Outlet Mall Shopping: A New Kind of Vacation Adventure

When planning vacations, people usually visit theme parks, museums, beaches or other traditional vacation spots, however many more people are now planning activities around their hobbies and interests. Located directly off of many interstate highways, outlet malls are fast becoming a must see for shoppers searching for a great bargain. When planning to visit outlet malls, here are a few things to plan for to help make your trip a pleasant experience.

1. Try to plan your vacation around sales. Using the internet as your guide, many store offers sidewalk sales and other incentives for shoppers during the holidays or other peak times of the year. Some holiday promotions that have been advertised range from 70-90% off savings, to a specialty food retailer offering free Coke floats to any customers who stopped by. If it is a spur of the moment decision and you did not get time to plan ahead, make the mall office your first stop. If a member of the military, AAA, or AARP inquire if there are any special discounts available to you. Sometimes, these organizations qualify for discount coupon books or cards available only at mall offices.

2. Know when to go. Does the outlet have a senior or military discount day? If so, take advantages of these discounts and try to visit on that particular day. To maximize savings, find out if that state participates in a "sales tax holiday" program. These programs usually offer no sales tax on clothing items under $50 each. Most sales tax holidays are in the summer, just before the school year begins.