OUTLETS

This train station is Wusterpark, about an hour from the center of Berlin and, literally, in the middle of nowhere. Why do people come here? Bargain hunting at the outlets where 'basement prices for penthouse goods from the most sought after brands are on offer'. You can shop till you drop, bringing home goods that more than justify the money you spent, not to mention the deep seated satisfaction that you beat the system, and you are ahead of this cat and mice game between up-market retailers and high-end consumers looking for deals. Wrong!  You will never win. The fact that you made it all the way to these outlets means only one thing, you lost already, even before you begin.

Outlets sell goods the retailers cannot move via normal channels, period. They represent mostly surplus, out of style, off season, slightly damaged products that appeal to consumers who are determined to own a certain brand but are not prepared to take the full hit .... Chanel bags, Prada shoes, Ferragamo suits all the way down to Brooks Brother shirts at the low end ... the brand I was faithful to my entire career, but I buy them at full price in their Central flagship. What does this behavior tell us?  

We had a free morning in Berlin recently and intrigued by the flowery language in the ad Dora wanted to visit Mecca, since she missed the one in Milan. We made Wusterpark alright, being the only passengers who got off, stared by bewildered eyes inside the train, probably saying 'only the Chinese would do this'.  The outlets can only be reached by taxi, and we can only call one which we could not since we spoke no German. It was frustrating, so frustrating we quit but still had to wait 45-minutes for the train back.

This, is another reason why I hate shopping.