Give an outlet to your shopping frenzy
Have you still been dreaming about the pair of Nike sneakers that you saw last week in the mall, or is it the Reebok bag, the one that your friend carries that you have set your eyes on?
And every time a sneak peak into your not-so-bulging wallet tells you that you still need to wait for the sale season. But what if you discover that you dont need to wait for a mega discount offer to get all the items that you covet?
The good news is that you can still splurge and get all that you want and not feel guilty about it! The key is that you just need to know where to shop till you drop.
If you are walking down Parel in Mumbai or you are in Gurgaon, with the number of brand outlets vying for your attention, you may think its Mumbais Colaba or Delhis Khan Market.
But that, of course, is not the case. The stream of shops that line up Parel in Mumbai and Gurgaon near New Delhi , are secondary shops or seconds for short. They are also referred to as factory outlets.
These shops typically store the leftover stock, which companies are not able to sell through their normal distribution channels. These shops provide an outlet for the sale of the leftover or out-of-season goods. So if Nike happens to produce a few extra pieces of Air (a big selling sports shoe model), which they cannot sell through their branded shops, you are likely to find them at factory outlets.
Be ready for a pleasant surprise once you enter the shop. A quick look at the price tag will be a revelation Rs You will find that the price that you need to pay for the clothes there is much lower than the market price. Well, welcome to shoppers paradise!
Says Pradeeep Masand, store manager at a Reebok factory outlet in Pa! rel, The discounts are anywhere in the range of 15-20 %. In some cases they can even go up to 50%. For instance, a pair of Nike sneakers that you would pick up from a mall would cost you Rs 2,499, but if you buy it from a factory outlet in Parel, you will just have to shell out Rs 1,249!
The good news doesnt end here. Mahesh Suryavanshi, store manager , Color Plus factory outlet in Parel, says, You can get identical deals that you get during sale season. An enthusiastic shopper can get branded stuff at a most affordable price anytime of the year. So, you dont have to wait for December and July sales the time when most big retail outlets put out stuff at a discounted rate.
Its just that the four letter word SALE gives you an adrenaline rush as you are able to buy all that you wanted at much cheaper rates than when you had eyed them in the mall on your last visit.
As Harish Bijoor, brand expert and CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults, points out, A sale is the most powerful magnet to attract customers. And if people could realise the power of these stores it can work wonders for the shoppers.
Another plus point is that while malls and flagship stores have very stringent return and exchange policy during sales, factory outlets are far more flexible when it comes to such policies.
The joy of paying less for good brands is not only limited to clothes, shoes, bags and accessories. Instead it extends to cosmetics too.
When you walk into the cosmetic store to fill in your make-up kit, and by the time you have got all that you need to get dolled up, you will realise that you have burnt a hole in your purse. Sometimes cosmetics and accessories can be even more expensive than clothes.
In such a scenario, you may want to consider the cosmetic shops that sell goods at discounts. If you are b! ased out of Mumbai there are such shops located in the famous Victoria Terminus station. Where under one roof, there are stalls set up by all the famous cosmetic brands that you desire.
Since these stalls are set up by the companies there is no fear of substandard products. In these centres the price that you pay will be about 10-20 % lesser. So, if a LOreal conditioner costs Rs 450 in a mall or a multibrand shop, it will cost you Rs 350, helping you save a neat 22%. So you can buy well-recognised brands at marked-down prices.
Shikha Matthews an enthusiastic shopper swears by factory outlets. She says, The discounts and the deals that you can get here are sometimes better than what you can get during a sale, as even in the sale season there are hardly any discounts on cosmetics. And it is not that you are settling for some cheap stuff, they are all branded items.
If the deals that are available here are at such unbelievable prices, then what is still keeping the shoppers at bay? Nabankar Gupta, CEO, Nobby Brands says, Apart from the fact that these stores are few in number and are generally at distant locations, makes the shoppers wary. Also, the shopping experience in the malls and high-end stores is more rewarding. So the choice has to be yours are you ready to walk that extra mile and give up on the experience to save some extra bucks?
The idea that puts a dampener on the experience of buying from the secondary shops is that you know that you are buying old, leftover stock. But if you take a close look, you will realise that the goods offered during sales are no different.
As Bijoor points out, What customers ignore is that generally there is no sale on fresh stocks and the goods that are on sale are also the items that were brought in the last season. Moreover, the sale plays on the phrase discount in order to attract custome! rs, but they offer very less discount on most of the goods unlike these secondary stores where there is no catch.
Adds Gupta, By reducing the prices, retailers are getting rid of their old stocks. But this, in turn, makes the products affordable for those who aspire to wear fashionable clothes but have limited means.
