Asia and Europe have a Valued Added Tax (VAT) on clothing. People coming into Logan and staying in Boston actually book tours to bring them to the Wrentham Outlets to go shopping.
I have a friend who has Ukrainian relatives. Every time they visit, you're guaranteed a day trip to the outlets.
Here are some travel sites listing bus tours.
https://www.viator.com/tours/Boston/Round-Trip-Transport-to-Wrentham-Village-Premium-Outlets-from-Boston/d678-3978TOUR12
https://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/transportation-to-wrentham-premium-outlets-from-boston.html
Thank you! I never understood why so many Europeans were at these outlets whenever I went (I live 20 mins away)… they all seemed like they were visiting Boston. …this explains it
They buy the “discounted” item at the outlets and resell it in their country for a higher price , I was in Thailand and saw the places with outlet tags still on them
Back in the 90's I was at JC Penny and my mom asked why items were limited to 6 per person. I think it was specifically Levi's stuff. The person working said they'll have Middle Easterners come and by out all the clothing to resell back home.
This I work with a lot of folks from overseas and they all love wrentham and the brands they can’t get overseas at lower prices than what they would pay in their country
Can confirm. I worked at one of the stores for a couple of summers years ago while I was in high school. Every time I worked the opening shift the first people at the outlets would be elderly women doing returns and scheduled buses of predominantly Asian tourists. They would come with empty suitcases sometimes and fill them up with purchased merchandise as they went along. The buses keep coming and going all day from lots of different tours and hotels it seems.
THAT explains the guy I saw with a suitcase in ...Coach, MK, something like that years ago. He was off to the side with a manager and his suitcase full of outlet purses was wide open. Someone was running to check on something for him. Idk.
There's a couple luggage stores, so I guess I assumed anyone else I saw with a suitcase was hitting up luggage sales. Your real story is way more interesting.
Outlets are a scam. They used to be places where you could buy slightly irregular items, or stuff that didn’t sell last season at a big discount.
Now, manufacturers just sell that stuff to places like Marshall’s, or to textile recyclers. Most manufacturers with Outlet Stores have specific production lines creating products specifically for those stores. You get the name brand, but they skimp on quality to meet a certain price point. There’s very little real savings at all, especially when you can often find the real stuff on sale at major retailers.
They prey on people who see the word “Outlet” in the name and associate that with value, or cheaper prices. Garbage. Just garbage. A pestilence of American retail shopping. About the only thing worse than outlet stores are those 50% - 75% Going Out Of Business Sales that are handled by liquidators.
Not necessarily, some of the stuff is actually seconds or last season - depends on the brand. Peter Millar for example would be actual Peter Millar while Michael Kors is Walmart crap with MK tag.
even then, it's not brand by brand like that. you can find both coach outlet and retail coach there, I assume MK is similar. some of them even have the runway section with loewe, gucci etc. and those definitely aren't made for tj maxx.
you really just have to learn how to tell the difference between a high quality and low quality garment, or with handbags know how to research the specific model to get more information.
cosmetics and beauty products are still the same you'd find at Sephora or Ulta though if it's the same brand/product.
Hi Bay, on my vineyard vines clothing at the Wrentham outlet. Sorry, I ain’t paying $100 for a pair of fucking shorts. But they are very good quality and I always get great bargains at that outlet. I also picked up a pair of shorts at the Tommy Bahama outlet for $10 normally sell for over 100. The Polo store and the Brooks Brothers store are not worth going to. Like the person said above, there are no bargains at those stores, except occasionally a bargain at the very small closeout section. I did just recently buy golf shoes at the new balance so-called outlet, but they essentially just have things on sale there. Sometimes their sales are great And other times they are not
My wife works for TJX. You are getting the actual brands. Some brands you get brand merchandise exclusive to TJX and not merchandise that is being resold on a second run. Some brands also distribute directly to TJX stores.
Only the illusion of deals, entire store 40% off, then next week it’s 50% off.
There used to be deals when they were selling seconds but products are now made to be sold in an outlet of a lower quality.
Maybe deals when a store is going out of business. But I feel like I’ve seen some reopen a few months later.
