Quality: Outlet vs. store

[Snow mom]

Okay wise BBB moms, I have a question that I hope someone knows the answer to. I recently learned the secret to identifying Gymbo outlet vs. Gymbo store clothes. Honestly, I always thought outlets mainly sold cast offs from previous seasons or seconds. It never occurred to me that stores make clothes of lower quality specifically for their outlet stores, although I guess it makes sense with the American obsession on bargains. So my question is, do lots of stores do this? Anyone know about these baby clothes stores/ brands:

-Carters: is outlet the same as regular store and is that the same as what you would find at TRU?
-Hanna: I've never been to a store or outlet, but have placed orders via phone and see a lot of it on ebay.
-Gap: I know some of their stuff is marked as "Gap factory store." Is the rest from the stores or different in quality?

I'm mainly just curious as I sometimes shop at stores and sometimes at the outlets, depending on what is convenient. I haven't bought tons of baby clothes at this point so I'm hoping someone more knowledgeable can explain how things work.

[ourbabygirl]

Good question- I'd like to know the answer(s), too.
The couple pairs of pants & sweater I bought DD at the Carter's store seemed to be the same quality as what you'd find in BRU/ Kohls/ Macy's, etc. However, I guess it wasn't an 'outlet,' just a separate store.
I thought that Gymbo outlet clothes are just clothes from previous seasons, but maybe not.
Hanna: the quality seems exactly the same from stores & outlet. I got a pair of pink & white striped ljs for DD as a gift, and when I went to the outlet months later, I got her another pair (bigger size for later), and they're the same (just a bit cheaper). The stuff at the Hanna outlet was just more random- previous season stuff, etc. To tell the truth, even the stuff at the outlet costs more than I want to spend, but I did buckle and buy about 3 sweaters & a pair of ljs (DH was along and fine with it). There's nothing different on the label to designate that they're for the outlets, I think they just send extras there?

[arivecchi]

I shop a lot at Carters and a Carters outlet near the in-laws. Same exact clothes.

[ciw]

I've seen the same items from Carter's outlets at department stores and TJMaxx/Marshalls. I do think Gap items, at least for adults, are often different at the outlets than the stores -- shirts are cut a little shorter, aren't double-seamed, etc. I don't shop at Hanna so I have no clue there.

[citymama]

I think Hanna and Carters are essentially the same items - overstock sold at outlets. I don't know about Gymbo. Gap sells different stuff at the outlets.

[WatchingThemGrow]

gymbo and gap = lower quality made for outlets - tags look different. Gap outlet tags have three squares.Gymbo outlets have some dots or something.

Hanna outlets have leftover merchandise and some current stuff, plus special-make dresses with leftover fabric.

Carters outlets are just regular stores, not "outlets" but they are at outlet malls. They have the best selection of Carter's stuff IME.

[Nooknookmom]

gymbo and gap = lower quality made for outlets - tags look different. Gap outlet tags have three squares.Gymbo outlets have some dots or something.

Hanna outlets have leftover merchandise and some current stuff, plus special-make dresses with leftover fabric.

Carters outlets are just regular stores, not "outlets" but they are at outlet malls. They have the best selection of Carter's stuff IME.

I never noticed the tags on the Gap Outlet stuff being different. I have to go dig out my stash and check! I really cannot tell the difference btwn the outlet and the store. Maybe I'm so happy to snag a deal, I never noticed!

I buy from the reg store and the outlet and haven't had any quality issues with either.

[ALLMYCHILDREN]

You should be able to ask the store-- There is no reason for them to lie- Just ask if the outlet has their own line or if they are transfered from another full price retail store.

I was a manager for COACH and we sent our stuff to the outlets after the season for that item was over. I think ever store is different- I would check with the store-- I know we never hide what we did with our items after sending them (they are marked-prior to being sent there of course).

[Nooknookmom]

OK, so the Gap Outlet stuff I just bought does have three little squares on the tag. Hmm...the jammies feel and look the same otherwise and the original tag was the same price as the retail store.

The outlet store leggings I bought DO feel lighter than my ususal ones and the spandex content is different. The leggings are my absolute favorite item for DD b/c they do not wear out. Uh, I'm bummed, I doubt these leggings will stand up like the others. I'm glad I read this thread though b/c now I'll watch what I get at the Gap outlets.

[Claki]

Some stores, like Coach, have a mix of just for outlets merchandise and last season stuff from the retail stores.

I know that BR, Gap tend to be almost all made for the outlets.

I am curious to know about kids stores. So is Gymbo stuff all made for outlets, or do they have some last season stuff too?

Our outlet mall also has a couple stores that aren't outlet or factory stores, they are just located at the outlet mall. Those include American Eagle and Carters.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I am curious to know about kids stores. So is Gymbo stuff all made for outlets, or do they have some last season stuff too?


I was curious about this, so I asked a few years ago. They told me that Gymboree takes the most popular lines from the previous year and REMAKES it, but changes the color and the quality a little bit. The items won't be an exact match b/c the colors are off. I believe there are some squares or dots on the left side of the word Gymboree on the tag to denote they are outlet items.

Can someone look at an outfit they know came from a Gymbo outlet and clarify what the symbol is?

[AnnieW625]

It's four little dots to the left of Gymboree on the tag.

I bought DD some pjs and a nightgown there and they have seem to held up fine. I also bought her a pair of the ice cream print capris she had from last year and a matching tee shirt, both seem very similar in quality to the ones she had before. The ice cream capris had two ice cream cones vs. three on her original pair. I hope they put some of last year's scotty dog stuff in there this year. I usually don't care for the animal prints, but I liked that one in little bits and pieces.

I have bought one dress from a Gap Outlet many moons ago when I was in college and since then I haven't found anything that I really needed.

[Snow mom]

The Gymbo outlet stuff I have has 9 orange square forming a larger 3x3 square. I'll try posting a picture later once DD is in bed. It turns out I don't have any Gap outlet baby items but I looked at some outlet items I own and could easily see the difference that was described (3 squares under the Gap logo.)

[MontrealMum]

The Gymbo outlet stuff that we have has 9 orange dots which are aligned 3x3 to form a square. The regular stuff doesn't have any marks at all except "Gymboree" on the tag. I will say, though, that I haven't noticed any difference in quality. Not like the difference in the adult made-for-outlet Gap stuff, which is often super-thin. But it's not like we're using it for super-long as DS grows out of stuff so quickly. I don't have any Gap baby outlet stuff, they never have anything I want there.

While the standalone BR and Gap stores at the outlets seem to have lots of factory store stuff (made for it, and it says so on the tag), there are some stores that sell leftovers from the regular mall stores. At least there were about 5 years ago when we were in CO for a trip, and also in Kittery, Maine, IIRC, we found a store that combined BR/Gap/ON (which are all owned by the same parent company) and I was able to find the exact same pants that I'd bought at the regular store as well as coordinates to a suit from BR. Don't know if those still exist or not. I do know that there weren't many of them.

[ssand23]

I don't live near a Hanna outlet (or a Hanna store) but have called the outlets & placed telephone orders many times. I've found the quality to be exactly the same as the catalog.

The Gap outlet varies. Some things are last year's left overs but some things are made special for the outlet. JMO but with some of the "made for outlet" items, the quality is the same, with some things it's not quite the same.

With Carters, it all seemed the same to me.