Clothing Shopping For Bargain Hunters Like Me

Published 10/30/07 (Modified 3/9/11)
By MoneyBlueBook

I'm your typical guy. I enjoy following sports and I generally find shopping to be tedious and sort of boring. I can handle online shopping, but clothing shopping at a brick and mortar store for me is a major hassle and I always feel like I'm getting ripped off. $80 for a sweater...oh my. $65 for a dress shirt...goodness gracious. $65 for a pair of khaki pants...holy...

The scary part is that these are prices for men's clothing. I can only imagine how much women have to pay for their clothes. Historically, women's clothing have always been much more expensive than that of men's. Who knows why - material maybe? But that's a discussion for another later day.

I Prefer Shopping Online

So where does a reasonably frugal person like me shop? Well I'm definitely a point and click shopper. I do the vast majority of my shopping online since it's much more convenient and substantially cheaper as well. But clothing is one of those things that you really need to try on before you buy. Fit is important and frequently, clothes look different online and in magazines than they do when you're wearing them.

Malls Are Not My Thing

I enjoy the mingling feel at I get when I'm at the local mall but I really can't stand shopping there for too long. Shopping at the mall wears me out physically and I just don't have the stamina for it. The funny thing is that I like to run and have no problem running half marathons, but I just can't keep up with the seasoned shoppers. Can't explain why. Most of the time that I go is to accompany the girlfriend, or I have to buy a last minute present for someone, and don't have time to order online and have it delivered.

I Like Outlets

For clothing shopping, I prefer sticking to the outlets like Marshalls, Ross, TJ Maxx and Filene's Basement (with preference in that order). These outlet stores buy up manufacturers' post season, over run, and close out stock items and offer them at very attractive prices. Most of the items are also frequently brand name and not just generic.

I enjoy the hunt and love being able to find brand name bargains. If you are not very particular about what you must buy, then outlets may be for you. At outlet shops, the clothing turnover is high and you never quite know what they'll have, so it's best to visit periodically. Popular sizes can also be harder to find but true bargains can be easily found. I get almost all of my dress shirts for work at Marshalls. I can buy a brand name shirt for $15, where the exact same item would cost over $50 at a department store like Macy's. Outlet prices will almost always beat any discount sales offered at full price department stores.