Gap and Old Navy outlets v. Gap and Old Navy regular stores

[LucyG]

What, really, are the differences (Gap outlet v. Gap, Old Navy outlet v. Old Navy)? Price? Products? I do most of my shopping at their outlets, due to proximity. Some of the clothes I get there actually say "outlet" on the tags, as if they were made specifically for the outlets. Others have the same tags you get on clothes in the stores. Are the outlet prices really much better? I don't go to the actual stores enough to know, but I just wonder what, if any, advantages outlets have over the actual stores. I've gotten GREAT deals when things are on sale at both places.

[Piglet]

I don't know how it is by you, but here, the Gap Outlet has a more restrictive return policy and the prices aren't always better. I very rarely shop at the Outlet because the few times that I did, I only had 30 days to return something (at the Gap you can return the item indefinitely with a receipt). Also, once we were looking at men's boxers that had been marked down to $4 at the Gap, but were selling for $10 at the Outlet - they seemed to be behind on their sales?! I do have luck looking for some slightly "out-of-season" items at the Outlet - like when DS lost his hat at the end of winter, it was still available at the outlet, but the Gap was sold out. It may be better in other places, but I am not impressed with ours.

[Kimberly H]

We live near an Old Navy outlet and about 1.5 hours from an Old Navy store. Most of the time I can get better deals at the regular store on clearance merchandise than I can at the outlet.

[Momof3Labs]

I do better at clearance sales at both stores. They make clothes that are lower quality for their outlets (thus the outlet tags). That said, I can still get good prices at the outlets, I just need to shop smart.

An example - the other day, I got several sets of pajamas for Colin at the Gap outlet for 6.99. Today I saw pajamas at the Gap store for 6.99. Different patterns, and generally slightly more summery styles, but they are only pajamas. If you adjust for the quality difference, the price is better at the store, but the outlet price is still decent (Gap outlet pajamas are still pretty good quality).

[lizajane]

the outlet sells both clothes made for the outlet (not the best deal, but slightly lower prices) and last season's clothes from the store. last season's clothes have better prices than the store (unless you get them at the store on clearance, i guess.)

BUT the day after thanksgiving, there is always a 30% your purchase at gap outlets, in addition to any other sales there. i clean up every year on that friday. (for me before baby, for him when i was preg. and this year, for me and for him! yay!!!)

[vikivoly]

FWIW, I bought a sleep at a Gap outlet with an Outlet tag. I bought the same sleeper at a regular Old Navy store (but different pattern) and the quality was exactly the same.

[little mama]

I regularly shop at the Gap Outlet for Mira (9 mo.), and I agree with the other moms who said you have to shop smart. The prices at the outlet are often the same as those at the regular store for similar items. But I like shopping at the outlet because my outlet has a much better selection of items than most Baby Gaps near me, and the markdowns at the outlet regularly beat those at Baby Gap. So I wait for the markdowns at the outlet, and often have found things for less than a couple dollars.

Also, having bought clothing with both Baby Gap tags and outlet tags, I have not found any difference in quality between the two. As far as I can tell, the fabrics are the same, and they wash and wear equally well. I do think there is a slight difference in sizing between the two; it seems that sometimes the outlet clothing is a bit smaller than the regular clothing in the same size. For example, I bought the same pjs, one with an outlet label and one with a Gap label, in the same size, and I noticed the outlet pjs were slightly smaller. But it hasn't been significant enough of a difference to force me to buy a bigger size than I would normally buy. Besides, the thing I like best about Gap clothes, besides the quality of the cotton, is that they don't shrink that much at all.

Lisa and Mira 12/17/02