The other day, when I needed to replace my Panasonic cordless phone, I was already on my way to the outlet store mall when I remembered how much I disliked outlet stores. I know that factory outlets are very popular and that you can get good deals there, but somehow I never managed to get excited over those stores. Here are some of the reasons why:
I find outlet stores boring. You'd think that stores dedicated to some of the world's greatest brand names would be exciting, but they are not. Even a Sony factory outlet store I used to go to was a real yawner. Maybe it's the lackluster presentation, maybe it's the generally low-rent stores, or maybe it's something else. They are just boring and unimaginative to the max.
I am also unimpressed with the sales staff at outlet stores. They are generally pushy and the attitude generally seems to be, "Hey, you're in an outlet store. Don't expect service or good selection!" That just doesn't work for me. People who work in a factory outlet store should know more about their products, not less.
Prices are another problem. They are just not that good. It makes no sense to me to go to a factory outlet store where the prices are higher than in most department stores that have a better selection or newer products. Maybe some folks think that "factory outlet" automatically translates into low process. Not so.
Finally, the stuff that a lot of factory outlets sell just doesn't seem to be the real thing. It often seems like they're making cheaper, lower quality items just for sale in outlet stores. I am not sure everyone does that, but some companies do, and that's just not right.
Bottom-line for me is that I much prefer direct merchandising companies, the places that somehow get a hold of large quantities of high quality stuff and then sell it cheap. I used to go to one such place that had incredible bargains on designer labels and premium quality name brand electronics. Problem was that you never knew in advance what they'd have, so it was hit and miss. These days, such places are often online and it's much easier to see what they have because you can search their websites.
So I ended up replacing my Panasonic cordless phone by ordering one from a direct merchandise online department store. They also had VTECH cordless phones and AT&T cordless phones and inexpensive cordless phone batteries with the right voltage. As I always do, I ended up checking out the entire site as they also had all sorts of name brand electronics, quality electrical supplies, some cool surveillance equipment as well as designer clothes. It was definitely not boring.
For me, online direct merchandising websites have replaced outlet malls. The direct merchandising guys really get it-a lot of people like good deals. There's a huge difference between selling cheap stuff and offering carefully assembled collections of high quality brand name products at direct merchandise prices. And yes, I found that Panasonic cordless phone for less.
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Chris Robertson is a published author of Majon
International. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2010 (Tue May 12 2009)
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