The question is “What are discount stores?”. What are discount centers? What is a stock center

The material was prepared with the support of the online store

Expert opinion. Evgenia Solomakhina, editor-in-chief of the zomart.ru portal:

What it is?

As soon as they call stores that sell clothes with big discounts: discount centers, stock stores, and outlets. On the one hand, they all sell things at huge discounts. But on the other hand, each of them has its own peculiarity. The outlet usually occupies a large sales area and supplies items directly from the factories. In discount stores, items of one brand are most often presented that could not be sold in a boutique. In stock, they usually send multi-brand items and sell not only clothing items, but also accessories, appliances, furniture and much more.

Why such a low price?

They send things to stock and discount stores for several reasons. Unsold products by the end of the season occupy retail space and do not make a profit; the product was discounted due to minor defects; the factory sews products from the remnants of the fabric or the delivery of goods is disrupted at the enterprise, and so that it does not take up space in the warehouse, they try to sell it to stock companies.

How did they appear?

The names of all the stores came to us from the English language. The word stock means stocks or leftovers, discount means a discount, and outlet means an exit. If in Russia such stores became popular after the crisis of 1998, when the income of the population dropped sharply and the number of buyers in luxury stores fell, then the world history of stock begins in the 1930s in North America. It was there that the Anderson-Little menswear store opened in 1936, the main purpose of which was to get rid of excess or damaged goods. In the 1980s and 1990s, the number of discount malls in the United States skyrocketed, and Canada took the initiative, where the first outlet opened in the late 1980s. In Europe, the first stock store appeared only in 1993.

Why are they so popular?

Due to the fact that initially not the wealthiest segments of the population went to such stores, they were often compared with second-hand stores and notoriety was attached to them. However, now every fashionista knows that it is in outlets and stock stores that you can find branded items from the latest collections with 50% or even 70% discounts. In the modern world, it almost doesn’t matter to anyone how much a thing costs if it looks stylish. World stars such as Julia Roberts, Winona Ryder and Sharon Stone regularly visit discount centers in search of fashionable novelties. And top model Kate Moss admits that she often raids the famous London flea markets - Camden Market and Portobello Road Market, because unusual things are sold there at low prices. The most desperate fashionistas even go on shopping tours around European countries, where they visit popular outlets and branded discount stores of Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Kenzo and many other brands.

With ever-increasing prices in brick-and-mortar stores, outlet malls are becoming an alternative for those looking to save money while still looking stylish. One of these places is the zomart.ru online store, where you can buy items of various brands at discounted prices without leaving your home!

Agree, many of us want to buy quality branded products at an affordable price. Therefore, it is important to understand what a discount store, outlet, stock is, so as not to miss the novelties of this season at a price that pleasantly surprises you. Our little article-guide will help with this.

What is a discount store?

Let's take a look at the concept. A discount store, a discount center is a point of sale where what is called stock is sold: unsold collections, leftovers from warehouses. It can be clothing, electronics, sporting goods, appliances, etc.

Where does the stock product come from? There are several sources for it:

• Wholesaler stocks.
• Party with a small factory marriage.
• Overproduction of a certain type of product.
• Items from stores that are not sold out in the current season.
• Products of original brands, which for a number of reasons were not put up for sale.

Types of discounts

There are two main types of discount stores for shoes and clothes:

• Monobrands. Here the remains of the collection of one manufacturer are realized. Finding them is easy - the name is the same as that of a branded store, but with the prefix "discount" (for example, the discount store "Adidas"). Interestingly, although such markets have an original name, they are located in such areas, shopping centers, where it is difficult to meet visitors to the brand's brand salon.
• Multibrands. Here you will find unsold lots of goods from different manufacturers. Often this is a non-original product made in China. However, more and more multi-brands are displaying luxury items in their windows.

History of discounts in Russia

What is a discount store, a wide layer of the population in our country learned after the August crisis of 1998. Entrepreneurs have accumulated huge stocks of unsold balances. The crisis affected everyone: Russian manufacturers, suppliers of expensive foreign clothing, wholesalers, retailers, who chose the middle class as their main audience.

Telling what a discount store is, one cannot but recall the so-called "confiscates". They sold goods presented by structures that gave money on bail - products that were in stock or in circulation. Due to the crisis, borrowers were unable to fulfill their obligations, and banks thus tried to at least somehow recoup their losses.

I must say that the practice of stock trading by that time was already widespread in Europe and the USA, so in Russia it only remained to put it on the right track.

Discounts and original stores

So what is the key difference between, for example, the Adidas discount store and Adidas Original? The main difference: in the branded market, you can buy a thing at an affordable price only during the sale. Discounts are permanent discount stores.

