TULALIP – The opening of Seattle Premium Outlets’ 100 stores Thursday morning was bait enough to lure Simon and Kim Szeto from their home in Vancouver, B.C.
“We’ve known this was opening up for more than a year,” said Simon Szeto, who teaches business and computer classes to high school students. Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
The Szetos, both veteran outlet center shoppers, walked through the new shopping center’s southwest entrance a few minutes after it officially opened at 10 a.m.
They weren’t the only ones anticipating the $58 million outlet center’s grand opening. Located in Quil Ceda Village on land leased from the Tulalip Tribes, the center’s expansive parking lot was jampacked by 10:30 a.m.
Though the wide promenades between the storefronts already were overflowing, the Szetos – and the strollers each of them pushed – breezed past casual browsers and headed for Nine West in search of shoe deals.
Minutes later, they aimed for the Nike store, where they found a $10 pair of athletic shoes on sale for their 21/2-year-old son, Kalen. While Simon Szeto and his son waited in the checkout line, Kim Szeto and the couple’s 6-month-old daughter, Emma, checked out the nearby Eddie Bauer outlet.
Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
The family, including two additional children who were in school during their parents’ quick trip to Snohomish County, is able to fly cheaply around North America because of Kim Szeto’s job with Air Canada. And they end up shopping at nearly all the places they visit, she said.
“Everywhere we fly to, he finds us an outlet to go to,” she said of her husband.
The time spent at outlet malls pays off in the form of big discounts on clothing and other items, Simon Szeto said.
After emerging from Nike, he led the charge toward The Gap and Baby Gap outlet store, where the couple found a one-piece outfit and shorts, both pink, for Emma. While he waited in the Gap’s checkout line – one of the longest lines of the morning – his wife sat on a bench outside and fed their daughter.
During the rare pause during the morning’s shopping mission, Kim Szeto said Seattle Premium Outlets compared well with the other outlet centers they have visited.
“I like it because it’s outdoors, but it’s also covered,” she said. “Because it’s new, it’s really nice and clean. The layout seems pretty good.”
The Szetos then dashed toward Factory Brand Shoes. There, Simon Szeto found a pair of soccer cleats on the clearance rack for $5.
Kim Szeto then ducked into the Naturalizer shoe store with Emma strapped to her front. Simon Szeto held Kalen up to the window at the Fudgery so he could watch employees making fudge on a marble slab.
Next stop: Carters, a baby clothes outlet. There, Kim Szeto returned an outfit that didn’t fit Emma and bought a couple of others that did. While she waited to pay, the other half of the family sped to the nearby OshKosh B’Gosh store.
“Divide and conquer,” Simon Szeto said as he headed that way.
“When time is tight or we’re in a hurry, we shop for the kids first,” Kim Szeto said, “and we forget about what we need for now.”
After a quick moment spent finding a sock that slipped from Emma’s foot, the Szetos hunted for bargains in both the OshKosh store and The Children’s Place Outlet a few doors down. But they left empty-handed.
Next stop: Adidas.
Because they shop often at outlet centers, the Szetos’ friends sometimes give them a list of items that are difficult to find or considerably more expensive in Canada. Topping the list are brand-name shoes, Kim Szeto said.
Again finding nothing in the right size at the Adidas store, she and Emma popped into Aerosoles while Simon Szeto took his son to one of the nearby coin-operated kiddie rides, only to find it was not working.
On that note, the family paused for lunch.
After an hour and 40 minutes spent inside 11 stores, they had the toddler-sized Nike shoes, a few baby outfits and the cleats – a slightly disappointing result, Kim Szeto said.
“Normally, we only go to the clearance parts of the stores,” she explained. “We really look for the discounts, especially with the exchange rate.”
She said discounts should get better after the center’s opening days are a thing of the past.
But as she waited in the noisy food court for her husband to return with lunch, she said they planned to hit a few more stores before making the two-hour drive home. On the way back up I-5, they also had another hope for finding more discounts.
“If we finish early, we may also stop at the (outlet) stores in Burlington,” Kim Szeto said.
Reporter Eric Fetters: 425-339-3453 or fetters@heraldnet.com.
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