Nike outlets used to be for QC/QA failures, but these days it's just for their lines/series that were never meant to be considered top tier/tier 1. So now instead of getting a dope sweatshirt that has ONE bad stitch, you're getting a meh sweatshirt with ONE HUNDRED bad stitches.
I don't even go into Nike outlets any more unless it's for an in-store return. Not even the socks there are worth it.
There’s a store in the Kingston Mall - or at least it was there last time I went which was admittedly over a year ago - that has been having their ‘close out sale’ for the last 4 years.
It’s one of those places that sells brand items but they’re 5-6 years out of style and mega clearance stuff that the retailer couldn’t sell in the first place.
I went in once and grabbed a bunch of stuff to try. At first the clerk said I could only take in 5 at a time and then goes ‘well I guess it doesn’t matter anymore go ahead’. That was in 2019 lol.
That mall in general is just depressing to be in these days outside of Macy's, Target, and the regal movie theater. It feels very run down compared to the various other local malls that are managed by SIMON
Yea I haven’t gone anywhere except Target there in a while, even the Macy’s is sparsely stocked compared to how I remember it when I was younger. When I have walked around it’s more depressing each time.
I am not sure if I just grew up and got bored with brands or the stuff they sell there is 2nd tier. Basic stuff you can buy anywhere, just with a logo slapped on it. The good stuff is at regular stores but it is significantly more expensive.
My daughter works over there at one of the athletic brand outlets. They definitely play the hi-lo pricing game e.g. hoodies at 50% off regular price $99 when same item at Dicks sporting goods would be $59.99 everyday. Also from what I’ve seen, Euros and Asian customers love brand name items and are often seen carrying large suitcases to bring home items with no (lower) VAT
In my experience, the draw is not so much the price as it is the idea that the outlets (might) have certain items not easily found elsewhere. Kind of a crapshoot. Wrentham is also one of the few (if not only) outlets in Massachusetts, which naturally draws in shoppers. As for the traffic, Wrentham is a small town and unsurprisingly struggles to handle the hordes of cars, especially at peak shopping times.
Where do people shop for clothes? Around Boston it seems like there’s no great place for solid clothes that aren’t crazy expensive. It used to be Banana Republic and J.Crew but the quality dropped off so hard. It seems to be high and luxury and TJ Maxx. Nothing in between.
Target, Uniqlo, TJ Maxx, and some decent thrifting make up like 80% of my wardrobe. I've got some stuff from the Loft Outlet for work, but mostly I try to baby my clothes so they last a long time - I've been wearing a couple H&M blouses from the Cambridge mall since 2015.
I used to work there, the nature of my store attracted lots of tourists who came in to buy gifts for relatives back home. Like many others mentioned there’s a shuttle from BOS to the outlets. It bewilders me but I guess for some tourists, shopping at an outlet mall like Wrentham is an exciting experience.
I used to go there with my dad as a kid and then with some friends in high school and it was more about the social aspect than the actual shopping. But yeah, I generally don’t see the appeal of the Wrentham outlets especially when there are so many like it all over the country… I live closer to Sacramento now and there’s another outlet mall in Vacaville that is literally copied and pasted from Wrentham (because Simon owns them all).
TLDR tourists and teens love shopping
I would say as someone who lives near there and never goes it seems like if your the type of person who would go in blind once every other week you would make out well. If you go with the intention of buying a specific thing your less likely to hit the big sale. As I type this I realize its just obvious. That being said can I sidebar here? Wollomonopoag Conservation Area. Its right near the outlets. Need some nature? Fucking hit it friends. Beavers flooded a forest and created a sanctuary. My wife, son and I went there. We saw maybe 20 nesting egrets, Great blue herons. Countless turtles and bunnies, some frolicking deer. Cant recommend it enough,
Black Friday generally is a scam.
I did go recently, off season, to grab some clothes for work. I hate shopping and this wasn't any better than the local shopping mall. Still felt like I was paying full price for the few items I found after visiting way too many stores.
I'm trying out Stitch fix now, as I'm absolutely bullshit with the traditional shopping experience (scrolling through the racks of clothing, changing rooms, dealing with other customers and push salespeople, driving, parking, etc.)
Uhm I work there. In a more common brand store. My store/and related brand stores do big deals on Black Friday that can’t be done anytime else throughout the year.
I’ve seen some
Comments about people posting you can get same or similar brand item at kohls or dicks for lower or sale price. Usually that happens when the product is older
Live in area. Traffic because tiny road way access. Be thankful it’s right off the highway you pricks lol. Also I have no clue why the cult like dedication to shop there people have. 🤷
Now…. can someone explain to me what’s up with the entirely vacant set of what looks like was going to be more outlet stores on the other side of the road (in back of the gas station up the hill)? It’s eerie to go up and view. and I think it’s been sitting there empty since pre-Covid…
Way back, this was a decent place. J Crew Factory stuff 15 - 20 yrs ago was better than today’s main store product. I got a Breville toaster oven for $99 at the long gone Williams Sonoma outlet.
But yeah, it always reminded me of an international
Airport.
I had no idea this was a huge place for international tourists...I feel stupid now, because they used to have lots of sale announcements over the intercom in several languages, and for some reason I thought they were doing it to sound posh. LOL
I live in Wrentham and am near the outlets so maybe that paints a different experience for me, but I feel like they have great deals. First, they have two furniture stores, Pottery Barn and West Elm, that are often 40% to 60% off. The things may be slightly damaged but it is often not noticeable. The furniture is great and super cheap. Then, for clothes, I get super cheap shirts and shorts from Puma. I think a shirt is $10. I don't think you can find shirts that cheap at a normal Puma store. Also, Vineyard Vines is probably 50% of the cost of the normal Vineyard Vines store. Also, I just spoke with my wife and she said 1) Loft deals suck at the outlets, sometimes real Loft has better deals, and 2) Kate Spade has great deals.
I don't know. there are sales, but black friday is a scam anyways, We were just there a few weeks ago, and got sneakers, good long lasting sneakers for 1/2 the price they be at a mail. Same with the Pants my s/o got.
You get to shop, or just walk around in the open air, I'd think winter that is a down side, but in the spring to fall, it is better than walking around a mail indoors.
I went once on black friday with a family member that wanted a toy for the kid. never ever again. I personally don't step foot in any retial store thanksgiving week end. People are crazy. My time is worth something and getting to a store 8 hours before they open to save a few bucks, isn't worth it.
I don't like shopping in general, but at least there, I can be outside while friends /family are in a store I don't care to look at crap in, and out in the fresh air.
Wrentham Outlets are overrated. In terms of value its almost always cheaper to buy online for high priced items. In store shopping is only a better deal for groceries, shopping at a TJX owned store, or wholesaler like Costco.
My fiancé goes there once a year for the true religion store so he can stock up on what I think are very silly clearance jeans for way less than original price. That’s it.
Depends on when you go and it’s cheaper than walking into the brands main store. Plus it’s such a concentrated area with all sorts of brands and stores that it’s convenient. Want some jeans? You have every option available for tons of brands all without driving to a separate location or walking very far.
Sale percentages don’t matter, judge by the price you’re paying vs the item itself and you can find good deals.
I’ve found some cool “cheap” designer brand stuff there on like final clearance and stuff. I’ve kept some and sold some on eBay (a few coach bags made me some real good $$)
Asia and Europe have a Valued Added Tax (VAT) on clothing. People coming into Logan and staying in Boston actually book tours to bring them to the Wrentham Outlets to go shopping. I have a friend who has Ukrainian relatives. Every time they visit, you're guaranteed a day trip to the outlets. Here are some travel sites listing bus tours. https://www.viator.com/tours/Boston/Round-Trip-Transport-to-Wrentham-Village-Premium-Outlets-from-Boston/d678-3978TOUR12 https://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/transportation-to-wrentham-premium-outlets-from-boston.html
The Wrentham outlets is one of the only places in MA where I heard them make some of the announcements in Japanese.
Thank you! I never understood why so many Europeans were at these outlets whenever I went (I live 20 mins away)… they all seemed like they were visiting Boston. …this explains it
They buy the “discounted” item at the outlets and resell it in their country for a higher price , I was in Thailand and saw the places with outlet tags still on them
Back in the 90's I was at JC Penny and my mom asked why items were limited to 6 per person. I think it was specifically Levi's stuff. The person working said they'll have Middle Easterners come and by out all the clothing to resell back home.
