Shopping in CA
 

We are currently busy planning our California two weeks roadtrip. Because of the pfeiffer bridge, this planning got a little bit more complicated. However, we would also like to include some shopping so if someone could give some suggestions for value for money shopping malls / cities for the following items:

- clothing (ha! didn't see that coming did you!)
- comics
- board games

Thanks in advance

Since you won't be too far, you might want to check out the Gilroy Premium Outlet Mall, right on Highway 101.

http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlet/gilroy

There are eleven Premium Outlets Malls located throughout the state from Folsom and the wine country in the north to the Mexican border in the south.

Fantastic Comics, Berkeley

Games of Berkeley

Does the premium in those "outlet" malls actually mean something?

Complete list of stores at Folsom Premium Outlet
http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlet/folsom/stores

If you are going to SF you may want to consider the area around Union Square. A tour of SF would take you there anyway. Lots of great stores but probably few deals.

One warning - I saw your safety thread and I think downtown SF is much scarier than Fresno. Just stay alert and brace yourself in advance for the huge homeless population.

No! It's worth a stop at one if you are driving by but I wouldn't expect much more than a mall experience unless there is a store you are particularly interested in.

Because it is closest to where I live, I'm familiar with the Camarillo location.

The retailers there include high end brands such as Armani, Barneys New York, Clarks, Coach, Cole Haan, Faconnable, Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Neiman Marcus, Polo Ralph Lauren, Saks 5th Ave., Tumi and many others.

Bear in mind that most of the merchandise sold in outlet malls nowadays is no longer overstock or factory seconds, but specially made or specifically bought for these stores. It is rarely of the same quality as what sold in department stores or the retail stores of those high end brands.

I tend to think the stuff actually is the same basic quality, but less elaborate in style, and obviously made in higher volumes than the high-end department store lines

This is surely not a complete list. I am personally aware of several major outlet centers in California that are not on it, including outlet centers in Lake Elsinore, Temecula and Grapevine/Tejon Pass for sure, and I would suspect several others I'm not familiar with.

Yes, there are other outlet centers/malls.

I was responding to abmj-jr's recommendation of the Gilroy Premium Outlets and pointed out that Premium Outlets®, which is a chain of malls, has other locations throughout the state.

As for the quality of the merchandize sold in outlet malls, I'll just refer you to the following BuzzFeed article:

I'll stand by my prior quality comment. I tend to believe that an awful lot of what retailers call "quality" is actually just another word for exclusivity. Just because something is factory made in higher volumes doesn't make it lower in quality, whereas it certainly does make it less exclusive, and less expensive to produce.

Compare, for example, a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud, and a Toyota Camry. If one's definition of quality is the reliability and hassle-free-ness of vehicular transportation for commuting, or ferrying the kids to skating practice, I would submit a Camry wins hands down.

Or similarly, a Jaeger LeCoultre manual mechanical watch with a Timex Quartz watch.

If one defines quality as reliability and accuracy of timekeeping, the Timex wins hands down.

No doubt there are alternative definitions of quality where the Rolls Royce and the Jaeger LeCoultre prevail over the Camry and the Timex. My point is, those are not the ONLY plausible definitions of quality.

Moderator's Note: Please let's get back on topic
 

Please let's get back on topic which is shopping in CA (i.e., what, where, when).

Discussion of the quality of merchandize at outlet malls belongs in OMNI:
Access to OMNI is restricted to members who have been on FlyerTalk for 180 days and have posted 180 messages.

Thank you,

TWA884
Moderator

It's hard to answer your questions about shopping at a state level. California has 40 million residents and spans an area larger than Germany. There are more than a few good places to buy clothes, comic books, or board games. You might have better luck asking for suggestions relative to a specific city where you'll be spending time.

We will have some ground time at San Francisco and will move (probably via Yosemite, Kings canyon, Sequoia and Death Valley towards LA... which is our exit point.

(I can drive through Germany in one day.. I doubt this is the case with CA ;-p)