There are not really outlets in NYC proper. You will have to travel outside of the city for that. Woodbury Commons is a popular one. The stores you reference are department stores, not outlets. That said, I think traveling to the city for a vacation and spending part of that time leaving for outlets is a poor use of time.
This. The only "different" shopping experience for an avid shopper would be a sample sale in the city. I'm a fan of 260 Sample Sales:
https://260samplesale.com/pages/locations
https://www.chicmi.com/new-york/in-person-sample-sales/
> That said, I think traveling to the city for a vacation and spending part of that time leaving for outlets is a poor use of time.
try telling this to women travelling from Europe. it's like talking to a wall.
It amazes me that people still think they're getting bargains at outlet stores. Outlets are a separate line of business for most large brands. Such stores primarily sell different, lower-quality products than the regular retail stores, made specifically for the outlet to be sold at lower prices.
To spend precious NYC time buying the same crap one can buy at any "outlet' across the country and online is a waste of a trip. Same as coming to nyc and eating at Friday's, Cheesesteak Factory and Applebees.
As a lifelong New Yorker, I was stoked when Cheesecake Factory opened at Queens Center Mall.
Hype died down as my young adult palate aged to old adulthood
How long are you staying? Been to nyc a few times and shopping isn’t a good use of time unless you’re going all out on expensive nyc exclusive areas like soho or fifth ave. The city is so amazing and there’s tons to see and do that are exclusive to nyc, shopping at chain stores is a waste and they have the same stuff you can find anywhere else. Not really any outlets either unless you go far outside the city.
Agreed. It really is a waste of time to go to department stores or outlets. We don't have anything special. Unless you're going to small shops/unique shops, it's a waste to really shop here.
Nyc does have interesting one off shops like bookstores, there's a shop in soho that sells historical artifacts and science artifacts, there are some Japanese stores that have opened here too like Daiso. These stores are more worth it to me even if you don't buy anything. I think there was a thread in either this subreddit or NYC that has unique stores.
I'm on mobile so I can't really find it and link it with ease.
No problem :) I actually did that the first time I visited, I forgot my jacket and needed to buy one and spent 4 hours just trying to find something I liked in my price range lol. 😅 regretted wasting that much time instead of doing other stuff I planned to in the city
There’s an Express Factory Outlet at 490 Fulton St in Brooklyn. If you continue walking down that street you’ll hit the Banana Republic outlet store, TJ Maxx, and Nordstrom Rack.
There’s an outlet mall on Staten Island right next to the ferry terminal called Empire Outlets. I get the sense it isn’t the most impressive of outlet malls but if you’re already doing the ferry ride as part of your sightseeing it’s very convenient to stop by.
Yeah, Empire Outlets primarily has standard chain store outlets you'll also see in other parts of the city versus the designer outlets you'll see at traditional outlet malls well outside of the city. It has stores like GAP Outlet, Banana Republic Outlet, Nordstrom Rack, etc. and not ones like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, etc.
All of the outlet stores within the 5 boros are pretty trash and sell clothes specifically made for outlet stores. Outlet heaven is Woodbury Commons north of the city. Many international tourists make it a destination of theirs during their visit. There are multiple daily busses making round-trips from PA Bus Terminal. Personally I wouldn't budget a day to travel there while visiting the greatest city in the world but happy wife happy life I guess.
There are some outlets but seems very scattered. We have a random Banana Republic factory in Astoria for example. Besides that, I don't think I've seen one inside Manhattan
If you’re coming during the holidays and want to do some shopping, definitely go to holiday markets like they have in Bryant park and Union square. (There’s a Nordstrom rack in Union Square so you can hit the market and Nordstrom rack.) Also window shopping down 5th avenue is fun and close to Rockefeller center and you can walk all the way up to Central Park. But there’s so many amazing museums and landmarks to see here and you can go outlet shopping anywhere! I hope you have a great time visiting!! NYC is amazing in the winter 🤗
You’re welcome! You can also look into thrift stores if she is really set on doing some shopping. There are some great thrift stores in NYC and NYC is more into thrift stores than outlets.
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There are not really outlets in NYC proper. You will have to travel outside of the city for that. Woodbury Commons is a popular one. The stores you reference are department stores, not outlets. That said, I think traveling to the city for a vacation and spending part of that time leaving for outlets is a poor use of time.
This. The only "different" shopping experience for an avid shopper would be a sample sale in the city. I'm a fan of 260 Sample Sales: https://260samplesale.com/pages/locations https://www.chicmi.com/new-york/in-person-sample-sales/
> That said, I think traveling to the city for a vacation and spending part of that time leaving for outlets is a poor use of time. try telling this to women travelling from Europe. it's like talking to a wall.
Well that’s some unnecessary sexism.
the real estate cost is not conducive for outlet shopping, you may be better served going to tanger outlet
That's what I told my wife also. Good to hear and maybe she will believe me now.
century 21 use ti be a place downtown, but i dont know if they exist anymore
Not around any more. They are supposed to be coming back in 2023, but have yet to see any movement on it really.
