shop again as stock changes and my guess is you will find something else you like! Tanger Outlets has a lot of great items and debating is your inner-self letting you know it is not the right thing to buy!
This is Pam of Tanger Outlets Guest Services, she got me set up with my Coupons for the day! Thank you Pam!
Free Coupon Books- Those with Military ID, College ID, AARP and AAA can get their additional savings at Guest Services in the Food Court by presenting your ID and receiving your coupon book. Additional Store incentives which happen often store by store via these coupons I picked up at the Guest Services Desk, offering me an additional 20% off at some stores in the outlets(oh please let these be the ones I shop at!– this offer of additional 20% OFF COUPONS is good through August 23, so stop by the Guest Services Desk for your savings coupons)
Off Season Buys
#7~~Off Season is Not Off Reason I do try to explain to my kids that it’s not all about the season we are in, but the season we are headed to. That said, we have already left the season we are headed to but there are plenty of racks of clothing from the season passed. So what does a shopping maven do with a few good racks of brand favorite clothing? She shops and helps her kids find a few key pieces: a shirt, pants, and anything else practical, in basic colors so they can be used with other things in their wardrobe. Always buy for both seasons, snagging up less of the ‘in-season’ and more of the off season to increase your savings as these racks are way marked down. As you form your own closet, try to make your kid’s closets the same. Basic pieces go a lot further than a singular wild piece of clothing. Going out at night, a basic black tee will work, but that funky tie-died won’t work well. Think neutral, basic or at least make them grab one or two of those pieces, they will thank you later.
The Time To Shop
#8~~Everyday is a shopping day, but I always recommend early in the morning or later in the afternoon to really get your game on. There is plenty of parking, and so many stores, the Tanger Outlets pretty much swallows any crowds, so fear not shoppers you can shop till you drop any day of the week and you are sure to score! Don’t forget to pack small snacks to enjoy between your slated store stops, this helps to keep your blood sugar pumping properly and the kids smiling! It also never hurts to bribe them with a trip at the end of the day to the food court(ok, so IMO), but whatever that’s how we work it all out, as food always makes the day better!
Don’t Forget To Smell The Roses Along The Way
#9~~Have Fun. We had so much fun in Bath & Body Works, all of us. We sprayed, tested, put on hand cream, washed it off and then we went on with our day, remember, shopping is not a job, but a fun time to test the great scents out and let the kids indulge in simple fun.
The Store Set Up: Where to shop first
#10~~The Store Set Up Maybe ma be my most helpful tip and it is one that I have just glazed over. The racks at the back of each and every outlet store is where you score the biggest deals, end of story and sometimes you can even add those 20% coupon offers that occasionally happy at the outlets too making a MEGA BARGAIN. My kids love the finds in these racks and as brand name shopping maven I must urge you Shop at the back of the store First! Join me. Wait till you see the deals, look at the pictures of these walls, I snuck a few as a shopped so you could see, as a Picture is worth 1000 words right?
When you get to your favorite store, be it Gap Outlet, Old Navy Outlet, Under Armour, go right to the BACK of the store, do not stop until you are there. What deals are there? What racks are there? Can you build an outfit from these racks? Generally they are deeply discounted, and might be this season or last, but last season is getting ready to make an appearance again, are you ready for it? I have found Tommy Hilfiger up to 80% OFF and I buy it! We spent a lot of time in Aeropostale on clearance racks and on regular priced racks that offered sales, the deals were crazy great!
These are the faces of happy kids who reaped the benefits of shopping at Tanger Outlets, as they got the things they most wanted without driving store to store. It is that easy!
Reward Yourself
I am a Coach girl from top to bottom, my feet love their shoes and my hands love the bags, and I even grab the scarves for my head and neck! Coach handbags offers superior products that withstand the wear and tear of daily life and l am excited to be participating in a giveaway for a Coach Purse! Have you always wanted to have a Coach purse? Then good news because my friends and I have teamed up to give you an awesome giveaway event. We have TWO gorgeous purses on hand and in this giveaway we’re giving ONE winner a chance to choose one Coach purse. So which is your favorite among the 2 styles?
Please wait for the rafflecopter to load above. Make sure to come back daily to send your daily entries for more chances of winning.Giveaway is open to US only and runs from 8/28 – 9/18 11:59pm EST.
Shop smart, listen to your kids, and know what they like. I know that buying the basics, the things they always wear at the Tanger Outlets is my best investment and is the most bang for the buck. I don’t go on a whim, and my kids don’t become a whole new person while we are there with ‘styles’. At the end of the day we celebrate our purchases by looking at everything we bought and just enjoying the time we spent shopping. I personally let go and splurge on a new handbag when we do our shopping because it is such a deal I can’t pass it up, but I will tell you more about that in another story! Now reward yourself, and make sure you get the 20% off TangerStyle coupons. If they don’t already have these coupons, check in at Shopper Services to receive a sheet and save even more (till August 23). Otherwise, get the APP, put those shopping shoes on, pack the snacks, clean out the car and head to the Tanger Outlets to get your TangerStyle on just like I did. Fashion and brand names are an affordable luxury when you shop the Tanger Outlets and these are my 10 Tips For Shopping Tanger Outlets!
Tammileetips says
September 3, 2015 at 1:23 amI love to shop at the outlet malls!! I had no idea that Tanger had special coupon books like this or an app!! I need to remember that the next time we go! Looks like a great haul!
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LaVonne says
September 2, 2015 at 9:58 pmI love shopping at outlet malls. I don’t have a Tanger near me, but I wish I did! I like the pink purse the best.
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Stephanie says
September 2, 2015 at 9:00 pmThese are great tips! I love how you use strategy to get the job done and make sure everyone gets what’s on their list!
Travel Blogger says
September 2, 2015 at 2:15 pmi like the red purse better, both are cute tho. looks like you had a great trip!
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Valerie says
September 2, 2015 at 1:08 pmThese are great tips to think about when going to the outlet mall. I love to shop and get good bargains!
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