Shopping in the United States

♦ Routes (free): Detailed travel itineraries in USA

The USA is a true paradise for shopping enthusiasts. One of the favorite pastimes for Americans and visiting tourists alike is shopping. However, not every purchase is justified or cheap compared to other countries. The value depends mainly on the product, but no less on where and when you bought it. Americans are the kings of "SALES" and coupons, and many will be willing to drive over an hour to save a few dollars. The culture of price comparison and thorough research before buying is highly developed in the USA. Of course, a tourist arriving for a short, measured time cannot waste their precious time on searches and comparisons, but if you know in advance where to buy and what is truly worthwhile to buy in the USA, you will save a lot of time and money. Orlando, for example, is one of the most recommended destinations for shopping, which you can read about in my article: Shopping in Orlando.

♦ Car rental from the reliable and convenient Booking website: Booking.com

 

Before you start shopping, remember the following facts:

-The maximum luggage that each passenger (including children over age two) can take on international flights is one suitcase weighing 23 kg (in the hold), a side bag weighing 8-10 kg (with you), and a laptop bag or purse (verify the terms of the ticket you purchased, as the allowed weight may vary).

A second suitcase can be sent on international flights for $70-100 (depending on the airline). It is important to find out the baggage policy when purchasing the ticket, as the permits change every year—and only for the worse! Remember that you will pay dearly for overweight. It is advisable to purchase a small manual digital scale for weighing suitcases (available in travel stores).

On domestic flights purchased in a separate transaction from the international flight, most airlines require payment of $25-30 for the first suitcase sent and $30 or more for a second suitcase.

Until 2011, two suitcases per passenger were allowed on international flights, and the sharp cut significantly affected the shopping joy of tourists in the USA. Remember not to overdo the luggage you leave home with; it comes at the expense of your purchases. Therefore, it is worth saving most of your shopping for destinations after the last flight or purchasing domestic flights as part of the international flight deal.

-In recent years, taxes and customs on electrical products in many countries have been greatly reduced, so it is worth checking prices in your home country carefully before the trip so that you don't pay the same or more than the price at home.

-In the USA, there is no tax refund on the products you bought. In Canada, however, there is a refund of the local tax on shopping and some services. Save the receipts, take forms to fill out at a local post office or at the airport, fill them out, and send them along with the receipts when you are already outside of Canada. At land border crossings between Canada and the USA, you receive the tax refund immediately in cash.

-Airmail shipping from the USA is a very expensive business and is not worthwhile. Sea mail shipping takes months and is also not particularly cheap. In addition, customs must of course be paid.

-Generally, prices in airports Duty Free are more expensive than prices in the USA. Shop in Duty Free only if you don't feel like carrying packages across the entire USA.

Don't leave all the shopping for the end of the trip. Many people concentrate all the shopping they want to do at the end of the trip, especially in New York City. This decision causes a lot of frustration because upon reaching your final destination, you begin shopping under pressure to satisfy all promises to children, relatives, friends, and yourself, only to discover that there were better deals elsewhere along the way and there is no turning back. Remember, New York is not necessarily cheaper than other places in the USA; sometimes the situation is exactly the opposite.

Customer service in the USA is very courteous and efficient. The return policy is something to be envied! You can return any product within 3 months of the date of purchase, and if you kept the receipt, you will get your money back without any problem or comment. Without a receipt, you will usually receive a credit. Remember that the prices written on every product are the prices before the local tax, which varies from state to state and can reach up to 10%. In the states of Oregon, New Hampshire, and Delaware, there is no state tax at all (making it worthwhile to shop there), while the higher tax rates are in Illinois, California, and Arizona.

 

 

Shopping Centers:

The shopping centers are massive and luxurious. It is very pleasant to wander through them, but most of the shops and department stores in them belong to fairly expensive chains. Therefore, those interested in buying cheaply should look carefully for special deals, which sometimes offer real discounts of 50% or more. The problem is that the real deals disappear within the first two days of the sale. If you are looking for quality and well-known brands and the price is not so important to you, you can enjoy shopping in these centers. Most of them contain branches of famous department stores such as: Macy’s, JCpenney, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Sears. Among these chains, Sears is the cheaper one and Nordstrom is the most expensive. A massive network of shopping centers spread across 11 states is Westfield.

In every shopping center, there are also cinemas, restaurants, fast food stalls, entertainment attractions for children, etc.

