I love it when my friends at Lee Premium Outlets invite me to check out their latest deals so I can share all the best savings tips with you. I visited last weekend and here's what I found out: now is a great time to visit the outlets as there are two hugemongous savings opportunities going on. Firstly, their Be More Than Pink fundraiser for breast cancer research and their upcoming Memorial Day savings event.
Between now and May 31, you can purchase a Be More Than Pink Discount Card at the management office for a $10 donation to Susan G. Komen. In return you can use the discount card for 25% off any one item at 35 retailers including Carter's, Claire's, Gap, Harry & David, J. Crew, OshKosh, TenThousand Villages, Under Armour and more.
So for a $10 donation you can create your own sale and save 25% off up to 35 items (one at each participating retailer) between now and the end of the month. That donation pays for itself pretty quickly. You can also purchase the voucher online. This is important in case you're planning to shop in the evenings as the management office at the outlets is open Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. (it's located in the Food Court). If you plan on visiting after 5 p.m., be sure to make your donation online so you don't miss out.
In addition, from May 26-29 the center will be hosting a Memorial Day Weekend Super Sale will feature additional savings beyond the regular every day savings of 25 to 65 percent. AND you can use your Be More Than Pink pass during this time as well.
On top of all that, you can always sign up for the VIP Shopper Club at any time to receive a savings passport with great discounts at the center's retailers. You can sign up via email and then pick up your discount passport the next time you're at the outlets. I used the 40% off any one item at Nautica from the passport on my most recent visit to purchase a $139.99 retail bathing suit for $53 (it was already discounted 40% before I used the additional discount). #score
Here's a few other stellar deals I discovered:
At J Crew Factory, if you're a teacher or college student, you're extra lucky. There is an across-the-board 15% education discount offered to all teachers and college students. Just show your ID at the register and you will receive 15% off you total purchase. This is on to top of the fact that most of their items are routinely on sale for at least 30% off the listed price. Last weekend, they had women's chino shorts on sale for $14.95 and $19.95. And all girls summer dresses were 40-50% off. All of the items at J Crew Factory are made specifically for their outlet retail centers -- nothing here is damaged or seconds. It's a specific outlet line. I'm in love with their matchy-matchy kid/adult items. This is where you want to go for fun family photo outfits.
Claire's is also having a spectacular sale where you buy any three items and you get three free. This also applies to clearance items. So think in sixes. Buy six items and pay for only three. My girls were astounded by their Beannie Boo collection, including their exclusives:
It's important to note that the Claire's location here is not an outlet store. It is fully stocked with the merchandise you'd see at any regular retail Claire's, including an ear piercing station. Piercing packages start at $39.99 depending on which style of stud earrings you are looking to start out with. I was impressed to learn about the ongoing training Claire's staff members undertake to keep up with best practices for safe ear piercing.
The steal of the century; however, may be at the Gymboree store at Lee. Everything right now is $9.99 or under (through mid-June). EVERYTHING. The. Whole. Store. We're talking bathing suits, dresses, babywear, pajamas, jeans, shorts, t's...you get the idea. All tanks and shorts are actually only $5 right now. I picked up two SFP 50+ suits for Faith because....well....$9.99. They have an awesome collection of patriotic wear for the summer holidays. I was thinking this is another great place to hit if you like to do a theme in family photos or have the kids wear matching colors for summer trips. Gymboree carries kids' sizes newborn through 10.
Here's another tip: the Ten Thousand Villages shop at Lee has more clearance items than other locations because, ahem, it's an outlet. All of the unique and beautiful items you'd find at a traditional Ten Thousand Villages, only for less. I could walk around this store for days. I love that by shopping here I'm supporting a nonprofit fair trade organization. The items stocked come from more than 35 different countries.
Also, even by shopping the clearance, you can be sure that the artisans are still getting their full take. Just because it's on sale doesn't mean somebody didn't get their pay. Every purchase improves the lives of makers by supporting their craft and providing a fair, stable income. And also, everything is beautiful. And really one-of-a-kind.
And can we talk about Harry and David for a minute? I never realized that the location in Lee is the only brick and mortar store in New England. Talk about road trip worthy. Most of us are familiar with their Moose Munch Gourmet Popcorn but have you even tried to orange chocolate flavor? Oh My Wow. The Moose Munch is B1G150% off right now.
I also never realized you could put together an entire meal here. I only thought of their specialty chocolates (all chocolate covered fruit and truffles are 2/$22 right now), dips, and fruit baskets. However, there is a family sized Harry & David chicken pot pie calling to me from my freezer right now -- and I used my 25% More Than Pink discount to purchase it. On your next visit be sure to stop in. They usually have nibbles and tastings available throughout the store. (On Saturday there were even coffee samples available. Woot!) There are lots of great gift ideas because food is always in style!
So there's my savings round up. But one more tip if you're planning on visiting this weekend. There will be a Touch a Truck event on Saturday, May 20 9 a.m. to noon as a fundraiser for Berkshire County Kids' Place. The first hour will be a quiet hour (no lights, sirens or horns). Over 20 vehicles will be on display and available to explore. Admission is $5/person with a $20 family max (no charge for kids under 2).
I hope you enjoy your visit to Lee as much as I did. There are more than 60 stores to chose from and it's such a beautiful setting. Couldn't be easier to get to -- right off of Exit 2 on the Mass Pike. The center is open seven days a week -- from 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. on Sundays. #foundatsimon #berkshirestyle
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