Inside secret retailers where bargain hunters shop and save hundreds of pounds
THERE’S a little-known way to save hundreds of pounds on the high street and online.
From high-end designer bargains to hidden online outlets, hunting down a bargain can save you big bucks.
To find out more, Mel Hunter spoke to bargain-hunting experts about outlet shopping.
ONLINE OUTLETS
MANY retailers will have official online outlets.
Some will be the sale or clearance section of their website, while others have dedicated outlet stores.
You’ll typically find them packed with old stock, end-of- line bargains or a glut of items they’ve over-ordered.
In the clearance section of B&Q’s website, diy.com, you can get GoodHome Kirton oak-effect laminate flooring for £18 a pack instead of the usual £29.83.
On the Dunelm site, you can get a heated clothes airer with wings down from £55 to £27.50.
To discover hidden fashion bargains, search on the favourite sites of Coupon Queen Holly Smith (@hollyvlogs).
The mum-of-four from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, recommends highstreetoutlet.com where you can search by brands including Zara, Joules and White Stuff.
Holly says: “They even have a £5 and under sale.” The site has a White Stuff maxi dress for £10, down from £100.
Stock is limited so search by your size to avoid disappointment.
Holly also recommends youknowwhos.co.uk, which has some stores too, and claims to offer up to 80 per cent off brands like Marks & Spencer and Carhartt.
Holly suggests looking at charity websites too.
“Some of them have an agreement with high street retailers to sell off old stock,” she says.
Oxfam Bridal at onlineshop. oxfam.org.uk is great for special- day end-of-line frocks.
For returned, used and opened products, try the Amazon Warhouse outlet at tinyurl.com/ 3tkejzfc. Be wary of fake outlet stores, though — trust your gut, do extra checks and use a credit card, giving you additional protection.
EBAY OUTLETS
WHILE you may know eBay well as an online marketplace, it also has an outlet section packed with discounted brands, from Gymshark to Calvin Klein.
There’s a brilliant list of the best eBay outlets on Ricky and Naomi Willis’s Skint Dad website, skintdad.co.uk/ebay-outlet-store-guide.
Naomi says: “Products could be left over or end-of-line stock. But while you should pick up a bargain, there may be places you could get the item for cheaper, so do check.
“Also, whatever you buy from eBay you’ll be able to earn Nectar points on too.”
Buy out of season and you might pick up an extra bargain, like the longline quilted coat for £42, down from £129, found in the Hush outlet.
In the Currys eBay outlet, we spotted an LG 43in TV for £169.99 with a damaged box. The same TV is on sale in the main Currys website for £30 more.
OUTLET VILLAGES
A hunting ground for bargains, there are more than 30 outlet villages around the UK. Expect to get between 30 and 70 per cent off the usual prices.
From Clark’s Village in Somerset, with 90 designer and high street stores, to Cheshire Oaks in Chester, with 145, most locations are a mix of top labels such as Hugo Boss or Ralph Lauren and high street brands, like Levi’s, M&S and Nike.
But be warned, many items are made just for outlets so might not be the bargain they first seem.
Joining a membership scheme can help you unlock further discounts. Bicester Village in Oxfordshire has a private sale for members from now to June 2, with up to 60 per cent off.
Money expert Amy Knight from financial comparison site NerdWallet says: “Outlet stores may have more flexibility when it comes to offering discounts, so hone your haggling skills.”
BUYING TIPS
WHETHER you snap up a bargain in a shopping village or an online outlet, there are some extra tricks to make sure you’re getting the best bargain.
Firstly, remember that some of the items that look like you’re getting a luxe brand for a low price may have been mass-produced specifically for selling in an outlet, so may not be quite the bargain they seem.
How do you know?
“Ask,” says Holly. “Often the sales assistants will be honest with you.
“Also, look at what sizes are available.
“The best outlet bargains are end of line stock, so if there’s stacks of handbags or T-shirts in every size, it is most likely made specially for the outlet.”
Before parting with your hard-earned cash, check whether the discounted ticket price can be beaten online. And use technology to check you’re getting a proper bargain.
When shopping in a physical outlet store, Holly uses the barcode search feature on the eBay app to check she can’t buy an item for less on the website.
“It’s a good way to check you’re getting a good price and, if you scan the barcode and no products come up, that’s a big indicator that the item has been made specially for the outlets.”
‘I make sure that it is a bargain I could not pick up elsewhere’
MONEY-SAVING expert Casey Major-Bunce (@majormumhacks) is a regular visitor to her local Gunwharf Quays outlet in Portsmouth.
The 33-year-old, who has four children – Ayron, 13, Kaiser, eight, and twins Matilda and Arabecca, four – says: “I love picking up a bargain at an outlet. Doesn’t everyone? But I make sure it really is a bargain and that I can’t get it – or something just like it – cheaper elsewhere.”
She uses Google Lens, to take a picture of an item she likes and then leaves it to the search engine to look to see if she’s getting the best deal.
Casey also uses TK Maxx to find designer bargains. But to make sure she’s really getting a steal she looks at the code number at the top of the label.
She reveals: “A two at the end of the product code indicates it’s a genuine item that was sold at a higher price elsewhere.”
Casey also advises shoppers to go with their gut when outlet shopping and not to just buy something that looks good.
She says: “If I try it on and don’t love it within ten seconds, I don’t bother buying it. I’m unlikely to change my mind.
“If I do buy, I’ll keep the receipt with the item.
“Before I take the labels off, I double check online that the price hasn’t dropped even further and that I can’t get it for less elsewhere.”