Five ripoffs to watch out for at the outlet stores

Outlet shopping is such big business, it stands to reason that retailers try to slip some tricks past shoppers to make a little more money. The next time you hit your nearest outlet center, keep these tips in mind, and avoid the five ways that retailers try to divert you from the true discount shopping opportunities.

The foot traffic at America's outlet malls is immense, and everyone is there to spend. Many of the country's biggest malls are tourist attractions unto themselves. Franklin Mills Outlets, outside of Philadelphia, attracts about 18 million visitors more than ten times the number who visit Independence Hall. And because of its strong attraction for international tourists, Florida's Sawgrass Mills, outside of Fort Lauderdale, is estimated to rope about 26 million shoppers a year, or about two and a half times the estimated draw for Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando.

Most outlet stores are located far from town, and not just because that's where the rent is cheap. It also helps shoppers believe that inaccessibility means there must deals there. The truth is shoppers arrive at outlet malls assuming that everything they see will be a bargain off the prices they'd pay in town. Some retails take advantage of your convenient assumptions: