WOODBURN PREMIUM OUTLETS®: Woodburn, Oregon

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Did you know that there is no sales tax in Oregon State?  Yes, ladies and gents.  It’s time to start curating a trip to Oregon State where there isn’t sales tax so you can start saving even more of your hard-earned shopping cash.

Since the American Dollar has been horrendous to buy,  I wanted to keep an eye on my spending.  I checked out the shopping in downtown Portland; although there were some awesome things to buy – I wanted to stretch my dollar as far as I could.

After doing some research I found that Woodburn Premium Outlets® in Woodburn, Oregon would be able to help me out with my goal.  No sales tax coupled with 60% – 70% off mark downs was delectable for my pocketbook.

When I arrived to the open air beautiful sprawling layout that is Woodburn Premium Outlets® I knew I made the right decision.  The space was easy to navigate, it held shops I wanted to shop in, there were no long queues of people waiting to make purchases and there were deals to be had.

Think of these 110 Outlet Stores and how they could help you out with your Black Friday Shopping:

Adidas, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Cole Haan, Eddie Bauer, Fossil, Gap, J.Crew, Max Studio, Nautica, Nike, The North Face, Polo Ralph Lauren, Puma, Tommy Hilfiger, Tumi, and more.

As always as you prep for your shopping day I encourage you to pick up a Woodburn Premium Outlets® VIP Coupon Book from the Management Office if you are an AAA member.  This Coupon Book will make your American dollar go even further.

For example, in my Woodburn Premium Outlets® VIP Coupon Book I had Levi’s Outlet Store savings of $15 off purchase of $100 or more and $30 off purchase of $200 or more.  I also found a Cole Haan $50 off purchase of $250 or more and a J.Crew 10% off purchase of $100 or more.  In total there are over 85 merchants participating in the Woodburn Premium Outlets® VIP Coupon Book – all ready to knock off more money off their wares.

The Woodburn Premium Outlets® VIP Coupon Book  has a nice mix of high-end merchants to middle of the road merchants.  Keeping in mind the goal of saving cash – when you shop during Black Friday keep your Woodburn Premium Outlets® VIP Coupon Book close at hand.  Coupled with the no sales tax – you could be saving close to 80% off your total purchases.  That would never happen in downtown Portland, Oregon.

In my store hunt I was able to pick up 3 pairs of Levi’s Jeans, a t-shirt and some accessories for all under $60 using my coupon booklet and saving on the no sales tax.  The total worth of the goods was $200 retail.  That was a huge win.

Last Fall, when I visited Woodburn Premium Outlets® sister, Woobury Common Premium Outlets® in Central Valley, New York; I discovered a new-found love affair with Under Armour.  With our Canadian winters getting even worse – Under Armour on sale is a great investment.

As I ploughed through the sales rack I found a fleece, a hoodie, some yoga stretch pants and some comfy work out tees.  Again using the Woodburn Premium Outlets® VIP Coupon Book and saving on the no sales tax I walked away with goods for a total of $90.  The total worth of the goods was $300 retail.  Another win.

I appreciated the fact that we were outside Portland and it was a tad quieter walking around Woodburn Premium Outlets®.  Similar to that of Woodburn’s sister Outlets:  Woodbury Common Premium Outlets® (in New York), Chicago Premium Outlets® and Boston Premium Outlets® – Woodburn Premium Outlets® was awesome to stroll in and out of shops.  The cool crisp air, fall colours and a no stress to shopping ambiance added to my shopping vigour.

The shops were endless and easy to navigate.  I would encourage you to pick up a map before you start your day and circle the shops you would like to check out.  This will give you an idea on time and also keep an eye on where you want to spend your money the most.

If you are looking for break points to leave your partner and the kids or need a respite from all that shopping there are some great food options on site.  From the cheerful cafes and sit down eateries – again Woodburn Premium Outlets®  has you covered.  Again, all affordably priced.

Lastly, I encourage you to get to Woodburn Premium Outlets® early in the day.  This way you can get a feel of the space and as I mentioned before start some map pre-planning.   It will save you time and you will capture all of your shopping needs.

Keep this Checklist handy before you leave for Woodburn Premium Outlets®:

–          Sign up for their VIP Shopper Club for added discounts or coupons https://www.premiumoutlets.com/vip/

–          Grab a bottle of water, wear some comfortable shoes and be ready to walk.

