Best Places to Grab a shopping Bargain in Manhattan for Tourists
With the dollar weak against the Australian currency and the New York tax added to every purchase I was skeptical I would find a bargain in Manhattan. Having the luxury of spending a month in Manhattan I was able to scour the city for sneaky bargains. Here's what I found. (I am sure there are so many more to be found)
1. Zara on 666 5th Avenue
Just down from the New York Public Library is a huge Zara. There are actually three Zara's on 5th, but this seems to be the biggest in floor area. While it is only a couple of levels the floor space is huge. Pleasantly surprised that even the full priced items were slightly cheaper than Australia. I was very lucky to be there during their winter clearance period in February. However, as February passed I noticed that right down at the basement they have a huge selection of clothes that are permanently reduced. And yes, they are last seasons but lots and lots to find. I went back many times. I grabbed shirts reduced from $59.99 to $7.99! Far better clearance than Australia.
2. Banana Republic 626 5th Avenue
While strolling to central park we past a beautiful Banana Republic with huge clearance signs out the front. It seemed every-time I walked past there was a new sale sign. As we don't have Banana Republic in Australia I was keen to look. Beautiful made, classic design clothes but full priced reflecting this. Taking advantage of the jumper sale, buy one get one free I wandered through the shop which goes from one end to the other. I walked past a huge, empty staircase a number of times and saw a few people walking up. Being the curious Nelly I am, I ventured up to find a massive permanent clearance section. A huge range of stunning, very discounted items all year round including shoes. It was very easy to look through with very few people. I bought some stunning pieces very very reduced. The quality was amazing and I still wear them today 2 years later.
3. Century 21 Department Stores
21 Dey Street Lower Manhattan
1972 Broadway Lincoln Centre Upper Manhattan
For more than 50 years, Century 21 clearance Department Store in lower Manhattan has provided top designers at up to 65% off retail 100% of the time.
Century 21 - Broadway
We took the 1 train down to Century 21 on Broadway, purely because we had come from Central Park. We were a bit skeptical
at prices of designer goods considering they are expensive anyway. However it was as
everyone described. Brilliant! It was a very crowded shop with tiny narrow escalators. A very modern organised place with rack and racks of clothes, bags, homewares, tourist goods, the list goes on. Warning, you do need a lot of time here. Send your male friend off the the men's section, they will get lost finding it , so it will give you time. Send teens and any other annoying friends and family off to other sections and search in peace!
You do need a lot of patience with the possibility of going back a number of times once you know what is there. American brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors are you cheapest with other designer like Gucci, Guess and even LV are incredibly reduced. I bought some fabulously cheap Tommy Hilfiger
handbag and wallet for $20. I also bought stunning fur- lined Guess long boots for $30 and DKNY
suede leather boots for $59, so pretty happy with purchases and prices. Of course there were Louis Vuitton handbags
there too on sale for about $299 which I think is awesome if you want to buy
one.
Century 21 Dey
Street
I heard they have a better range and great luggage and souvenirs
than Broadway. We Took a metro down to
Dey Street. A bit of a walk after the Metro but easy. It is very near the 911 memorial pools. This was a much bigger store
and had a great range. I think the best
things to buy here are jackets, bags, wallets and underwear and souvenirs.. I don’t have the patience to sort through all
the clothes though younger daughter did and found Levis for $19 and Calvin
Klein silk pants for $20. I bought a
beautiful winter Tommy Hilfiger jacket for $60 and leather gloves for $8. We also looked at luggage and Samsonite was
definitely 50% cheaper than Australia but still expensive I guess. We bought beautiful Delsey suitcases for 1/4 of the price they are in Australia. We also scored some beautiful Ralph Laurent leather boots for $100
Souvenirs
This is the place to go for souvenirs. Do not buy on the streets unless you can find it here. You've been warned! Much, much cheaper and a huge range too. Younger daughter bought a NYPD hoodie for $30 Australian and I ended up having to buy another on the street ( don't ask) for $60. Poor hubby bought nothing but did kindly carry all our purchases back for us on the Metro to our hotel. Good boy! Home in time to watch the Super Bowl! They also take credit card!!
4. Saks Department Store
Heading up to Saks one day for a little tourist look I was actually on the search for some iconic, cheap tourist pressies. They have a lovely range of black signature totes and toiletry bags very reasonably priced but so hard to find! After going
to 3 floors and no one to help me I finally found then hanging on the ground
floor at the main entrance where the concierge stands. She boxed them up beautifully for me. What a lovely present for my mum.
5. Shoes on 34th Street
Firstly, I didn’t realise what a great street this
is! Glad I had time to discover this street. Every shop you could imagine is here: Uniqlo,
Macy’s, Steve Madden, Aldo, Zara etc.
Lot of sales. I went into Macy’s
to find shoes and was not impressed at all.
I thought it was very expensive and stuff on sale was overpriced. I also think the department store looks very
old fashioned and cheaply fitted out compared to Australia for once!
Famous Footwear.
250W 34th Street
Thinking this shop was the same in Australia, I was pleasantly surprised it was not. I was more of an outlet store for American Brands such as Nike. The runners were exceptional priced compared to Australia and managed to grab some Nikes about half the price of Australia.
DWS Shoes Warehouse
213W 34th Street
This store is a number of levels of lower to very high end shoes of all sorts. I much bigger range but going to a much higher end. We bought some beautiful Guess Heels for $40.
6. Elf Cosmetics
1000 8th Avenue
Made in New York, E.L.F (Eyes, lips, face) cosmetics aim to compete with the high end market providing very cheap, great quality makeup. I bit ricky to get to as it is not near any Metro, it was worth the walk. A very tiny shop, jammed packed with girls. Between me and my girls we bought basket fulls. Now available in Australia, online and in Kmart which is brilliant.
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