Holiday sales drive traffic to Tanger Outlets

This holiday season, retailers at Tanger Outlets report the sales are on, the shoppers are out, and there’s new looks everywhere. From the curb appeal of recently renovated outlet centers to women’s fashions, classic gift sets and winter-warmers, outlet shopping is a hit.

Tanger Outlet Centers General Manager Amy Norgate said the deals are strong, and trends are everywhere, from pleated skirts in pale pastels to delicate jewelry with flared jeans.

“What is kind of fun is how different things are going,” Norgate said. “Pleats are big, and they are so funny because they are so traditional.  Touches of lace in the top and bottom detailing, and then the real structured bags are still here, but now they are in ‘vegan’ leather.”

The general manager said the outlet centers will not be issuing any of their promotional coupons until after the New Year because in-store incentives are so strong. “The stores have so many deals going on,” she said.

At New York & Co. outlet in Tanger Outlets Seaside, store manager Kelly Witsen said she’s seen strong sales through this holiday season at her store. “Our velour sweatsuits are a popular item every year and we sell through stacks and stacks of gift sets with scarves and gloves,” Witsen said. 

She said the affordable jewelry in her store can dress up an ensemble and take it from daytime casual to nighttime fashion. “We have a lot of statement necklaces from trendy to traditional that can take you from the office to going out in the evening,” Witsen said.

Outlet shoppers tend to be smart shoppers, Norgate said, and use the opportunity to maximize on savings while supporting a growing family, an expanding wardrobe or a new hobby.

“The outlet experience can be a lot of different experiences. It can be a family experience – children’s foot sizes change something like every four months! It can be a fashion experience with luxury goods or a couple accessories to keep you on-trend, or it can be an outerwear experience. It affords people a lot of selection in outerwear, outdoor gear and those types of products that allow people the lifestyle they are seeking.”

Black Friday kicked off a longer-than-usual holiday shopping season by falling on Nov. 25, and Norgate said the shopping spree that begins at midnight after Thanksgiving and goes on all day has turned into an outright party. At the Seaside and Surfside complexes, tallies register nearly 13,000 cars full of shoppers arrived at each center to scoop up savings that day, and at all three centers, they counted nearly 30,000 cars.

“We are lucky this year because Christmas is on a Sunday and Thanksgiving was almost as early as you can have it,” she said. “We’ve got a maximum number of Saturdays between Thanksgiving and Christmas.”

Ongoing renovations at Tanger Bayside and Seaside have been put on hold for the holiday season, she said. The Surfside center has been completed, with a new facade, architectural elements, siding, streamlined traffic flow and updated bathrooms. Similar changes will be ongoing at the Bayside and Seaside centers through 2017, and Norgate said shoppers can expect a new pedestrian experience at both centers as square footage is rearranged to improve accessibility.

“The new crosswalk is a new pedestrian experience that wasn’t there before,” she said. “Tanger Seaside and Tanger Bayside really flow now as a pedestrian shopping experience, and the total facade-renovation siding and architectural elements really add more curb appeal.”

For more information about Tanger Outlets, Rehoboth, go to www.tangeroutlet.com.