Zappos.Com Outlet Store – Score!
As promised a few weeks ago, I’m trying my hardest to do some fun things on the weekends to counteract the busy season at work.
So on Monday (Labor Day), I took a little trip down the road to Shepherdsville, Kentucky, to visit the Zappos.com outlet store!
The drive it self was super easy – I was there in less than half an hour. The outlet is right off the highway, connected to what I believe is the main Zappos.com warehouse, and let me tell you, that warehouse was HUGE. However, the outlet itself was much (MUCH) smaller than I anticipated. Zappos is known for their generous return policy, so I knew that the shoes that would be sold in the outlet would most likely be the many shoes that are returned to the company.
The store is set up in rows according to shoes size, and really there was only one row per size (and not very long rows at that). Considering the vast number of shoes that I suspect are returned to Zappos, I guess I figured that there would be a LOT more shoes to choose from. I did see people with huge piles of shoes in their possession, so maybe I was just seeing the picked over results of a good weekend of shoppers.
I did manage to find one pair of super cute Dansko sandals at 70% off the discounted price – $25 for a pair of $110 shoes. Score!
Next time I go back (and there will be a next time, I’m sure) I’m going to remember these tips:
1. Wait for a big sale! For instance, the entire month of September, the outlet store is offering 70% off all sandals (any shoe with an open toe and open back) and 50% off all other shoes. And that’s off the lowest price on the sticker. Nice.
2. Double check all listed sizes against the shoes themselves. The shoes I got were in a box marked with a size 39, and with a sticker on the shoe that said 39, but the shoes themselves (by looking at the stamped size on the inside of the sandal) were a size 41. Which is probably why they were still there! So be diligent, try everything on, and if you see a pair of shoes you like that are labeled a different size than what you wear, it doesn’t hurt to double check.
3. Try on the shoes! While the online return policy is extremely generous, all sales are final at the outlet.
4. For myself – I skipped over the Dansko Professional style clogs I was looking for (my fave shoes of all time) because they were stamped “Sanita” on the sole. I thought that was some sort of Dansko knock-off. However, Sanita is the company that had been manufacturing the Dansko shoes until 2007. Next time, I’ll try those on and give them a try.
So, while it wasn’t the shoe mecca I thought it would be, I was still impressed with the Zappos.com outlet store. I think I’ll keep a lookout for more sales in the future, and try to get there early for some good deals!