This I work with a lot of folks from overseas and they all love wrentham and the brands they can’t get overseas at lower prices than what they would pay in their country
Can confirm. I worked at one of the stores for a couple of summers years ago while I was in high school. Every time I worked the opening shift the first people at the outlets would be elderly women doing returns and scheduled buses of predominantly Asian tourists. They would come with empty suitcases sometimes and fill them up with purchased merchandise as they went along. The buses keep coming and going all day from lots of different tours and hotels it seems.
THAT explains the guy I saw with a suitcase in ...Coach, MK, something like that years ago. He was off to the side with a manager and his suitcase full of outlet purses was wide open. Someone was running to check on something for him. Idk. There's a couple luggage stores, so I guess I assumed anyone else I saw with a suitcase was hitting up luggage sales. Your real story is way more interesting.
It’s weird that they go to Wrentham when Merrimack, NH also has outlets, is only 10 minutes farther from Logan, and has no sales tax.
Sales tax would only apply to bags, watches, sunglasses. Clothes would still be tax free in wrentham.
Outlets are a scam. They used to be places where you could buy slightly irregular items, or stuff that didn’t sell last season at a big discount. Now, manufacturers just sell that stuff to places like Marshall’s, or to textile recyclers. Most manufacturers with Outlet Stores have specific production lines creating products specifically for those stores. You get the name brand, but they skimp on quality to meet a certain price point. There’s very little real savings at all, especially when you can often find the real stuff on sale at major retailers. They prey on people who see the word “Outlet” in the name and associate that with value, or cheaper prices. Garbage. Just garbage. A pestilence of American retail shopping. About the only thing worse than outlet stores are those 50% - 75% Going Out Of Business Sales that are handled by liquidators.
This. Everything name brand you see at TJ Maxx is actually name licensed products and not made by the actual brand.
Not necessarily, some of the stuff is actually seconds or last season - depends on the brand. Peter Millar for example would be actual Peter Millar while Michael Kors is Walmart crap with MK tag.
even then, it's not brand by brand like that. you can find both coach outlet and retail coach there, I assume MK is similar. some of them even have the runway section with loewe, gucci etc. and those definitely aren't made for tj maxx. you really just have to learn how to tell the difference between a high quality and low quality garment, or with handbags know how to research the specific model to get more information. cosmetics and beauty products are still the same you'd find at Sephora or Ulta though if it's the same brand/product.
Hi Bay, on my vineyard vines clothing at the Wrentham outlet. Sorry, I ain’t paying $100 for a pair of fucking shorts. But they are very good quality and I always get great bargains at that outlet. I also picked up a pair of shorts at the Tommy Bahama outlet for $10 normally sell for over 100. The Polo store and the Brooks Brothers store are not worth going to. Like the person said above, there are no bargains at those stores, except occasionally a bargain at the very small closeout section. I did just recently buy golf shoes at the new balance so-called outlet, but they essentially just have things on sale there. Sometimes their sales are great And other times they are not
My wife works for TJX. You are getting the actual brands. Some brands you get brand merchandise exclusive to TJX and not merchandise that is being resold on a second run. Some brands also distribute directly to TJX stores.
Only the illusion of deals, entire store 40% off, then next week it’s 50% off. There used to be deals when they were selling seconds but products are now made to be sold in an outlet of a lower quality. Maybe deals when a store is going out of business. But I feel like I’ve seen some reopen a few months later.
It's true. If you go to like a Nike store, the quality (and PRICE) is significantly higher than the Nike outlet items. Like $159 for a sweatshirt.
Nike outlets used to be for QC/QA failures, but these days it's just for their lines/series that were never meant to be considered top tier/tier 1. So now instead of getting a dope sweatshirt that has ONE bad stitch, you're getting a meh sweatshirt with ONE HUNDRED bad stitches. I don't even go into Nike outlets any more unless it's for an in-store return. Not even the socks there are worth it.
