Albertville Premium Outlets: Albertville, MN

Albertville Premium Outlets: Where Clothes Come to Die!

It used to be that when you thought of outlet mall shopping, things that came to mind would be shapeless clothes, factory-second linens, and orthopedic shoes. Don’t worry–you can still get that kind of stuff here, but Albertville Premium Outlets is marketed as a “premium” outlet center. The center is owned by Chelsea Premium Outlets, a chain of outlet malls around the country that boast of having designer outlet stores for label-conscious shoppers at discounts up to 75% off every day.

This outlet mall put Albertville, MN on the map

Okay, well, that can be true, but let’s cut the BS.

Some may say that this is an excellent place to find deals; others will say that this place is a last ditch effort to screw the consumer until they send it to TJ Maxx.

Me? I’m on the fence. You can get good deals here, but you have to have done your research and know what you’re buying. Leave your “sale goggles” at home — don’t just buy something here because “you’re at an outlet” and “it’s on sale.”

I kind of think the whole concept of outlet malls is a bit misleading. Just because it’s an outlet store doesn’t necessarily mean an automatic bargain or super deals, although it can be done.  If  you shop at the regular locations of many of these stores, you’ll see that the merchandise you’re buying at the outlets SHOULD be cheaper because the items are of lesser quality and were never sold in the normal stores in the first place. Basically, you’re getting what you pay for.

All of the TV ads and billboards feature a pretty fashionista doing some shopping, all decked out wearing her best heels and pearls. Oh please, get a better photo! It’s an OUTLET MALL for crying out loud.  I have yet to see people shopping here who look like  they’re going to the Guthrie. When I was here the last week, I saw a 400 pound lady wearing stonewashed jeans that were so tight, I bet she was itching yeast.

I have no idea when this place opened – I never personally visited (or even KNEW about the place) until 2004. I couldn’t find any information on it – but they added many more shops in the early ’00s, making the outlet mall more of an all-day, blow-your-entire-afternoon shopping destination. I’m assuming before that, it was a small outlet center, much like the North Branch outlets or the like the old Woodbury outlet mall (a major shithole, if you ask me).

It’s easy to miss the exit if you’re coming from the Twin Cities. Just follow the billboards, and take the first (and only?) Albertville exit and you’ll be fine.

For fuck's sake, they have a CROCS store!

The Stores

I’m not going to list out all the rest of the stores here. I am lazy and that’s simply too much work.  You can go to their website for that. One thing to note–according to their website, Wilson’s Leather is still here. Wouldn’t surprise me any; they’ve had their “going out of business” sale for the last 10 years.  I know there’s been some store closings in this mall, but I only know of a few. The only former stores I can think of are the Barnes & Noble outlet, the Bose store, and the Bombay Co. outlet.

Most of the stores here are your typical Joe Schmoe outlet mall crowd pleasers, such as:

Jones New York
Liz Claiborne
Kitchen gadget stores that sell oddball stuff like avocado slicers and potato peeler gloves
Casual Male XL
Izod
Calvin Klein
Van Heusen
Brooks Brothers
and so on.

When I shop here by myself, I have only a few stores that I check out. Those stores include BCBG, Lucky, Nike, and the following…

GAP:  I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of this stuff was churned out a basement sweatshop in a third world country. Plus, so much of the stuff here screams, “That is SOOO 10 years ago.” Yeah, not even “so last

I think I had this same GAP denim shirt back in 1998. 20% off of a denim shirt from 11 years ago does not a deal make.

year.” They’re pulling out all the stops here and going back an entire decade. This is where people are still buying those ugly GAP logo sweatshirts. If you’ve only visited a regular GAP store in a mall, you’d think they were put out of their misery in 1999, but no. These suckers are out on the racks in full force at the outlet.  You can even find tapered leg jeans here (GAP Outlet calls them “Classic” jeans, so head’s up. You don’t want to be wearing Mom Jeans, do you?)  Racks are chock full of weird sizes – lots of XXXXXL sized shirts and Size 2 Extra Short pants. I think they spray all their clothes here with GAP “So Pink” perfume, because I swear, if I buy something from here, that scent follows me home. Don’t expect to get really good deals here either (though it CAN be done. I’ve purchased clothing here for $0.97 before!). Example – on their “clearance” rack, a $32 sweater was marked down to $28. Bitch, please.

Banana Republic Factory Store: Oh boy, quality can be a big issue here. If you actually think you’re getting “real” Banana Republic clothing that was in the store last year, you’re wrong. I’d say 90% of the stuff here is made specifically for the outlet. It might look familiar, but chances are, it’s “off” in some way. For example, I bought a cute dress at the regular BR store. The next season, I saw the same dress at the outlet, except that instead of the silk material on MY dress,  it was cotton. And unlined. Yet, the outlet was claiming that their dress should be “compared to $160” (original price of my dress at the regular store). Claiming a cotton dress with no lining to a silk dress with a lining to be the same price, just because the pattern and style are the same is pretty damn deceiving. Just know what you’re buying, and don’t overpay for the Banana Republic name, that’s all.

Coach: I consider myself a really good shopper. I rarely buy anything that’s not on sale, so when I say that you can get good deals at this store, I damn well mean it. Now, you’re not going to get good deals EVERY TIME you go in here. Oh no. You have to hit up this place at the right time. Don’t ask me when that is because I honestly don’t know. It’s hit or miss. Yes, they do make bags specifically for the outlet, but no, they are not inferior or ‘factory seconds.’ I’m pretty familiar with Coach and I notice no difference in quality between the bags at the outlet vs. the bags at the full-price store. Word to the wise – do NOT come here for the Midnight Madness sale on Black Friday (don’t even come to the outlet mall on that day, for that matter). You will be sorry. My sister and I made the mistake back in 2006.  Be prepared to sit on I-94 in bumper-to-bumper traffic for several miles, just to get into the parking lot. Then, you’re going to wait in more lines, just to get into the stores. We got in line at 12AM at Coach and didn’t get in the store to shop until 2:45AM. At that point, you feel like you must buy something to justify the long wait. Pure HELL. Never again!

