Outlet Collection of Winnipeg
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Though retail therapy often produces a high for shoppers, the constant decision-making can prove exhausting. A group at the Outlet Collection of Winnipeg can combat this fatigue with the outlet’s Health and Wellness experience.
After a tour of many health-related shops, groups wind down with a yoga session. Discount booklets come with the experience, as they do with any preregistered group shopping excursion to the outlet.
The Canadian outlet can customize other private shopping experiences, such as a foodie-themed tour for delicious samples from the outlet shop’s high-end eateries, such as Crepe Delicious.
Even without an added element to a stop, the outlet strives to treat all groups as valued clients with a meet-and-greet where staff members distribute maps of the 570,000-square-foot outlet. Over 100 popular outlet brands will keep guests busy at shops such as Saks Off Fifth, the Banana Republic Factory Store and Michael Kors. Group leaders can also enjoy their stop with a complimentary $50 gift card.
The fully enclosed, $2 million shopping center broke ground in 2015 and opened two years later. The first outlet mall in Manitoba, the center creates a welcoming design aesthetic with warm, natural finishes; bold graphic patterning; and plentiful daylight. The outlets also take sustainability seriously and boast Silver LEED certification.
www.outletcollectionwinnipeg.com
Shop Gotham
New York City
Groups can feel like they’ve stepped into an episode of “Project Runway” by taking a behind-the-scenes look at New York City’s fashion world with Shop Gotham. The tour company’s Garment Center District Insider Tour offers a shopping experience not available to individuals by taking groups to designer showrooms, normally reserved for store buyers and the occasional magazine editor.
Once inside these showrooms, participants can purchase apparel and accessories for the same price as store buyers. In this way, groups can walk away with clothing from an emerging designer at half or more off the retail price.
Shop Gotham first determines what types of showrooms would interest the group, since the experiences can range from cutting-edge fashion to bargain options. Even those not interested in purchasing designer products often find the inside of a showroom fascinating.
Groups typically visit three apparel and two accessory showrooms, with one or more designers present to chat about how they ended up in fashion. Many of these new or lesser-known designers do not yet sell their products to department stores, but instead offer stylish lines in fashion-forward boutiques in New York City.
The tour company also leaves groups with a list of important sample sales being held in the city so they can extend their shopping trips if desired. Guides chat about the area and the fashion industry as they lead groups from one showroom to another.
Shop Gotham tours can also visit hip flea markets, edgy indie shops and neighborhoods known for shopping deals.
