The worst part of travelling, unpacking :(
I visited California and New York, unfortunately one of the highest state taxes in the 50 states. Surprisingly (to me), New York was slightly lower than Cali. In LA, I averaged 8.875% state tax (it ranges up to 9%) and in NY, I think the highest I paid was 8.5%? Mind you, I only looked at larger receipts to check the state tax, I knew it was gonna be around 8% and above, so at that point it didn't really matter.
I did research and you can't get your state tax refund :( Information from here
I suspected some B (or even A)-list stars stayed there cos it was so difficult to get to, plus it was near Beverly Hills. But my focus was on not throwing up so I only managed to glimpse the scenery at times while frantically popping altoids.
But yeah, I digressed. SHOPPING.
In la, I managed to hit 2 outlet stores. One called Citadel, which is only a 20 min car ride away and you can grab an uber to get there or take a bus from downtown LA!
Cotton candy clouds ^^
Citadel Outlets
100 Citadel Drive, Suite 480, Los Angeles, CA 90040
Here's a link of the directory map, you can also check out what brands are available there!
For tourists, visit the Customer Service centre to get a VIP Savings card! It helps a little, especially when you're helping to buy for friends! The outlets were linked, so for the other outlet I visited, I could use it again. I didn't really use it much tho because you usually had to spend a qualifying amount to hit it, but it's good to have just in case. It also lasts for a year before you have to get a new one.
American brands that are usually at the outlets (that are also cheaper as compared to Singapore retail stores)
- Kate Spade
- Coach
- Michael Kors
- American Eagle
- Under Armour
- Uggs
- Marc by Marc Jacobs (who knows where that brand is gonna end now)
- Aeropostale
- Polo Ralph Lauren
- and even more. These are just off the top of my head that I can recall!
A brand that I realise isn't much of a difference, retail vs outlet would be Tory Burch. I bought a pair of flats from the outlet for probably only $50 difference. The irony was that I drove 2 hours to get to the outlet because there was no where else to get them and I paid more for the car rental than for the savings. But overall, compared to Singapore, it was still cheaper! ^^
Me at Ralph's (a grocery chain) with the largest JUG? of Starbucks haha. With my new Kate Spade bag! Pardon the messy hair it was the end of the day and we were exhausted.
Things to note when shopping in outlets (that I've learned from personal experience, research)
- brands have started to make "made for outlet" stuff. This is stuff that you can't find in their normal stores. Examples of this would be Kate Spade, Michael Kors, Coach, MBMJ (to name a few, also these are the ones that I was looking at so I did research haha)
- There is absolutely crap reception within the stores. As mentioned in the previous post, I got a SIM card that allowed unlimited international calls to Singapore. So, I called my dad and friends who asked me to help them get stuff. THE ANNOYING PART: When you enter the store it immediately becomes "No Service".
- The outlet stores are huge. As in, the layout is spread out widely. Even starting the day early, we couldn't really finish Citadel in one day. But we knew we were gonna check out Cabazon (which will be mentioned later) so we weren't too worried.
Cabazon Outlets
48750 Seminole Drive #100
Cabazon, CA 92230
There isn't much at Cabazon, you can check it out for maybe an hour or so? Then head over (or start with) Desert Hills Premium Outlets!
48400 Seminole Dr, Cabazon, CA 92230, United States
Here's the link to the store listing and directory map!
I'm sure your eyes are bugging out as mine did when I saw the list of stores!!!
That's also why I was so willing to rent a car and drive 2 hours to get there hahaha.
***BONUS***
Haha cos I don't have much info. But I was in the Beverly Center the other day with my friend shopping, and I overheard this conversation in front of me while I was queueing to pay at the cashier.
Customer "does this mobile coupon work in-store?" *shows cashier something on her phone*
Cashier: "Yep it does."
Me *frantically googling 'bath and body works coupon'. I was directed to a site called retailmenot and the coupons work!!!! So, I managed to get 20% off my entire purchase because I overheard the question #cheapskateasianforthewin And I got $10 off my next purchase (not related to the first purchase, but cos I googled again and it was a new coupon).
So, if you go into any larger stores/chains, it's a good rule of thumb to see if they offer any mobile coupons/discounts! You never know where you may end up saving money! The best thing about these coupons that I've found is that there is hardly any qualifying amount to spend before savings (for Bath and Body Works, that is)
So, I hope this helped! Your wallets will be lightened, but in the best possible way HAHAHA. I'll do a food post in both NY & LA next! ^^
*Oh, and just something weird I noticed. There isn't much finger food available along the shops at Citadel, so I got Auntie Anne's (pretzels, which we also have in SG, and is from USA) and they're at least 2x more expensive than Singapore. I checked them out at malls too and they're the same price.
Why is is so that the homegrown brand is cheaper overseas? It's even cheaper in Malaysia!!! Hmmmm. Food for thought. And with that, I'm off to drink my watermelon juice. Have fun shopping! :D
"I'm gonna shop till YOU drop"
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