{"id":406,"date":"2016-06-23T09:04:09","date_gmt":"2016-06-23T09:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.travelwithanda.com\/?p=406"},"modified":"2018-12-24T10:40:52","modified_gmt":"2018-12-24T10:40:52","slug":"shopping-in-the-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.travelwithanda.com\/index.php\/2016\/06\/23\/shopping-in-the-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"Shopping in the USA"},"content":{"rendered":"

My first trip to the USA was to New York, Manhattan, about 15 years ago, when I was accompanying my boyfriend on a short business trip (paying my own plane ticket with a student money may I add). I was so busy being excited to see the Big Apple, I couldn’t even think of\u00a0planning any tourist activity. Honestly, at that age, all I cared about was to see the Statue of Liberty and to experience the legendary shopping in the USA. Which means to shop until I drop. And, as they say, the rest is history.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have been returning to the States almost every year since then, to different places, and every time I make sure that I come back home with an overweight suitcase, carrying at least one new bag in my hand, wearing 4 layers of clothes and 2 extra shoes which didn\u2019t fit in my luggage.<\/p>\n

4 reasons why I love shopping in the USA<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Prices<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Currently the exchange rate is not so much in favor of European shoppers (it has been drifting around 1.10 \u2013 1.15 for almost a year now), however with bigger purchases your wallet can still feel the difference. I did have some big saving moments across Atlantic: on my first visit the exchange rate was around 1.30 and at some point it reached up to 1.5, so yeah, that was heaven. But anyway, the fact is that when you go shopping in the USA you go for American brands which are logically cheaper \u201cat home\u201d than in the rest of the world. Not to mention ongoing instore sales and promotions which are sometimes a real bargain. So in the end of the day, at least until the rate reaches 1 : 1 (which I pray it never does, even though I am not religious) you save twice. Trust me, once you see the price of Guess jeans, Calvin Klein shoes, Michale Kors handbag or Ralph Lauren sweater in the USA, you will never want to\u00a0buy it at home again. At least not at a regular price.<\/p>\n

\"Premium<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Variety<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Probably this has a lot to do with the fact that I come from a very small country with two or three big shopping centers where American brands like Guess, Calvin Klein or Tommy Hilfiger are considered as quite premium stuff. I mean don\u2019t get me wrong – Italian and French designers are considered as high end class in Slovenia as well, but USA brands are very popular and relatively expensive. So when a girl like me sees those factory outlets laying around the USA like coffee shops, with a variety of sizes, colors and models, not to mention promotions, she just can’t stop smiling. Even if in the end of the day her back hurts like hell \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

3. Returns<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are an impulsive buyer and especially if you have a habit in making the wrong shopping choices, USA is the place for you. I am not sure if this is the law or just a very healthy common practice but everything you buy can be returned with a full refund, usually within 30 days or even more. This can also come very handy if you are in a hurry and don\u2019t have time to try all those clothes or shoes. I am telling you, USA\u00a0is every shopper\u2019s paradise. Land of the free. Well, at least from shopping point of view.\"Miami<\/p>\n


\n4. Experience<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Unless you are loaded it is very unlikely that you will travel to the USA just for shopping. If you are flexible with dates, you can find some very good deals from European airports. (You can read my post about booking a flight and some useful travel tips here<\/a>). If you can afford to spend more than 14 days, take the West coast road trip from San Francisco to San Diego (been there, done that, the post\u00a0will follow sooner or later), or head East in Los Angeles towards Las Vegas<\/a> ad Grand Canyon. For 10 days I would recommend a roundtrip to Florida starting from Daytona Beach to fabulous Key West during winter or the East coast triangle Washington \u2013 Niagara Falls \u2013 New York in the summer. OR you can just drop by for an extended weekend, like I do from time to time \ud83d\ude1b Call me crazy but for me visiting the USA is worth the jet lag anytime.<\/p>\n

My favorite shopping places in the USA<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are\u00a0my top 4 “must go” shopping places which almost never let me down.\"Premium<\/p>\n


\nPremium Outlets<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I discovered this shoppers\u2019 paradise during my first trip to Orlando, Florida<\/strong> and since then every time I plan my vacation in the USA, I make sure that Premium Outlets<\/a> are somewhere on my way. Which is not very hard because their centers are located in almost every state. This giant group of outlets covers some other shopping mall brands (like Simon Mall and The Mills) and you can check their locations here<\/a>. Premium outlets are my favorite and I practically know every corner in there. My tour starts with Guess, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren where I usually find everything I want. They have food courts in every center with a variety of international cuisines and if the center is big enough you might run into some healthy choices as well. No need to replace those calories lost in shopping with saturated fats, right? After lunch I go for shoes and sports stuff and in the evening, that is if my legs can still carry me, I check perfume and other cosmetics shops. So yes, I take the whole day for shopping here and every time I finish my back hurts like hell. But this is a happy pain of a shopaholic \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

Hint: before you visit Premium Outlets make sure you register online for VIP membership so you can get a book of coupons and discounts. Sometimes the deals are quite awesome.<\/em><\/p>\n