The fact that you have to pay lesser than what you would have had to otherwise gives you an infinite joy. So now you can shop worth your credit card without much worry. Happy Shopping!
And every time a sneak peak into your not-so-bulging wallet tells you that you still need to wait for the sale season. But what if you discover that you dont need to wait for a mega discount offer to get all the items that you covet?
The good news is that you can still splurge and get all that you want and not feel guilty about it! The key is that you just need to know where to shop till you drop.
If you are walking down Parel in Mumbai or you are in Gurgaon, with the number of brand outlets vying for your attention, you may think its Mumbais Colaba or Delhis Khan Market.
But that, of course, is not the case. The stream of shops that line up Parel in Mumbai and Gurgaon near New Delhi , are secondary shops or seconds for short. They are also referred to as factory outlets.
These shops typically store the leftover stock, which companies are not able to sell through their normal distribution channels. These shops provide an outlet for the sale of the leftover or out-of-season goods. So if Nike happens to produce a few extra pieces of Air (a big selling sports shoe model), which they cannot sell through their branded shops, you are likely to find them at factory outlets.
Be ready for a pleasant surprise once you enter the shop. A quick look at the price tag will be a revelation Rs You will find that the price that you need to pay for the clothes there is much lower than the market price. Well, welcome to shoppers paradise!
Says Pradeeep Masand, store manager at a Reebok factory outlet in Pa! rel, The discounts are anywhere in the range of 15-20 %. In some cases they can even go up to 50%. For instance, a pair of Nike sneakers that you would pick up from a mall would cost you Rs 2,499, but if you buy it from a factory outlet in Parel, you will just have to shell out Rs 1,249!
The good news doesnt end here. Mahesh Suryavanshi, store manager , Color Plus factory outlet in Parel, says, You can get identical deals that you get during sale season. An enthusiastic shopper can get branded stuff at a most affordable price anytime of the year. So, you dont have to wait for December and July sales the time when most big retail outlets put out stuff at a discounted rate.
Its just that the four letter word SALE gives you an adrenaline rush as you are able to buy all that you wanted at much cheaper rates than when you had eyed them in the mall on your last visit.
As Harish Bijoor, brand expert and CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults, points out, A sale is the most powerful magnet to attract customers. And if people could realise the power of these stores it can work wonders for the shoppers.
Another plus point is that while malls and flagship stores have very stringent return and exchange policy during sales, factory outlets are far more flexible when it comes to such policies.
The joy of paying less for good brands is not only limited to clothes, shoes, bags and accessories. Instead it extends to cosmetics too.
When you walk into the cosmetic store to fill in your make-up kit, and by the time you have got all that you need to get dolled up, you will realise that you have burnt a hole in your purse. Sometimes cosmetics and accessories can be even more expensive than clothes.
In such a scenario, you may want to consider the cosmetic shops that sell goods at discounts. If you are b! ased out of Mumbai there are such shops located in the famous Victoria Terminus station. Where under one roof, there are stalls set up by all the famous cosmetic brands that you desire.
Since these stalls are set up by the companies there is no fear of substandard products. In these centres the price that you pay will be about 10-20 % lesser. So, if a LOreal conditioner costs Rs 450 in a mall or a multibrand shop, it will cost you Rs 350, helping you save a neat 22%. So you can buy well-recognised brands at marked-down prices.
Shikha Matthews an enthusiastic shopper swears by factory outlets. She says, The discounts and the deals that you can get here are sometimes better than what you can get during a sale, as even in the sale season there are hardly any discounts on cosmetics. And it is not that you are settling for some cheap stuff, they are all branded items.
If the deals that are available here are at such unbelievable prices, then what is still keeping the shoppers at bay? Nabankar Gupta, CEO, Nobby Brands says, Apart from the fact that these stores are few in number and are generally at distant locations, makes the shoppers wary. Also, the shopping experience in the malls and high-end stores is more rewarding. So the choice has to be yours are you ready to walk that extra mile and give up on the experience to save some extra bucks?
The idea that puts a dampener on the experience of buying from the secondary shops is that you know that you are buying old, leftover stock. But if you take a close look, you will realise that the goods offered during sales are no different.
As Bijoor points out, What customers ignore is that generally there is no sale on fresh stocks and the goods that are on sale are also the items that were brought in the last season. Moreover, the sale plays on the phrase discount in order to attract custome! rs, but they offer very less discount on most of the goods unlike these secondary stores where there is no catch.
Adds Gupta, By reducing the prices, retailers are getting rid of their old stocks. But this, in turn, makes the products affordable for those who aspire to wear fashionable clothes but have limited means.
The fact that you have to pay lesser than what you would have had to otherwise gives you an infinite joy. So now you can shop worth your credit card without much worry. Happy Shopping!
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