The Today Show – a.k.a. the maharajah of diet news – aired a faux budget shopping segment today on How to get the best shopping deals at outlets. I used to shop at outlets… when I made asinine decisions with my money. Eventually, I realized outlets are much like sample sales: Paying a percentage less than full retail price enables the shopper to rationalize wasting a shit ton of cash, and pretend she’s saving hundreds of dollars in the process. FUN!
Lucky Mag editor Elise Loehnen led the charge, and while I usually dig the glossy’s creative combos, this morning’s outlet outfit proved uninspiring.
It appears Last Call Needless Markup (err, Neiman Marcus) shat out a bunch of uber intense trends and crammed them into one look. Leopard and Sequins and Jewel Tones oh MY! I wouldn’t be kvetching about the impracticality of the outfit if it came at a practical price, but it costs upwards of $200. That’s its OUTLET price.
The fact that it retails for $700 suggests that by buying it, I’m saving $500 as opposed to spending $200.
Here’s the kajillion dollar question: If I hadn’t known the outfit’s retail price, would I have spent $200 on it to begin with?
Helllllllllllllllls NO.
Today Show – you can’t encourage people to save their dollars via Money 911 segments if you’re going to tempt them to bust out the plastic at Woodbury Commons five minutes later. Go sit in the corner and think about what you’ve done. 
tags: 
“Here’s the kajillion dollar question: If I hadn’t known the outfit’s retail price, would I have spent $200 on it to begin with?
Helllllllllllllllls NO.”
Seriously. I wish people would think about that very question more often. You’re not really “saving” unless it’s money would would have, with certainty, spent anyway.
eeew this outfit is literally a throw up mish mash of trends! the sad thing is that some 40ish house wife in Minnesota will think this is totally chic…
The “Summer Project” I gave myself was to check out all the Outlets around NYC. I ended up buying nothing but t-shirts at every one. With everything else I was saying to myself, “Are they kidding? I can get a better deal than this in Union Square!”