Other info (and things to be wary of)…

Like every mall, Albertville has the decoys — stores located at outlet centers that aren’t really outlets. I don’t care for such tomfoolery – don’t let the following stores trip you up!

Bath and Body Works: Medford and North Branch have the REAL outlets. (And it’s worth it because you can score some great deals! It’s like a year-round Semi-Annual Sale!)
Aeropostale
Justice
Maurices
PacSun
Old Navy – yes, this USED to be an outlet, but Old Navy converted all of their outlet stores into regular stores within the last year or so…..there might be more too. Watch out!

Then they have the stores that really raise an eyebrow, like Maidenform, Jockey, and L’eggs/Hanes. The fuck? Why do we need an outlet store for drugstore underpants? Are people THAT clueless? You can buy that shit at CVS, with a BOGO coupon.

Speaking of coupons, this mall, as well as any other Chelsea Premium Outlet centers, offers a “VIP” coupon book, though there’s nothing VIP about it. All you do is log on to the website, register with your email address, and print out the coupons. See? No secret handshake needed. I strongly suggest doing this, as many of the stores offer pretty decent coupons through this avenue.

Despite this place calling itself a “premium outlet”, it is severely lacking in the designer goods. BCBG, Banana Republic, Coach, and Lucky Brand are about as high end as this place goes. You won’t find Burberry, Prada, St. John, True Religion, or Gucci outlet stores here. That’s because we are hicks here in Minnesota and we don’t know what Prada is. 😛  Maybe I’m just a snob? Really, I’m not – I did drop $100 during my trip to the mall (oops) — but it would be nice to have that option. I look at it this way – if I’m going outlet shopping, I want to have the chance to buy stuff I wouldn’t normally buy. I’m not driving all the way out here looking for a discount on Maidenform bras.

If you are looking for designer stuff, may I suggest the wonderful Saks Off-5th Outlet in downtown Minneapolis? I kind of wish I still worked downtown — I used to stalk the sales racks over lunch back in the day. I once scored a pair of Jimmy Choos for $30!

I really think this place is poorly designed. Because if you want to ‘do’ the entire mall and start out at the Old Navy, and make your way all the way down to the Nike Store, you’re going to have one hell of a long hike all the way back to the car.  When I go here, I always hit up the same few stores and just drive to them. However, this plan can be a pain in the ass on the weekends because of the congested traffic. Plus, there’s a bunch of stores across the street too — “The Promenade”. I don’t usually bother with the stores over there, except for BCBG and Lucky, if the mood strikes me. They do offer a free trolley that tootles around around the mall, stopping at designated spots, but I’ve never bothered to try it out.

Word to the wise – there is no food court, which is kind of a shame because many people who come here end up spending their

Looks like the invasion has begun. Someone call Will Smith!

entire day here. They have a Subway on one end of the mall, a TCBY yogurt way on the other end, and a Dunn Bros Coffee on the other side of the road. There’s also a free-standing Burger King. That’s pretty much it. Oh yeah, there’s a oddball restaurant on the service road leading up to the mall called “Space Aliens Grill & Bar.” The fuck? For the love of god, why is this in Albertville, Minnesota of all places? It ought to be located in Area 51 or Roswell, New Mexico.

Much like the Mall of America, although to a lesser extent, this can be a hotspot for tourists (mostly due to our no sales tax on clothing). Every time I have friends visiting from out of state, they always want to go to the outlet AND the MOA. It can be a complete zoo here on the weekends, especially during the summer. During the week, it’s a ghosttown. And watch it – don’t plan on spending a summer Sunday afternoon here because you will fight the coming-back-from-the-cabin crowd on I-94 and you’ll be smoldering in traffic for a while.

As far as outlet centers go, this is as good as it gets in Minnesota, so if you’re up for a day of outlet shopping, go here & don’t bother with the other outlets (Medford and North Branch). Just do your research before you go and have realistic expectations –  yes, it’s an outlet mall but if you’re thinking you’re going to find cocktail dress for a penny, you will be sorely disappointed.

Enjoy the rest of the photos! All photos taken Feb. 2009.

A tacky Banana Republic outfit made specifically for the outlet. Let’s be real – an elephant logo sweatsuit would not fly in the regular store.

Just because it’s located at an outlet mall doesn’t mean it’s a REAL outlet store

Store Directory

The Presidents Day Sale

A lot of times you're better off shopping at the regular stores

Coldwater Creek...A fashion DON'T, unless you're 60.

More hot shopping action!

Play Area

Outside the Coach store

I WISH I'D NEVER BEEN BROILED!!!

I'd like to get a pair of Coach sunglasses, but they didn't have any that were big enough. I like sunglasses, with white frames, that are as big as my head. Seriously. I probably look ridiculous but that's how I roll.

See, this is what I'm talking about - here is the Banana Republic Factory Store. I shop at BR a lot, and I KNOW these items were NEVER in the "real" store.

I don't care for all the splashy logos, but I like the color

Some of the stores across the street

I keep going back here and I often have to ask myself, "Why?!"

Coach or not, you couldn't PAY me to carry a fanny packs. And at only 30% off? Fuck, who are they trying to kid?