Discount/outlet shopping guide New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Germany and Dubai
My confession: I love shopping as much as I love traveling. Shopping is very often on my travel itinerary and I really enjoy comparing deals in different cities. If you are into shopping and scoring great deals just like me, don't miss this guide!
Hong Kong
Hong Kong was often mentioned as a good place for shopping for Chinese and Asian tourists although having lived/traveled regularly to New York and Europe, I can't really agree with this. In any case, the best time to visit for shopping would be beginning of July to end of July as well as in the New Years leading up to post-Chinese New Year (usually around early February). But as there was a decline in mainland Chinese tourists in the past year or so, brands have started slashing prices earlier than the traditional sales timeframe. Don't depend on this though as this can change according to the mainland tourists. For instance, at the moment, China is boycotting traveling to South Korea and they might flock to Hong Kong again. So who knows, maybe the retail shops will benefit from the temporary boom again.
Should you travel to Hong Kong just for shopping?: I'd say that shopping in Hong Kong probably only makes sense if you live in Asia. If you come from the US, shopping while in New York City would make a lot more sense than Hong Kong. Many American expats here, like me, have a hard time adjusting to the high prices in Hong Kong and we would just shop online in our good ol' US stores. Factoring in the shipping fees, guess what, it is usually still cheaper than buying in Hong Kong.
Anyway, here are some examples of deals during the July sales season, i.e. the best time of the year. (I will do a few for every city mentioned here but obviously, the prices are not exhaustive and only meant to give readers a more solid idea on what kind of prices you can expect):
Christian Louboutin wedge: HK$3200
Salvatore Ferragamo heels: HK$2500
Dolce & Gabanna heels: HK$2500
Valentino stiletto boots: HK$6000
Hong Kong has NO sales tax.
New York City
Needless to say, NYC is the shopping mecca of the world and my favorite city for shopping (actually, to do almost anything in). Plan your visit to NYC the last two weeks of July and the deals are truly unbelievable. Head to the Woodbury Outlet an hour from Manhattan. Not only will you find the best designer outlets (Christian Dior, Fendi, Saint Laurent, Chloe, Valentino, Balenciaga, among many others), you will find many sale-on-sale items and these are the gems you should be looking for!
Places to shop: Woodbury outlet, Century 21 and sample sales around the city
Deals spotted at Woodbury outlet (prices approximate. Note that taxes were not charged for purchases under US$110):
Burberry down jacket: US$370
Saint Laurent current season bag: US$1100
Bally heels: US$125
Balenciaga boots: US$ 200
Oscar de la Renta shoes: US$85
Coach men's wallet: US$60
Kate Spade laptop bag: US$130
Gucci/Prada ties: ~US$75
Dubai
This is probably an unconventional place to think of when it comes to shopping but very surprisingly, we found some of the best deals here and in some cases, even better than those in NYC. While retail shops in the city are expensive, venture out to the Dubai Outlet Mall and you might find some incredible deals there. We went in an October (not sale season) and the deals were still great.
Deals spotted:
Jimmy Choo platform wedge: US$120. This was an exceptional deal and the wedges are actually cute and worth purchasing.
Dolce & Gabbana mens' leather jacket: US$750
Paris
We went to Paris in a November and tried the regular retail shops, the outlet mall (La Vallee Village) as well as second hand stores. If you travel to Paris outside of sale season and want to look for good deals, you probably should pass on this and focus your time on sightseeing. We did not find ANY good deals. If looking for good deals is a major reason for going to Paris, I'd recommend going during sale season, either January or end of June-beginning of August.
Prices at La Vallee Village:
Coach handbag: EUR 250 (just okay. For Coach, I am likely able to get a cute handbag for around US$100-$150 in Woodbury, New York)
Valentino boots: EUR 550
Michael Kors small handbag: EUR 500
Germany (Metzingen)
Germany is probably not a traditional shopping mecca for designer goods but the Metzingen outlet is a good outlet mall. Mind the crowds after Christmas holidays. When we went there were A LOT of tourists (Germans, Swiss and some Asian tourists)
Best times to go: We went right after Christmas (December 27) and the deals are quite good already. I'd expect deals to be even better during January and around July. Good news is, prices are good already outside of this time frame.
Deals spotted:
Prada boots: EUR 75 + (this was phenomenal but sadly, I didn't find a style I like)
Michael Kors handbag: EUR 100+
Coach current season satchel handbag: EUR200
Hugo BOSS suits:
Armani Collezioni suit:
What do you think of the outlets mentioned in this article? Are there other outlets you visited that you liked/didn't like? Share your experiences with us so we can all be smart shoppers!