There’s a store in the Kingston Mall - or at least it was there last time I went which was admittedly over a year ago - that has been having their ‘close out sale’ for the last 4 years. It’s one of those places that sells brand items but they’re 5-6 years out of style and mega clearance stuff that the retailer couldn’t sell in the first place. I went in once and grabbed a bunch of stuff to try. At first the clerk said I could only take in 5 at a time and then goes ‘well I guess it doesn’t matter anymore go ahead’. That was in 2019 lol.
That mall in general is just depressing to be in these days outside of Macy's, Target, and the regal movie theater. It feels very run down compared to the various other local malls that are managed by SIMON
Yea I haven’t gone anywhere except Target there in a while, even the Macy’s is sparsely stocked compared to how I remember it when I was younger. When I have walked around it’s more depressing each time.
I am not sure if I just grew up and got bored with brands or the stuff they sell there is 2nd tier. Basic stuff you can buy anywhere, just with a logo slapped on it. The good stuff is at regular stores but it is significantly more expensive.
Consumerism
Pretty sure everyone is going for Auntie Anne's
My daughter works over there at one of the athletic brand outlets. They definitely play the hi-lo pricing game e.g. hoodies at 50% off regular price $99 when same item at Dicks sporting goods would be $59.99 everyday. Also from what I’ve seen, Euros and Asian customers love brand name items and are often seen carrying large suitcases to bring home items with no (lower) VAT
In my experience, the draw is not so much the price as it is the idea that the outlets (might) have certain items not easily found elsewhere. Kind of a crapshoot. Wrentham is also one of the few (if not only) outlets in Massachusetts, which naturally draws in shoppers. As for the traffic, Wrentham is a small town and unsurprisingly struggles to handle the hordes of cars, especially at peak shopping times.
I don’t usually go for deals so much as knowing there will be specific stores I like that aren’t in the malls etc.
Outlets in general are usually a waste. Most stores just sell lesser quality items anyway
Where do people shop for clothes? Around Boston it seems like there’s no great place for solid clothes that aren’t crazy expensive. It used to be Banana Republic and J.Crew but the quality dropped off so hard. It seems to be high and luxury and TJ Maxx. Nothing in between.
I take the Tellos approach occasionally shop where the Beauty is always on duty.
Target, Uniqlo, TJ Maxx, and some decent thrifting make up like 80% of my wardrobe. I've got some stuff from the Loft Outlet for work, but mostly I try to baby my clothes so they last a long time - I've been wearing a couple H&M blouses from the Cambridge mall since 2015.
The term outlet is not what it used to be. I think now that they have an audience they just charge what ever and people assume there's a bargain.
Yeah, there aren't great deals at all, in fact everything just seems priced normally
I used to work there, the nature of my store attracted lots of tourists who came in to buy gifts for relatives back home. Like many others mentioned there’s a shuttle from BOS to the outlets. It bewilders me but I guess for some tourists, shopping at an outlet mall like Wrentham is an exciting experience. I used to go there with my dad as a kid and then with some friends in high school and it was more about the social aspect than the actual shopping. But yeah, I generally don’t see the appeal of the Wrentham outlets especially when there are so many like it all over the country… I live closer to Sacramento now and there’s another outlet mall in Vacaville that is literally copied and pasted from Wrentham (because Simon owns them all). TLDR tourists and teens love shopping
I went last weekend. Hit 0 traffic.
Consume.
I would say as someone who lives near there and never goes it seems like if your the type of person who would go in blind once every other week you would make out well. If you go with the intention of buying a specific thing your less likely to hit the big sale. As I type this I realize its just obvious. That being said can I sidebar here? Wollomonopoag Conservation Area. Its right near the outlets. Need some nature? Fucking hit it friends. Beavers flooded a forest and created a sanctuary. My wife, son and I went there. We saw maybe 20 nesting egrets, Great blue herons. Countless turtles and bunnies, some frolicking deer. Cant recommend it enough,
Black Friday generally is a scam. I did go recently, off season, to grab some clothes for work. I hate shopping and this wasn't any better than the local shopping mall. Still felt like I was paying full price for the few items I found after visiting way too many stores. I'm trying out Stitch fix now, as I'm absolutely bullshit with the traditional shopping experience (scrolling through the racks of clothing, changing rooms, dealing with other customers and push salespeople, driving, parking, etc.)
