Need Travel Gear? Let the Shopping Begin--the More Cut-Rate, the Better
I've been a discount maven since my mother taught me that things you buy on sale are always better than things you buy at full price. But I've grown more selective about the kind of bargains I hunt. Obviously, travel clothes and gear are favorites.
This time of year, after the summer season has peaked, some bargains can be found in mail-order catalogs, on the Internet and at warehouse sales, clearances and close-outs all over California. This is a sampling of those sales. It isn't exhaustive; it represents those I've tried and like, and it focuses on warehouse and store clearances that I've found to be great fun.
I made this discovery last March when a colleague told me about a three-day warehouse sale at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. It was sponsored by travel gear retailer TravelSmith, which sells by catalog and Internet. I've always wanted a signature TravelSmith "Indispensable Black Travel Dress" (made of Supplex-Lycra knit, in four styles, ranging from $79 to $99), but there isn't much in the company's catalog I wouldn't buy if the price were slashed. And at the warehouse sale, prices were reduced by up to 70% (with additional markdowns on the last day).
People streamed into the civic auditorium the Friday morning the sale started. Tables were mounded with items I recognized from the catalog--black travel dresses for $35 (but not in my size), $5 money belts, odd-colored luggage for less than $100, slightly scuffed Rockport walking shoes for $45 and wide-brimmed, crushable straw hats for $15 that usually sell for $39.
In the heat of the moment, I almost bought a hat, and a soft, warm DuPont Thermalite jacket in red (the only color available) for $40. Then I realized I didn't need either and started talking about the wonders of Rome with two elderly women gearing up for a pilgrimage to St. Peter's.
I left the travel gear sale empty-handed, but it wasn't time wasted because I've learned that it's wise to shop around so you can see what's available and compare prices before buying.
The company hopes to hold another sale in Santa Monica next year, though a date hasn't yet been set, says Christine Robak, Travel-Smith's vice president for inventory management. The Novato, Calif.-based company regularly holds big sales in Northern California, at the Marin County Civic Center in May and at the San Mateo Exposition Center (Nov. 3 to 5 this year). It also has an outlet store in Berkeley (open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays), sale catalogs in January and July and about 100 reduced items available on its Web site.