Cheap Department Stores:

There are several giant store chains with branches all over the continent. In these stores, you can buy everything: clothes, shoes, toys, electrical and electronic appliances, watches and jewelry, furniture, household items, gardening equipment, sports equipment, food, etc. There you can wander for long hours and find many bargains. The largest chains are: Wal-Mart (the largest of them all),

 Kmart and Target. These chains buy huge quantities of goods from manufacturers at a discounted price and offer both well-known brands and more popular merchandise. Wal-Mart is the largest department store chain in the world, with the slogan: "Save Money. Live Better." They are known for excellent customer service. Kmart used to be the second-largest chain in the USA but has shrunk somewhat in recent years due to financial difficulties. Target is a chain that offers higher quality products in a large variety. Of course, these chains also have discount sales that are a shame to miss. The discounts are mainly in the middle of summer and the middle of winter. At the end of summer, all the merchandise offered will be winter products, and at the end of winter, all the stores are full of swimsuits and beach and resort accessories.

Membership Warehouse Clubs:

The largest and most recommended chain of warehouse clubs is Costco. Every branch is a giant warehouse where a third of its products are food items, mostly in large packages.

 

 In addition to food, they sell electrical and electronic appliances, computers and software, office equipment, car accessories, toys, clothes, and household items. To buy at Costco, you need a membership card (annual membership fee was $60 ) or to be accompanied by a member. It is very worthwhile to buy there since the prices are the lowest and the merchandise is of the highest quality, including famous brands like: Lee, Nike, Ralph Lauren, and Calvin Klein. They also sell house brands (of all types: from food to film to shoes) produced especially for them under the name Kirkland, which are also of excellent quality. Costco has more than 270 stores across the continent with a sales turnover of over $14 billion. Their website includes only a partial list of products, usually the more expensive ones. A similar style chain, more common on the eastern side of the USA, is Sam’s Club.

"OFF PRICE" Stores

These stores buy surpluses from factories and large department stores. You can find the latest fashion sold in luxury stores alongside merchandise from the previous season. The main disadvantage is that while department stores offer every product in all sizes and styles, in these stores, the number of items of a certain type is limited. The huge advantage is the price: a saving of 20-60% from the regular price. These stores mainly sell clothing and footwear, but also bags, toys, and household items. A shopping enthusiast with patience and time can browse for hours in these stores and leave with high-quality clothes at a ridiculous price. Most of the clothes and shoes are from well-known and prestigious brands. The largest chains in this field are: T.J. Maxx, which is the largest chain of this type with 574 branches across the USA,

 

  Ross Dress For Less which has 275 branches across the USA and is the cheapest among the "Off Price" stores. Prices at Ross are 30-50% cheaper than prices in regular stores. For people over age 55, there is an additional 10% discount on Tuesday afternoons.

Marshall’s which has 460 branches and its motto is: "Never Pay Full Price for Fabulous" Burlington with 278 branches sells not only coats (which was once their main specialty) but also fashion for the whole family, shoes, baby furniture, and more. Their return policy is quite tough: no cash refunds, only exchanges, and within a short period of time.

A completely different type of cheap stores are those that sell every item for one dollar. Two large chains specializing in this are: Family Dollar and Dollar tree . In these stores, you will find everything: from food products, cleaning materials, household items, stationery, to various souvenirs and toys.

Factory Outlet Malls:

There are more than 650 Factory Outlets across the USA. Some are small and contain just a few dozen stores, while others are massive and contain hundreds of stores. Most are located in the suburbs or near popular vacation areas. There are two factory outlet chains in the USA with wide distribution across the country.  

The largest chain of all is: Premium Outlets which has dozens of large and impressive centers, including in Orlando and in towns near Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York.

Tanger Outlets is a recommended chain whose branches are mostly located in the eastern USA. On the website https://www.outletbound.com you can find information and links to all factory outlet centers across the USA, including the names of the stores in each center and lots of updated information. In every such center, there are many factory stores selling merchandise of well-known and prestigious brands such as: Sony, Levi’s, Mikasa, Nike, Gap, Ralph Lauren, London Fog, and the list goes on. Prices are usually about 20-30% cheaper than the official prices of the products. Before you start the shopping celebration, it's worth going to the main office or the visitor center of the mall and asking if you can get a membership card that grants discounts or if there are discounts for AAA members. In most centers, you will receive a booklet with information on discounts for members (membership is free) and for AAA members. The discounts are very significant and reach up to 20%. Remember that there is a discount on a discount and stacked promotions, so sometimes you can purchase high-quality products at very high discounts. In the Off Price stores I mentioned earlier, you can buy these products at similar or sometimes cheaper prices, but the selection is much more limited.