–          Get a good night sleep the night before so you are clear and ready to search out some awesome deals.

–          Try to keep your normally heavily purse down to the bare minimum.  The less you carry on your upper body frees up hands for purchases.

–          Make a list of things you want to buy for yourself, family and price points that fit your budget.

–          Grab a map and a coupon booklet from the Management Office before you start shopping.  They are located close to the Levi’s Store.

–          Lastly, keep your chin up and have fun.

What are Woodburn’s store hours over Black Friday and the Christmas holidays?

http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/hours.asp?id=110

How do I get to Woodburn?

http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/directions.asp?id=110

Keep it simple and have fun!  Tell me what you pick up!

WOODBURN PREMIUM OUTLETS®

1001 N Arney Road

Woodburn, OR 97071

(503) 981-1900

http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=110

Boston Premium Outlets Review: Wrentham Village Premium Outlets – Boston, MA

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

While I was in Boston, I wanted to get some good shopping in.  But I didn’t want to bring loads back with me whilst also keeping the spending to a minimum.  I was only taking a wee duffle bag for the 5 days I was there.

I did some preliminary research to see what the shopping was like near my hotel, The Nine Zero and there were just way too many boutique type shops.  I really wanted more bang for my buck and I wanted to have some fun saving cash.

I did a search on Google and came up with Wrentham Village Premium Outlets.  It’s located just outside out of Boston city centre in a quaint lil town known simply as Wrentham.   If you know of the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley, NY (New York City Area) – than you know what you would be getting yourself into at Wrentham.  Same idea…same family of Premium Outlet Malls. 😉

Hmmm – but how do I get there?  I did some more research and found that there were a few options for bus trips up to the outlets.  Hey, I’m in Canada.  It’s hard to check on reputability of these tour companies. 

Upon further investigation I saw that a Bus Company by the name of Boston Common Coach offered trips up to the outlets.  They came recommended by Wrentham Village Premium Outlets on their own website.  For a reasonable rate they could pick you up from anywhere in the downtown Boston are and get you up to the outlets in less than an hour.

I booked my trip for a Friday morning with the lovely George Daou (President of Boston Common Coach).  He mentioned that he could pick me up at my hotel (the bus does its rounds and pickups other hotel passengers/shoppers around the same time) and takes them up to the outlet.  We left a shave after 10 a.m. and go to the outlet for 11 a.m..  We had an option to come back to Boston at 2, 5 or 8 p.m..  The passengers and I opted to come back for 5 p.m. which was a good decision. 

The bus that we took was roomy, comfy and very safe.  The driver kept the chatting to a minimum but was very lovely and efficient.  It was a nice opportunity to chat with the other passengers and share stories where we were all from.  I was the only Canadian; there was an American woman and 4 other Brits.  I found out later when speaking to Susan Bladd, Marketing Director at Wrentham Village Premium Outlets that people come from all over the world to visit the outlets.  As far as Asia, Russia, Japan and England for example.  I even witnessed people bringing empty suitcases to the outlet to pop their shopping into.  It was fascinating.

When we finally got to the outlets it was really neat to see the layout.  It was laid out just like a lil New England village.  It was clean, with white painted wooden store fronts and new awnings with designer names beckoning you to check out their wares. 

Inside the shops were spacious, well organized, friendly and helpful staff, the stores were easy to navigate and at the same time provided a leisure shopping experience.

Just some of the shops you can find at Wrentham Village Premium Outlets include of:  Banana Republic, Barneys New York, Burberry, Coach, Cole Haan, Elie Tahari, Hugo Boss, J.Crew, Kenneth Cole, Lacoste, Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, Salvatore Ferragamo.  Newly opened stores worth checking out are Ted Baker and Tory Burch…hollllaaa! 😉

How to Prep for Wrentham Village Premium Outlets

Join the VIP Shopper Club for free online access to The VIP Lounge and enjoy these member benefits ahead of time.  You get:

Exclusive Online Coupons

Voucher for a Free VIP Coupon Book

Deals Around Town

Inside Info from Your Favourite Brands

Email Updates:   Sales & Special Events

Bring bottled water and your appetite.  Shopping is hard work and there are loads of places to eat (food court, restaurants close by). 

