Fishing Frenzy

Some say there are two types of people, irrespective of gender: those who love to shop and those who hate to shop. People who loathe shopping usually claim the major sources of disdain come from crowds, a lack of parking, too much to choose from and prices that are too high. To the people who enjoy shopping, the complaints by the non-shopper are seen as either insignificant or quite beneficial. Crowds and lack of parking are easily avoided by timing a shopping trip for the beginning of the day when everyone else is still having their first cup of coffee. For the avid shopper, there is never too much to choose from. As for price, well that's where bargain hunting becomes a skill.

To the discerning shopper paying full retail is tantamount to having a credit card denied. Therefore, the ones who really know what they are doing know outlet malls are the only way to find brand name items of good quality for reasonable prices. Second hand stores are great, but there is nothing like finding those designer jeans or a commercial grade gas stove at wholesale prices. The problem is outlet malls, the really good ones, are far and few between. In northern Florida there are just two good, solid outlet malls. Let's take a look.

The Silver Sands Factory Stores mall is located on the Emerald Coast Parkway in Destin, Florida. It offers shoppers a whopping 96 stores! With that many outlets in one building it would be impossible to list them all here and do justice to each one, so we will give a quick overview. Clothing stores are diverse in the Silver Sands. There are the high end stores like Nike, Calvin Klein, Saks and Tommy Hilfiger. However shoppers will also find Maidenform, Jockey and Baby Gap. There is the lovely Coach Factory Store that every girl will want to visit, but also Sony, Bose, Waterford Wedgewood and Samsonite. Don't forget to check out the jewellery outlets too. Remember, these are just a fraction of what Silver Sands has to offer.

The St. Augustine Premium Outlets mall is located on State Road #16 in St. Augustine, Florida. There are 85 stores at St. Augustine, which is definitely nothing to sneeze at. Silver Sands has some of the same outlets as St. Augustine, but there are some here which will definitely draw the shrewd shopper. In the area of clothing there is Adidas, DKNY, Polo Ralph Lauren and Van Heusen. Yankee Candle has their outlet stores here, unlike Silver Sands, as well as GNC, Movado and Vans. There is a third outlet mall in Jacksonville, but it has just eleven stores and is really not worth the drive unless you are looking for some Easy Spirit shoes.

Whether you are a shopping hater or a shopping lover, no one can deny the satisfaction that comes with getting a good product for a great price. If you find a first-rate outlet mall, treasure it!