I’m so excited about the deals I found today during a trip to our nearest outlet center! If you have time this weekend, I would definitely recommend checking out your local outlets. My baby boy had outgrown most of his clothes, and he needed some cooler things for summer, so I wanted to take advantage of the Memorial Day sale at Carter’s. I like the quality and variety of Carter’s clothing, and always find plenty of cute things to stock up on when I go. This weekend everything in the store is on sale, with discounts ranging from an extra 30% off clearance prices to 70% off regular prices. With the printable coupon I posted recently, you can get an extra 20% off if you purchase $40 worth of merchandise. I left the store with a total of 13 items at an average price of $3.50 each, and I also received a $10 “gift check” because I spent $25. The gift check can be used between June 15th and July 7th, which overlaps with a coupon I was given today for an extra 20% off a purchase of $50 or more (valid June 1-30). The Osh Kosh B’Gosh store also had some great prices – everything was at least 50% off. By the time reached Osh Kosh we had already bought everything we needed, but it is certainly worth checking out.
My baby was also in desperate need of shoes. He’s just about ready to walk, and had outgrown all of his shoes. I wanted him to have a high quality product, but it’s so difficult spending a lot of money on an item he’ll be able to use for only a few months. Our outlet center has a Stride Rite/Keds/Sperry store, and I wanted to check it out to see if by some chance they had any inexpensive shoes. I love Stride Rite’s products. Their approach to design, attention to detail and the quality materials are all worth the price…but they’re a little bit out of our price range right now. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the outlet had a variety of affordable options (trendy leather shoes for around $20), and I was over the moon when I discovered the “back wall”. The clearance section had a variety of baby shoes at amazing prices. I picked up the NMS Sky Lace in white for only $12.00! The shoe is designed for babies who are cruising. It is made of soft leather with a very flexible sole perfect for babies learning how to balance.
Back wall items with a green sticker were an extra 25% off, so I indulged and bought another pair for my little boy–leather Timberland sneakers for a mere $11.00! It’s tough to find a good pair of shoes in man-made materials at a department store for these prices!
Just a tip if you do head out shopping: proceed with caution in the Children’s Place Outlet. Ours was selling many clearance items for double the price you can get on their website. They did have a couple of bins of clearance shoes for $4.99 per pair though, and there were some particularly cute offerings for little girls. The Children’s Place website has huge markdowns on clearance and regular-price items now through Tuesday, so you should try your luck online first.
My baby should be all set for a few months now, and it didn’t break the bank. I kind of have a love/hate relationship with outlet centers. Some of the retailers really take advantage of customers by selling at retail price, selling damaged or returned goods, or offering lower quality merchandise that isn’t found in their regular stores. I always find great bargains at Osh Kosh and Carter’s though, and will definitely go back for more Stride Rite shoes! These stores make the trip worthwhile for us.