Wear comfy shoes and layered clothing in case you need to strip off after a while of walking.  There is a lot of walking so be ready to get work it.  As a head’s up there are storage locker rentals if you need to store your shopping and jackets.  Don’t stress about carrying that stuff around.  It will weigh you down and get in the way of your shopping fun.

Lastly and most importantly go to the customer service area of the outlet which is located in the same area as the food court and get a coupon booklet.  There are ones specifically for AAA members and even a Platinum VIP Passport for even better savings.  Plus they are FREE!  😉

The Shopping Experience

Well I’ll be honest when I got there I felt a bit overwhelmed.  It was a lot to take in.  But once I got my bearings and just went with it – it was easy to navigate.  If you have a map then it will help you target those shops you want to hit first or if you’re like me and just want to get lost in the experience – wander but keep an eye on time for rests, water breaks and snack breaks.  It’s necessary and it will keep you motivated.  Look you may only be here once people.  😉  Try your best to split with your man or partner – I saw loads of men sitting around with their wives and gf’s shopping.  I said to one man sitting with 4 big white Coach shopping bags, ‘Wow, you went crazy at Coach again huh?’.  He smiled knowingly at me.

The stores I liked and got the best deals at were:

Levi’s – spend $100 and get $15 off with an AAA Membership coupon booklet.  I bought 4 pairs of vintage skinny’s, a fitted jean shirt and a looser jean blouse.  Some of their pieces were a bit pricey for the outlet but I knew comparatively speaking I couldn’t find these pieces in Toronto anywhere close to the same price and for the selection.

Adidas – At the time there was a buy one and get the other item half price.  I picked up a Celtics jersey for $7.49 and a cool black Celtics baseball hat for $20.

Bass – I have always been a huge fan of Bass.  I wanted a pair of burgundy penny loafers but didn’t want to spend any more than $50 U.S.  A sales girl rooted around for me and found me a pair for $34.99 and also a cool green Bass moccasin to kick around the office in for $24.99.  Because the total came more than $50 I saved an additional 10% with an AAA membership.

The bottom line is you need time and patience.  Really I encourage you to take it slow.  If you rush through it, you might miss some cool things.

How do you get there?  Easy:

By Car:

Wrentham Village Premium Outlets is located on Route 1A in Wrentham, MA at the intersection of I-495.

From Boston: I-93 S to I-95 S, to I-495 N, Exit 15, or I-90 W to I-495 S, Exit 15, Wrentham

From Providence: I-95 N to I-495 N, Exit 15, Wrentham

By Tour Bus:

Boston Common Coach

(877) 723-3833

Servicing Boston and Cambridge hotels

Now servicing select Boston area Colleges and Universities

By Taxi:

Foxfield Transportation

(508) 543-2828

Servicing Boston and Providence

Discount shopping packages available. Call for reservations and information. 

Franklin Taxi

(508) 528-8294

Servicing MBTA Franklin Line Commuter Rail Passengers 

Store Hours:

Bloomingdale’s Outlet Store Now Open

Regular Hours

Mon-Sat: 10am-9pm, Sun: 10am-6pm

Holiday Hours

Mon, Nov 28 – Fri, Dec 23

Mon-Sat: 9am-9pm, Sun: 10am-7pm

Christmas Eve: Sat, Dec 24

9p.m-6pm

Closed:  Christmas Day: Sun, Dec 25

After-Holiday Sales: Dec 26 – Jan 1

Mon, Dec 26: 7am-9pm

Tues, Dec 27: 9am-9pm

Wed, Dec 28: 9am-9pm

Thu, Dec 29: 9am-9pm

Fri, Dec 30: 9am-9pm

New Year’s Eve: Sat, Dec 31

9am-6pm

New Year’s Day: Sun, Jan 1

10am-6pm

By the way, Premium Outlets are all over the United States and as well in Puerto Rico, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Mexico.  Check it out for additional locations here:  http://www.premiumoutlets.com/centers/index.asp

A special shout out to George Daou (President at Boston Common Coach), Susan Bladd (Marketing Director at Wrentham Village Premium Outlets) and Mallory Dion at KORTENHAUS COMMUNICATIONS.  Thanks for your feedback and support in helping me construct this piece.

Happy Christmas shopping everyone and tell me what you buy please! 

Wrentham Village Premium Outlets

One Premium Outlets Boulevard

Wrentham, MA 02093

(508) 384-0600  http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=10

Yours in fashion,

Mel xo