Back-to-School Closeout Shopping on the Web
What are your kids wearing back to school? How do Fubu, Nike,
Reebok and RocaWear sound? Expensive? Not when you know the
secret that people all over the country are learning - the
secret that unlocks prices like Nike shirts for $8.95 each. Two
piece Jimmy boy's jean sets for $10.50. Girl's Meow! Tank tops
for $5.98.
Put the car keys down. You won't find these prices in your local
stores. All over the country, parents are turning off the
ignition and turning on the computer. Following on the heels of
the hugely successful Overstock.com, which stocks name brand and
surplus merchandise of all sorts, entrepreneurs like Tabatha
Tucker have taken the concept of closeout children's clothing to
the web. With the debut of her new web site, Tucker joins a
growing trend of entrepreneurs discovering the online market as
a place to connect with parents who are both style-savvy and
savings smart.
Tucker's web site, T. Y. Tucker & Associates
(www.tytassociates.com), features popular, brand name children's
clothing at rock-bottom prices. Tucker, who markets her products
to both consumers and retailers, deals in liquidations and
closeouts.
"We negotiate once in a lifetime deals with clothing
manufacturers who were bankrupt or going out of business," says
Tucker. By negotiating deals well below wholesale prices,
liquidation dealers acquire top quality, name brand merchandise
at pennies on the dollar. Because she doesn't pay for a brick
and mortar storefront to attract customers, she saves again -
and those savings get passed on to her customers.
"We carry official name brand tags like GAP, GUESS, POLO,
OSHKOSH, ADDIDAS, TOMMY HILFIGER," Tucker said in reference to
the range of clothing and apparel accessories that can be found
on her site. It's "...brand new merchandise in factory condition
with savings over 50% below retail."
When Tucker says 'over 50% below retail", she's short-selling
herself. Prices on internet closeout clothing sites are so low
that you'll sometimes have to check your glasses to make sure
you're reading right. Name brand girls' apparel like Fubu skorts
- one of this season's hottest back-to-school looks - retail in
stores for $15.95. Thanks to a special deal with a store that
couldn't maintain their lease, Tucker's price is $3.90 per
skort. Matching shirts that retail for $22 are just $6.98. Boys'
two piece Reebok sports sets that retail for $40 in local stores
are priced at just $5.98. And three piece baby RocaWear sport
suits that retail for $30 and more are Tucker-priced at $10.50
each.
While prices like those have been available to retailers on
internet clothing closeout sites, it's only recently that sites
like Tucker's (www.tytassociates.com) have offered those low,
closeout prices to parents. Just six months ago, if you could
find closeout children's clothing online at all, it was in bulk
shipping pallets for purchase from wholesale liquidators. Tucker
and others like her undercut even those prices by discounting
the name brand clothing on her site even further for bulk
orders. "For consumers, (prices) range anywhere from 50% - 70%
below regular retail prices. For Wholesalers/Retailers, this
could range anywhere from 40% - 60% below regular wholesale
prices."
But price is only one part of the reason that parents are
turning to online wholesale and closeout clothing shops. A site
like Tucker's is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for
shopping. There's no need to round up the kids and drag them out
to the store, or to fight your way through crowds of other
bargain hunters on hot summer afternoons. Online shopping allows
parents to shop at THEIR convenience - and save those summer
afternoons for doing something the kids will enjoy a lot more
than shopping for school clothes.
Because selling kid's closeout clothing on the Internet is still
a new undertaking, many of the clothing sites offer coupons and
incentives to entice surfers to give online shopping a try.
Tucker's site is no exception. Customers who make purchases can
claim a 3-day/2-night vacation at one of 20 different U.S. city
destinations. Tucker also exhibits another trait that is more
common in online entrepreneurs than not - an altruistic soul. T.
Y. Tucker & Associates has a special program that helps
churches, schools, youth groups and charities to earn 10% of
purchases made by their members.
Great clothes, great prices, great convenience - and a chance to
do good. If there are any negatives in the equation, they're
well-hidden.
Tucker does offer the following caution: "Our closeout prices
usually go very fast so shop early, get your coupon code and
check often for new arrivals."