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)

What type of clothes for what age range?

If you're looking for kid's clothing, up to about age 12, the outlet malls can be great. I don't find them useful for shopping for myself, other than for basics like socks and sports clothes.

For board games, I usually shop Toys'R'Us (large chain of toy stores) or Target (large chain of budget department stores).

You can certainly drive through CA in less than a day, but it probably wouldn't be a very fun trip :) (Google Maps says driving the length of I-5 in CA is ~13 hours -- it occurs to me that I've been across that entire length, though not all in one trip)

I've done Portland, OR to San Diego in one go before (18 hours). Even with other people and driving in shifts it wasn't a fun time. SD to Sacramento is probably the most I'd drive in a day if I really had to, and even then I'd consider flying first if possible.

Google maps is theory, not reality.

If a driver were able to drive at the speed limit for the entire trip and there was no construction, no accidents, no weather problems, no need to stop for gas, food or bathrooms, then maybe the trip could be 13 hours. My experience is during the summer it can take 13 hours from the Oregon border to SJC. The traffic around Sacramento can be horrendous.

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

Please let's get back on topic, that is:
Drive times in California should be discussed where relevant the the OP's other threads.

Thank you,

TWA884
Moderator

Had a look at ToysRUs for board game prices.. but definitely no deals there

What exactly are you looking for?

There's a lot of sub categories of board games, and while chain stores sell the most common ones, there's also small specialty stores with more exotic ones. Many (most?) U.S. chain stores run weekly sales, which I know isn't common in other countries, so perhaps you would benefit from looking at their ads if the price of a board game is critical.

Also, if you just want something to play while traveling, consider thrift stores. You can get a game with all the pieces but a scruffy box. Play it while you're in the U.S. then leave it behind.

And if you have more lead time, eBay and Amazon might work.

If you are looking for low prices, you might want to consider spending a little time in stores like Target or Walmart. They are not high-end shopping but will have much lower prices for a lot of things and there is one or both in virtually every town and city in California, even quite small towns.

the idea is generally to score a more expensive game with a discount in comparison to euro prices. The likes of sw rebellion, zombicide stuff, imperial assault stuff..., ..

I don't usually buy board games, so I have no personal knowledge where to get the best deals. I agree with abmj-jr's recommendation of checking board game prices at Walmart and Target.

I've Googled and found the following site which should help you find discounted board games at online stores: BoardGamePrices.com. Some retailers should have brick and mortar outlets (i.e., Walmart.com); for others, you'd have to plan ahead.

Ah, now I see what you're looking for. Generally I think of "board games" as Monopoly, Stratego and the like, and what you list as role playing games.

eBay currently lists 1,275 things related to Zombicide, so I would again suggest taking a look there.

At the retail level you're more likely to find those sorts of games in specialty stores, and generally they don't discount, although I can't say how their prices compare to your local stores. Most comic book stores carry fantasy/role playing games and related stuff. The relatively weak euro may work against you in shopping.

Another thing to consider is checking for any sort of gaming convention/comic book festival/show along your route.

Yeah the dollar rate is a big setback for sure.

@twa884: thanks for that link

If you are looking for value, try these:

http://www.viatrading.com/southern-c...-flea-markets/

Clothing: LA Garment District
http://fashiondistrict.org/explore/retail-shopping/

Comics: Blastoff Comics ( LA's North Hollywood)
http://www.blastoffcomics.com/

Board Games: Games of Berkeley
https://www.gamesofberkeley.com/

Once you get to the LA area, you can knock off comics and games within a short distance within Pasadena:

Games:
Game Empire

Vroman's Bookstore (yes, an actual bookstore)

Comics:
Comics Factory

Collectors Paradise

P-dots Comics and Collectibles

Clothes I couldn't tell you about, but there might be places in Old Pas (including the mall at the east end of it) that you'd be interested in.