The Difference in Product Quality Between Outlet Stores and Retail Stores

Are Outlet Store Products Cheaper Because They Are of Lower Quality Than Those in Retail Stores?

The short answer is yes, of course. When you pay less for something, you can expect to get less for it. However, the difference in quality is not as great as you might expect.
The quality standards for products sold in retail stores may actually be much higher than you know. Nike, for example, often ends up destroying many of the shoes produced by their partner factories because they do not meet quality standards. To an untrained person, the shoes may look fine, but the company has very strict quality standards because this is the best way to protect the reputation of their brand. Those shoes that are almost good enough, but not quite are often sent to be sold at outlet stores.

Outlet Stores Often Produce Goods That Are Made Specifically for Sale at Outlet Stores.

Some outlet stores are selling products that used to be sold in their retail stores but that are now out of season or did not sell well. These products are just as good as the ones in a retail store, because they used to be sold in a retail store. However, many outlets also sell slightly used or even damaged items in their stores. Finally, many outlets produce goods that are made specifically for outlet stores.
Here, there is a real quality difference with retail products. The design might be the same, but the outlet product was never intended to be sold at the retail level. They go directly to the outlet store. This means that the clothing at an outlet store may be made with lower quality fabric or cheaper construction methods. They may have less stitching, less embroidery, less detail, or a lower thread count. You will probably not be able to tell the difference from the things sold at the retail level, but the difference is there.
One way that you can check to see if a product is irregular or imperfect is to look at the apparel tag on the inside of the clothing. Usually the apparel tags of irregular or imperfect clothing have been marked or sliced in some way to show that they are not perfect products.

So, when you go to the outlet store, take a good look at the products that you are buying. In fact, it may be a good idea to go to a brand's retail store first to become familiar with the products and the kind of quality of those products so that you can see the difference for yourself when you go to an outlet.