Girls’ Shopping Trip Weekend- Grove City PremiumOutlets

Girls’ Shopping Trip Weekend
Grove City Premium Outlets
Grove City, Pennsylvania
March 19-20, 2011

My sister Joanna is the last person you’d expect to suggest a shopping trip but when the gang was discussing our next adventure, it was Jo that recommended a weekend at the Grove City Premium Outlets in Pennsylvania. Being only an hour away and with no sales tax on clothing in PA, this getaway had the potential to bring a lot of bang for our buck.

As always, I researched like crazy to execute a shopping trip with optimum time efficiency and maximum savings. I made a list of every store I wanted to visit and plotted the location of each on a map of the shopping complex. I highlighted those stores I wanted to visit the most. I devised a shopping strategy that considered which stores had the best deals compared to the list I’d prepared detailing each item I hoped to find.
As luck would have it, the week of the trip I scored a 30% off Give & Get Coupon good at Banana Republic, the Gap and Old Navy which I passed on to the other girls. Inspired, I checked the Outlet’s website for more savings opportunities. By signing up for the VIP Club, I accessed many more coupons including 30% off at Calvin Klein and $25 off at Nike.

To have as much cargo room as possible, we decided to take the largest vehicles we had- a compact SUV and a pick-up truck. Janet, Jean, Joanna and Megan rode up in the truck. Di, Jan and I manned the SUV. After enjoying breakfast, we followed Interstate 76 East to I-80E to I-79S to Route 208 in Grove City.
At first sight, the complex was huge with a massive parking lot quickly filling with crazed shoppers such as ourselves. We were ready to go, giddy with excitement, thinking of the shopportunities that lay before us. We jumped out of the cars and into the fresh air. Damn- it was cold! I was thankful I’d worn a scarf and jacket. I was also glad I’d brought a large canvas shopping bag to keep all of my purchases- many people commented on the convenience.
I’m not going to lie- it was overwhelming at first. 130 stores doesn’t sound like too much, does it? Well, it looks like a whole lot! Even with my map and shopping strategy, it took a moment to get my bearings. When looking at stores to the left and stores to the right and stores up ahead, it was hard to decide which way to go first. We decided to head toward the food court which became our rendezvous spot for the weekend, a place of chaos and comfort.

From there we set off on our own. I started the day in Nike with Joanna and Jan but split from them when I headed to Bath & Body Works and they browsed the VF Outlet. I ran into Megan in Charlotte Russe- thank goodness! I needed input on a cardigan and I trust her completely. I provided my fashion opinion on a cute black top Megan found on clearance at White House/Black Market. We headed to Banana Republic Factory Store armed with my 30% off coupon, or so I thought. After finding the perfect white wrap top for 40% off I realized that I’d left the 30% coupon in the car. Technology to the rescue- I brought up the email on my Palm Pixi and the cashier scanned the coupon right from my cell phone for a huge discount. Okay, that’s pretty awesome!
We shopped our way back to the food court to meet up for lunch. A zillion other people had the same idea. It is hard to find a table for seven in a food court teeming with deal-thirsty shoppers, especially when in competition with those in twos and fours. I staked out a large table taken on either end by couples that appeared to be finishing their lunches. As they wrapped up, Megan and I planted ourselves in the middle establishing temporary ownership of the space. We then employed glares and snarls as a deterrent to anyone eyeing up the chairs we were saving for the other girls while they ordered.
After lunch I kicked it into high gear, using my 30% off coupon at Calvin Klein to get a new wallet, browsing BCBG for summer dresses and resisting a green dress just out of my range at Ralph Lauren. The disappointment of the day was when I found the perfect pair of leopard print pumps at Nine West only to hear that they did not have my size.
By mid-afternoon we needed a break and headed to the Hampton Inn for a little relaxation. The hotel was the perfect lodging for a girlfriends’ shopping trip- well located, well priced, with friendly service and nice details like granite counter tops and premium toiletries in the bathrooms, a fitness room and a pool with large hot tub. We enjoyed a few glasses of wine, sampled chocolates Megan had bought and then geared up for another round of shopping.

The difference between shopping at Grove City Premium during the day and night is like, well, night and day. During the day, the complex is crawling with thousands of people that came in as couples, in vans and on bus trips. We were amazed by the number of out of state and out of country license plates we saw in the parking lot- does Ontario, Canada not have any outlets? By the evening, most of the buses had cleared out and only those of us truly dedicated to the concept of ‘shop ‘til we drop’ remained. The absence of crowds made finding great deals very easy. I found excellent sales, great deals and put my coupons to good work- by the end of the evening I’d declared it the ‘Day of the Discount!’

In keeping with that theme, we headed to the Elephant & Castle Pub for a late dinner, prompted by the 15% off coupon the front desk gave us. We called ahead but still had to wait and were worn out by the time we were seated. However, our server had a dry sense of humor which instantly perked me up. After dinner we wrapped up our evening enjoying the pool and hot tub. We were each asleep within minutes of turning out the lights.

The next morning we enjoyed the hotel’s complimentary breakfast buffet and decided to spend a few more hours making some final purchases before heading home. Although I’d just about reached my spending limit, I still had a few gift cards I received for Christmas and was able to make a few last minutes purchases at the Gap and Old Navy. We had one last lunch in the food court and then headed home with the backs of our vehicles packed to the top with shopping bags!

The highlight of the weekend was chilling in our rooms at the end of the night, showing each other our fabulous finds which ranged from hiking boots to diamond earrings. I’d saved about $170 just by using coupons, not counting additional sale or clearance discounts which were in abundance. Going through my receipts and adding up my savings was a huge thrill. But the best part for me was spending another great getaway weekend with my fabulous group of friends!