Fw: What Outlet Malls Don't Want You to Know

This Y! Shine article tells about what I like to call the "warehouse" version of designer brands.

My favorite example involves the famous Cole Haan "Pinch" dress shoe (colors: black, burgundy, no Nike Air):

• In retail and department stores, the Cole Haan Pinch Penny, Pinch Tassel, and Pinch Buckle shoes typically sell for $148. This may include Cole Haan boutiques inside shopping malls.
• In Cole Haan "outlet" stores, the manufacturer sells the Pinch Shawl shoe at around $100, at a 35% discount compared to $148.

Here is how things get tricky:

• DSW and Off Broadway Shoes also sell the Pinch Shawl at around $100. So the brand outlet store offers no advantage.
• The Pinch Shawl is never found outside DSW-like stores, outlet stores, and ebay. Zappos.com doesn't even sell the Shawl.
• The Pinch Shawl never sells for $148. $148 is just the MSRP of its retail siblings: the Penny, Tassel, and Buckle.
• The Shawl misses the leather strap across the instep that hides certain stitches in the Penny, Shawl, and Buckle. In addition, it has an ugly lace around the foot like most boat shoes.
• The leather in certain recent batches of the shoe just looks cheap as opposed to polished and supple. If not, it's the brand logo that appears differently (white on white leather?).

Point taken, you have to look carefully and compare the merchandise at outlet stores and their retail/department stores counterparts. Happy shopping!