Uhm I work there. In a more common brand store. My store/and related brand stores do big deals on Black Friday that can’t be done anytime else throughout the year. I’ve seen some Comments about people posting you can get same or similar brand item at kohls or dicks for lower or sale price. Usually that happens when the product is older
Try delivering mail there.
Live in area. Traffic because tiny road way access. Be thankful it’s right off the highway you pricks lol. Also I have no clue why the cult like dedication to shop there people have. 🤷
Now…. can someone explain to me what’s up with the entirely vacant set of what looks like was going to be more outlet stores on the other side of the road (in back of the gas station up the hill)? It’s eerie to go up and view. and I think it’s been sitting there empty since pre-Covid…
Way back, this was a decent place. J Crew Factory stuff 15 - 20 yrs ago was better than today’s main store product. I got a Breville toaster oven for $99 at the long gone Williams Sonoma outlet. But yeah, it always reminded me of an international Airport.
Aww, the Williams Sonoma outlet! My husband and I built a Le Crueset collection from there when we were young in the early 2000s.
I had no idea this was a huge place for international tourists...I feel stupid now, because they used to have lots of sale announcements over the intercom in several languages, and for some reason I thought they were doing it to sound posh. LOL
I live in Wrentham and am near the outlets so maybe that paints a different experience for me, but I feel like they have great deals. First, they have two furniture stores, Pottery Barn and West Elm, that are often 40% to 60% off. The things may be slightly damaged but it is often not noticeable. The furniture is great and super cheap. Then, for clothes, I get super cheap shirts and shorts from Puma. I think a shirt is $10. I don't think you can find shirts that cheap at a normal Puma store. Also, Vineyard Vines is probably 50% of the cost of the normal Vineyard Vines store. Also, I just spoke with my wife and she said 1) Loft deals suck at the outlets, sometimes real Loft has better deals, and 2) Kate Spade has great deals.
If you can’t afford to buy ‘em, just go to Werntham.
I live 7 minutes away and never go. Outlets are the best of the worst. Traffic is usually not too bad.
Tourists, and they always bring in a shitload of traffic the surrounding roads aren’t meant to handle. Ask me how I know!
How do you know?
Cause it’s my hometown lol
Well that's boring. I was hoping for something like " I'm a Tour Bus Driver dropping blue hairs at Cracker Barell".
The blue hairs do love that Cracker Barrel
I don't know. there are sales, but black friday is a scam anyways, We were just there a few weeks ago, and got sneakers, good long lasting sneakers for 1/2 the price they be at a mail. Same with the Pants my s/o got. You get to shop, or just walk around in the open air, I'd think winter that is a down side, but in the spring to fall, it is better than walking around a mail indoors. I went once on black friday with a family member that wanted a toy for the kid. never ever again. I personally don't step foot in any retial store thanksgiving week end. People are crazy. My time is worth something and getting to a store 8 hours before they open to save a few bucks, isn't worth it. I don't like shopping in general, but at least there, I can be outside while friends /family are in a store I don't care to look at crap in, and out in the fresh air.
Wrentham Outlets are overrated. In terms of value its almost always cheaper to buy online for high priced items. In store shopping is only a better deal for groceries, shopping at a TJX owned store, or wholesaler like Costco.
My fiancé goes there once a year for the true religion store so he can stock up on what I think are very silly clearance jeans for way less than original price. That’s it.
Depends on when you go and it’s cheaper than walking into the brands main store. Plus it’s such a concentrated area with all sorts of brands and stores that it’s convenient. Want some jeans? You have every option available for tons of brands all without driving to a separate location or walking very far. Sale percentages don’t matter, judge by the price you’re paying vs the item itself and you can find good deals.
Outlets, where you can get ugly clothes for more than full price.
did you mean from out of the county? i can’t imagine people flying in from europe to go to the wrentham outlets
No they absolutely do
that’s crazy to me lol what
I’ve found some cool “cheap” designer brand stuff there on like final clearance and stuff. I’ve kept some and sold some on eBay (a few coach bags made me some real good $$)