As for the products, they are delivered in the same quality as in the original market. Only, as a rule, these are things from old collections, often of rare sizes. Sometimes they may have a small factory marriage.

Discounts and Stocks

So what is the difference between a discount shoe and clothing store and a stock store? Or is it the same thing?

Discount - a very large-scale outlet of one or more brands. This is where all the goods come that the original store could not sell in a year (less often - in half a year and a half). He also turned out to be unclaimed and on sales there. Sometimes clothes, shoes with defects come here.

Stoke is also a rather large retail space. It can only be multi-brand - things come here from completely different sources. Most often they are dealer warehouses. Products are here not after branded stores, but immediately from storage.

In drains you can also find customs confiscated items (usually made in China). As for its legality, it is usually imported quite legally.

Full of stocks and off-brand clothing that is sold at low prices. There are also things out of fashion, names with defects. Examples of stocks - "Fashion Factory", "Surname" and so on.

Discounts and outlets

What is an outlet? This is the same sales store, but always multi-brand. The outlet is not just big, it impresses with its scale. Here you will find items from the shelves of fashion boutiques, as well as collections that are not on sale. Some products even come here straight from the factory conveyor! The outlet has a huge selection of items, different in price and style.

Depending on the country, they (outlets) have their own advantages. For example, American prices are very democratic, while European ones offer exclusive products. In Russia, people are more familiar with the addresses of discount stores than outlets. The movement is only growing. The first outlet "Modapolis" was opened in Moscow only in 2011 on the territory of the largest center "Crocus City Mall".

Another difference between outlets: due to their scale, stores are most often located outside the city. There are also many features in common with discounts: reasonable prices, a large selection of things from famous brands.

Pros and cons of discounts

In conclusion, let's summarize the discount stores "Sportmaster", "Adidas", "Puma" and so on. Let's take a look at their pros and cons.

Obvious advantages:

• low prices;
• a large assortment;
• well-known clothing manufacturer;
• original collections.

But at the same time, buyers also note annoying disadvantages:

• Prices. They can be both low, acceptable, and practically no different from the price tags in the original stores. It all depends on the conscientiousness of the discount operator.
• Quality. Brand awareness does not give you a guarantee that you will purchase a quality product. It may have a defect, be slightly worn. Sometimes discounts also include items from 10-year-old collections. In addition to their irreparable fashionable obsolescence, there is another minus here - the physical dilapidation of such products.
• Dimensions. As a rule, the minimum number of things in popular sizes comes to discounts - mostly either too large or too small.
• Style. It is also rare to meet something elegant, unusual here. Either this is the "base" of an uncomplicated and simple design (everyday things), or bright, flashy names from past collections that were in fashion for a maximum season. Given their obsolescence, such products are not for everyone.

So we have analyzed the main features of the discount store. Now you know how it differs from the original market, outlet and stock.

The discount center is a store. But not just a store, but a place where branded items are sold. Their difference from other things is that they simply went out of fashion, and those who understand it will never buy them. And since branded stores follow fashion, they try to get rid of such remnants of the unsold. As a rule, all this is brought to one place and is already sold here.

The discount center is a pretty decent-looking place. There are shelves, hangers, and even fitting rooms. In general, the store is like a store. If it weren’t for one difference, you can buy a branded item that has gone out of fashion here at 2 times cheaper. Sometimes the discount center is located in the basement or semi-basement, and then things here are just heaped in heaps.

The discount center is not second-hand. Nobody wore these things. They are brand new, with tags and even with the old price and original packaging. But here, as in any other store, you can buy a real fake, because few of us can accurately determine this dress by the quality of the seams, or just a miserable fake of a well-known brand.

Not only clothes and shoes that could not be sold in a regular company store, but also clothes with some defects are sent to the discount center. They can be either completely invisible or clearly visible, for example, broken locks or heels of boots smeared with glue along the seams.

There is also such a thing as stock centers. Clothing comes from a variety of sources. This is a customs confiscation, and a collection of last season that was not sold in stores, and Chinese things. In addition, the owner of the stock center buys things on his own. But this purchase is carried out from Chinese manufacturers, so branded clothes can be found here much less often.

You can distinguish a stock center from a discount center by what is sold there. Stock centers simultaneously sell clothes of different brands, both well-known and those that we have never heard of. The price of such clothes is minimal. Sometimes here you can find things with defects, and sometimes jeans and dresses are brought here from the warehouses of decent stores and from good manufacturers. They never lay on the shelves of the store itself, because they had already gone out of fashion. Discount only sells clothes from one brand, and they look great here.

