If you are like me, you dream of the day that you can walk into a Brooks Brothers store and feel okay purchasing one of their clothing items without it killing your budget. $100.00 for a dress shirt, are you kidding me? What, are there strands of gold weaved in or something? While I am sure their shirts are nice and are of higher quality compared to most dress shirts, my intoxication level would need to be off the charts in order to make a purchase at one of their regular or factory outlet stores.
Recently, while driving back from our vacation to Charleston (yes, Charleston sounds like an expensive vacation, but it isn't. I'll tell you more about that in another post), we decided to take a detour off I-95 to Garland, NC. I have heard several people mention that Brooks Brothers has a factory outlet store in Garland where everything is much cheaper than the regular store and factory outlet stores you see at Tanger/Prime Outlets. Garland is honestly in the middle-of-nowhere. Living in Eastern, NC I thought I understood middle-of-nowhere, but it wasn't until we arrived in Garland that I truly understood where the middle-of-nowhere was. By the way, below is a map of Garland.
Fayetteville or Wilmington may be the closest city to Garland. When you start hearing banjos, you know you are close (only kidding).
Evidently, Brooks Brothers has a shirt factory in Garland, NC which makes the small town the perfect place for the company to sell items that may not pass completely for Brooks Brothers' quality. When you arrive at the store, you will be looking at two small retail spaces (below):
Of two spaces that the outlet occupies, the right side is the men's side, and the left side is mainly women's (with some men's). As you enter the store, you will immediately see a tie rack directly in front of you.
The ties are probably one of the best deals in the store. When I visited, they had $1 black ties near the counter and the other colors front and center. Brooks Brothers ties normally sell for around $80. The three ties I purchased were $17.99 each. The store also has a selection of dress shirts, suits, and pants. Being a size 38 short, the selection of suits in my size was very limited. For most average height men, they had a decent selection. The dress shirts were decently priced. Most ranged from $15 - $25 per shirt. Remember, because this is the island of misfit Brooks Brothers clothes, some of the shirts may not be of quality high enough to purchase. They have a $10 rack of shirts of which most I found too low of quality to purchase. The shirts had a small hole in them or some part of the shirt was frayed.
Make sure you try on everything you purchase at the store. All sales are final. Another tip, take some time to study and learn their sizing colors. They no longer type the word "fitted" or "tailored fit" on a fitted shirt. They use a different color tag. They also have one set of colors for their regular stores and another set of colors for their factor outlet stores. Since they carry clothes from both the regular and factory stores, it can get real confusing real quick. It is important to have patience while browsing. I spent over two hours in the small store sifting and re-sifting through their selection.
All in all, it was a good trip to the store. My total take was three ties and two shirts. I plan to return at some point to re-browse their selection.
If you have a tip or suggestion, please feel free to email me at PennyPinchingPaul@gmail.com
Happy Saving!
-Paul
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