 

Buying Tickets for Sports, Music, and Theater Events

A trip to the USA is a good opportunity to see a music show by famous singers or a high-level basketball game, for example.

On the following reliable website, you can order entry tickets at attractive prices:

 

 

Entry tickets for theme parks and attractions in Orlando

♦ Order entry tickets for theme parks in Orlando from the Expedia website: Expedia

For Disney, Universal, Legoland, SeaWorld parks, and many more attractions!

 

Electrical Appliances, Electronics, and Communication

In recent years, due to the reduction of taxes and customs in some countries, it has become less worthwhile than before to purchase electrical appliances, electronics, and communication products in the USA, but the prices of most products are still lower than in many other places. It's worth checking the prices of the products you wish to buy before leaving home and comparing them with prices abroad, and don't forget to add customs/VAT for products . The cheapest place to buy electrical appliances, computers, electronics, and communication is Costco (see the previous section titled: Membership Warehouse Clubs). Also look for deals at Wal-Mart, Kmart, and Target. Two chains of large stores specializing in electrical products are:  Best Buy  and Fry’s Electronics Also remember that in case of a malfunction, the warranty may be more limited than if the product were purchased locally. Prices of products including tax (which is only added at the checkout) should be checked and compared carefully.

 

For those traveling in the Big Apple: an article on Shopping and stores in New York City.

Sport Shoes:

There is no doubt that the product most worth buying in the USA, compared to prices elsewhere, is sport shoes, especially from well-known brands like: Nike, Reebok, Adidas, etc. If you are flying to the USA, don't buy sport shoes in Duty Free if you can hold off until you get to the States! There are many chains of sports stores, but most are quite prestigious. It is recommended to buy from them only if you are looking for a specific model from a certain company, because the selection in sports-specialized chains is the largest. A relatively cheap sports chain is "Big 5”; because it is one of the largest chains in its field, the wide sales volume allows it to reduce its products by about 20-40 percent from the official price. This store has a huge selection of all types of sports equipment. This chain has branches only in the western USA. A large and recommended sports store chain in the eastern USA is: Sport Authority. Another recommended chain in the southeastern USA is Academy Sports  . Avoid buying sport shoes in specialized stores in high-end shopping centers, as they are the most expensive. If you are not looking for a specific model, you can find sport shoes from leading companies in the Off Price stores. It is most worthwhile to purchase sport shoes in factory outlet centers, where there is a huge selection, attractive prices, and many deals.

Stationery and Crafts:

An amazing store chain for crafts, decorations, design, holiday accessories, birthday and party supplies, costumes (including a whole section for dogs), a huge section for decorated cooking and baking products, and more is Michael’s. Craft enthusiasts won't want to leave. Prices are reasonable and there are good deals from time to time.

Large chains for office supplies and stationery are Office Depot and Staples, which is very similar to it. Prices are not always cheap compared to home, and it's worth buying only products on special offer. It is very worthwhile to buy stationery at Costco as well as in the "Dollar" stores mentioned above.

Home Goods

Two particularly recommended chains for home goods are: Linens ’n things and Bed Bath &Beyond . These stores are loaded with kitchenware, bedding, bathroom accessories, storage containers, and various decorations. Prices are quite reasonable and from time to time real bargains can be found. It is pleasant to walk around these chains; everything is perfectly organized and tasteful. Just remember that you have to pack your purchase in suitcases and carry it all in cars and planes home... so buying fragile and/or heavy objects is not recommended. High-quality home goods (with a much smaller selection) can also be bought at Costco.

Pet Supplies

Americans are known for their great love for pets, and accordingly, they have giant branches of stores for selling pet supplies. The selection is huge and includes many products not available in other countries, or where the selection elsewhere is extremely limited. Pet lovers are recommended to enter these stores just to be impressed by the huge offering and be envious... The largest chains are: Petco and Petsmart .

List of websites and stores on the subject of shopping.

 

Insurance - Don't forget!

The trip is expensive and you pay for a large part of it in advance before departure; your purchases and suitcases are also expensive, so don't forget to take out travel insurance as early as possible before the trip so that if you are forced to cancel the trip you will have insurance coverage for the cancellation, and if the suitcases do not arrive you will receive appropriate compensation!

 

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