Stocks have only one plus - low price. But the biggest disadvantage is a dubious manufacturer. And that means questionable quality. Discounters are more fortunate. Clothes from fashion boutiques are brought here, and you can stumble upon a fake here much less often. But discounts also have their minus - these clothes have long gone out of fashion. besides, it is difficult to find your size here - in discounts, clothes of large sizes are most often present.

Separately, it is worth noting the fact that shoes and clothes in discounts are often sold not just old, but very old. These are clothes from the 2009-2010 collection. These clothes are not just out of fashion for a long time, they are completely dilapidated. In addition, after numerous fittings and transfers, clothes become very dirty.

What is a discount? Discount - an extensive concept that refers to economic activity and translated from English means a discount. In different areas of activity, the discount can apply different values:

• on the stock exchange, this concept means the difference between the nominal and market value of a bond;
• in banking, this is a decrease in the price of collateral in favor of the bank when applying for a loan;
• in trade, this may mean a discount on goods with prolonged delivery times, if the goods do not meet the requirements or are not in great demand, and similar discounts;
• in other areas, it can be any commercially advantageous discount.

In general, a discount is a difference in price that arises due to some circumstances. The discount can be fixed, cumulative or depend on the quantity of the purchased goods. There may also be other factors affecting its size.

When obtaining a loan, collateral is required, which will secure it if the borrower does not repay the loan. The discount in this case is the difference between the loan amount and the loan amount.

A discount that differs from the real price of the collateral is called the collateral ratio, and often its presence in the conditions of obtaining a loan causes great indignation among borrowers, because in this case the valuation of the property owners is not equal to the bank one.

In this case, the discount acts as insurance for a bank or other financial institution. With it, he reduces the likelihood of a shortage of funds to pay off the debt in the event that he has to sell the mortgaged property. In many respects, this practice is associated with a large number of non-payments on loans and delays.

At the same time, even if an independent appraiser evaluated the collateral at a market price, it is far from certain that it will be possible to obtain a loan for this amount. Some banks take a deposit only taking into account the discount, and its size is also set by the bank, and sometimes the discount reaches half the value of the property. This is done so that in case of non-payment of the debt, the proceeds from the sale of the pledged property could cover not only the amount of the loan, but also the interest on it, as well as possible legal or similar costs of recovery. Also, the size of the discount depends on the type of property, how long it has been used and other similar factors.

Such a system is very convenient for banks, but consumers of loans often do not like the provision of discounts, because counting on one amount, you can get much less.

The concept of discount, which is used in the stock exchange, is very similar to that used in the banking sector. Both there and there, the borrower is supposed to make a profit. The discount provided at a discount is the difference between the selling price and the market value of a security.

The borrower provides a bond at a price below the market price. When buying a security, a sale and purchase agreement is concluded, which indicates that after a specified time, the borrower is obliged to sell the bill at the market price. Thus, he will receive income, which is the difference between buying and selling, and this difference is equal to the amount of the discount.
Moreover, the receipt of profit does not depend on the time of use of the security. If the borrower does not buy it back after a set time, then the lender loses almost nothing, he has every right to sell it to a third party. The only but - is the volatility of prices in the securities market. On different days, bills can cost differently, and yet small financial losses are possible.

In trade, a discount is used when it is necessary to sell stale or seasonal goods. It could also be a marketing ploy. In any case, the seller expects to increase his profits.

Although the product is sold at reduced prices, but at the same time, the seller can attract new buyers and make more profit if he sold it without a discount. So, many stores can periodically make discounts, and then return the market price. The buyer, out of habit, will continue to buy the product even after the price rises.

Also, a discount is a good opportunity to increase interest in a new or previously unclaimed service or product. Stores can hold seasonal sales, for example, in the spring to sell off the remnants of winter clothing, which also increases revenue. It's better to sell low than not sell at all.

Also, a discount can be provided both for each unit of goods, and for the accumulative system. For example, if the buyer purchased a certain amount of goods, or purchased for a certain amount, or in the case of a wholesale purchase. Conditions may be different, and the parties agree among themselves.

Discount in everyday life

Consider what a discount is on a simple example. The supplier has a product in stock that for some reason has not been sold. To ensure that the product does not stale or if it is seasonal and quickly loses its relevance, the supplier offers it to its customers at a significant discount. This can be observed during the season of sales in shopping centers. Most often, clothing and footwear fall under such discounts, less often household appliances or electronics.

Many network companies have their own discount stores, where their goods are sold at discounted prices. At the same time, they should not be confused with second-hand stores or points that sell low-quality goods. It can be a company store that, before the release of a new collection, sells the remnants of the old one at a significantly reduced price.

In the modern world, the concept of discount is very widespread and everyone has come across it in one form or another. Despite the price reduction, in this way they increase sales and attract new customers.