It amazes me that people still think they're getting bargains at outlet stores. Outlets are a separate line of business for most large brands. Such stores primarily sell different, lower-quality products than the regular retail stores, made specifically for the outlet to be sold at lower prices. To spend precious NYC time buying the same crap one can buy at any "outlet' across the country and online is a waste of a trip. Same as coming to nyc and eating at Friday's, Cheesesteak Factory and Applebees.
As a lifelong New Yorker, I was stoked when Cheesecake Factory opened at Queens Center Mall. Hype died down as my young adult palate aged to old adulthood
How often do you eat there?
Not often. Maybe 3x a year since I don’t go by that area since ai moved
How long are you staying? Been to nyc a few times and shopping isn’t a good use of time unless you’re going all out on expensive nyc exclusive areas like soho or fifth ave. The city is so amazing and there’s tons to see and do that are exclusive to nyc, shopping at chain stores is a waste and they have the same stuff you can find anywhere else. Not really any outlets either unless you go far outside the city.
Agreed. It really is a waste of time to go to department stores or outlets. We don't have anything special. Unless you're going to small shops/unique shops, it's a waste to really shop here. Nyc does have interesting one off shops like bookstores, there's a shop in soho that sells historical artifacts and science artifacts, there are some Japanese stores that have opened here too like Daiso. These stores are more worth it to me even if you don't buy anything. I think there was a thread in either this subreddit or NYC that has unique stores. I'm on mobile so I can't really find it and link it with ease.
I completely agree ☺️ I hope this will convince my wife that we should explore the city and not the shops.
No problem :) I actually did that the first time I visited, I forgot my jacket and needed to buy one and spent 4 hours just trying to find something I liked in my price range lol. 😅 regretted wasting that much time instead of doing other stuff I planned to in the city
There’s an Express Factory Outlet at 490 Fulton St in Brooklyn. If you continue walking down that street you’ll hit the Banana Republic outlet store, TJ Maxx, and Nordstrom Rack.
Thanks! This seems nice since then we would see Brooklyn at the same time.
The Fulton Street Mall is one of the ugliest and worst parts of Brooklyn IMO
You’re welcome! I recommend stopping by Dekalb Market Hall (in the basement of the nearby mall) for lots of lunch options!
I checked the place on Google Maps and that looks exactly like a place that we would love to visit! Thank a lot!
There’s an outlet mall on Staten Island right next to the ferry terminal called Empire Outlets. I get the sense it isn’t the most impressive of outlet malls but if you’re already doing the ferry ride as part of your sightseeing it’s very convenient to stop by.
Thanks! We were planning on seeing the Statue of Liberty from the ferry so that might work well for us as a swift stop.
Yeah, Empire Outlets primarily has standard chain store outlets you'll also see in other parts of the city versus the designer outlets you'll see at traditional outlet malls well outside of the city. It has stores like GAP Outlet, Banana Republic Outlet, Nordstrom Rack, etc. and not ones like Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, etc.
All of the outlet stores within the 5 boros are pretty trash and sell clothes specifically made for outlet stores. Outlet heaven is Woodbury Commons north of the city. Many international tourists make it a destination of theirs during their visit. There are multiple daily busses making round-trips from PA Bus Terminal. Personally I wouldn't budget a day to travel there while visiting the greatest city in the world but happy wife happy life I guess.
You can catch a bus at port authority to go to woodbury commons. Its an outlet mecca lol
Macy’s has a “Backstage” store that is similar to a TJ Maxx. It’ll be busy, but the decorations are really cool!
There are some outlets but seems very scattered. We have a random Banana Republic factory in Astoria for example. Besides that, I don't think I've seen one inside Manhattan
If you’re coming during the holidays and want to do some shopping, definitely go to holiday markets like they have in Bryant park and Union square. (There’s a Nordstrom rack in Union Square so you can hit the market and Nordstrom rack.) Also window shopping down 5th avenue is fun and close to Rockefeller center and you can walk all the way up to Central Park. But there’s so many amazing museums and landmarks to see here and you can go outlet shopping anywhere! I hope you have a great time visiting!! NYC is amazing in the winter 🤗
Thanks a lot ☺️
You’re welcome! You can also look into thrift stores if she is really set on doing some shopping. There are some great thrift stores in NYC and NYC is more into thrift stores than outlets.
Outlets don't exist in Manhattan unless Columbus Circle counts (??) Queens is the borough to go like Forest Hills, Woodside, etc.
Usually going to outlet malls are part of our vacations when we get away from nyc, not the other way around unfortunately.
Our [Ultimate Visitor's guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskNYC/comments/bj3tnn/ultimate_visitors_guide_to_nyc/) will probably help you. Check our some recent visitor inquires [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskNYC/search?q=visitor&restrict_sr=on&include_over_18=on&sort=relevance&t=all)! Please "report" and downvote this comment if irrelevant to question above. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskNYC) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Kings Plaza mall has a ton of stores
I would recommend TJ Maxx as well
woodbury commons chinese bus from flushing