A Review of New York's Premier Shopping Destination Woodbury Commons

Do you love shopping? Do you love wearing designer clothing and accessories, but hate spending the money for them? I do, and I was on the hunt for a way to be able to purchase the clothing I like, without having to worry about the overwhelming price tags they carried. After doing some research online, I came across Woodbury Commons, a premium outlet mall located in Central Valley, NY. After browsing through their website, it seemed too good to be true; over 220 stores, top designers, AND outlet mall prices? I had to see it for myself, so I decided to venture there one weekend to see if it lived up to its hype.

I arrived at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning, just as the entire complex was opening, and I found that it was already quite crowded. Many were standing outside their favorite stores waiting for the doors to open, so they could be the first ones to find the deal of the day. I parked right near Applebee's, which was only a few steps away from one of the many entrances to the mall itself. I could tell from my car that the mall was all outdoors, with each store having its own individual entrance. Elegant stone paths carved their way through the entire place, linking all of the stores together. Just as I entered, I found a store directory right their waiting for me, which I found to be very convenient. I glanced over it, astonished at the list of stores the mall housed, and went on my way. I decided just to walk around the entire place once, just to scope it out, before I actually got into the shopping part of my trip. I was extremely surprised with how clean it was. It had just recently snowed, but there was no evidence of that whatsoever, and there was no garbage at all on the walkways or in the shrubbery. There were soda and vending machines located all over the complex, making refreshments easy to obtain, and store directories were located at every intersection, never leaving you with the feeling of wondering where to go next to find your favorite store. In the center of the complex is the food court, which housed eateries such as McDonald's Nathan's, Starbuck's, and Carvel, just to name a few. There is also a cooking store located in the food court, which was quite a clever idea in my opinion.

Now onto the best part, the stores. Woodbury Commons has stores ranging from top designers, to designer, to simply novelty and common stores you would find in your local mall. I was interested in stores that fell into all three of these categories, so I will describe the ones I had the pleasure of going to. First, I visited the Burberry store. They had quite a selection of dress shirts, and jackets for men, and jackets and accessories for women. Although still quite pricey, they did have some discounts and sales that applied to some of their items, bringing the price into a more affordable range. Next, was Coach. Just a word of the wise here, the Coach store is ALWAYS packed. No matter what time you arrive, there are going to be people there. Prices may have been slightly lower than what you would pay from Coach directly, but they were still expensive for an outlet mall. After visiting these two stores, I concluded that despite being located in an outlet mall, these top designer stores are still going to have those expensive designer prices, making that part of the trip somewhat disappointing. There is quite a list of top stores I didn't visit though, so they might hold something that the two I did go to, didn't. These stores include Chanel, Diane von Furstenberg, Dior, Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci, Prada, and Versace, just to name a few.

Now onto the designer stores, which yielded much better results. I wanted to go to Armani Exchange pretty badly, so that is the next place I headed off to. All I can say is wow. The price difference was quite significant when compared to a common mall you would find in your town. Take the clearance prices in your local mall, and cut them in half, and that is what you are going to pay here. I found a nice selection of shirts, ranging from $10-29, which is very affordable for Armani. They were also quite appealing, and not just older shirts that nobody would ever purchase. I also visited French Connection, since I have never gotten the opportunity to visit the actual store before. Just my luck, they had a special promotion going on where everything in the store was half off, and I mean everything; jackets, shirts, jeans, everything. Talk about incredible. I ended up purchasing a shirt that retailed for over $60 for just under $20, tax included. Most of the stores that fell into this category, including Guess, True Religion, Diesel, bebe, BCBG, Juicy Couture, and UGG, all had great prices when compared to their everyday mall counterparts, and I would advise anybody to visit them to get the full experience of a great deal.

Finally, I went to the department, or novelty stores. In the case of Woodbury Commons, they were Saks Off 5^th Avenue and Neiman Marcus Last Call. I didn't find much of a difference in the merchandise in these stores from other ones that I have visited, but they did have some things I have never seen in a Saks or Neiman Marcus before. For example, I came across a Dolce and Gabbana blazer that retailed for $2499, being offered for $999. That price is still off the wall, but regardless, I have never seen D&G in either of these stores before, but I did in Woodbury Commons.

Overall, my experience at Woodbury Commons was a very positive one. However, there are a few things I should brief you on if you plan on visiting, which will make your experience a better one. First of all, do your research. Print out a map of the complex, and identify the stores you want to go to. This will allow you to plan your route ahead of time, saving you time. I would have done this, but I didn't really have a plan of attack when I went. Second, check the Woodbury Commons website for coupons, and sign up to receive the VIP coupon booklet. This booklet includes tons of coupons that you can use throughout the complex, saving you even more money. Third, if you are planning on doing quite a bit of shopping, I would advise you to bring a suitcase or something to carry your bags in. I saw many people doing this at the time I was there, and it seemed to be very wise. You may not want to run back and forth between your car and the mall to drop off your bags, especially if it involves walking a long distance. If you keep these three things in mind, you will have an excellent time shopping at the Woodbury Commons Premium Outlet Center.

"Woodbury Common Premium Outlets." Chelsea Property Group.