Growing up in Philadelphia, I would be a part of family trips to the outlet centers in Reading, PA, a couple of times a year. There used to be a lot of real, old-school factory outlets there, because there used to be a lot of real, old-school factories there. At one point, there were three outlet centers of various quality in Reading.
Now there's only the one, the VF Factory Outlet Center, but they've been making it a point to keep up with modern centers like Tanger. Besides, there's a relatively new outlet center in Limerick, PA, that is almost directly on the way from Reading to my parents' house. If I'm in Philadelphia for a holiday weekend, it's not unusual to hit both.
There's a Tanger outlet on Long Island. Chris and I will go there once or twice a year. We did this weekend.
So the joke about "winning" at the outlets? It has to do with shopping. I'm kind of itchy about conspicuous consumerism, but I still get a real kick out of making up a list of things I need or just could use (sneakers, underwear, an umbrella, jeans, tea?) and then checking things of that list for way less than they'd cost otherwise. I don't care much about trends -- though I love it when stuff I like anyway is trendy, because then I can stock up -- so last season's colors in a basic, classic cut are just fine by me. And if that means I can refresh my wardrobe without worrying about the cost? So much the better.
I think Chris won this time, though. He got a new suit.
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