As we are getting closer and closer to the gift-giving season, I thought I’d share with you an in-depth guide to the Gucci Outlet! There are multiple Gucci outlets around the world, but I’ll be concentrating on the one located at the Desert Premium Outlets in Cabazon, California. You might be familiar with this location already as I blogged about the Christian Louboutin outlet store that’s there too.
Let’s first start off with the fact that I’ve been going to the Desert Premium Outlets for years. Only just this year did I finally decide to go into the Gucci Outlet and it was only because my friend wanted to. All the other years I’ve gone, there’s always been a massive line (like Disneyland worthy) so I never even bothered to try to go in. Well, after finally visiting the store, the rest is history. I am a believer now and understand why people would wait 2-3 hours in line just for this place. So, let the guide begin!
UPDATE 11/11/2021: I’ve posted more pictures of items and prices from my most recent visit to the Gucci Outlet on November 1, 2021. You can find the blog post here!
Related Gucci Outlet Posts
- LIVE: Gucci Outlet Shopping Nov. 1st @ 11:30 a.m. PST
- Gucci Outlet Live Event Photos (Nov 2021)
- Gucci Outlet: What’s There Now (April 2022 Edition)
Gucci Outlet Information
Photo Credit: https://www.gucci.com/us/en/store/48650-seminole-drive (Screenshot by Author)
Customer Service at the Gucci Outlet
Even though I never had a problem with the customer service at the Gucci Outlet, I feel like I should warn you that you will probably not be getting the same type of service as you would at a regular Gucci store. Each sales associate is extremely busy and is helping multiple guests at the same time. I don’t mind this since I really hate it when the sales associates are following your every move. Sometimes I just like to browse around first and then decide what I want to try on. But if you are expecting one dedicated person, you’re probably not going to get it. In my experience, they might disappear for a couple of minutes, but they definitely come back to check on you.
Prices at the Gucci Outlet
Round 1: The way that the pricing works is that once a Gucci item hits the outlet, it is automatically discounted by 50%. It will usually be a plain white tag over the original priced tag. Or it might be a brand new tag altogether.
Round 2: If things aren’t selling, it’ll take roughly another six months for them to discount it again one employee told me. The best part is that they will discount it another 50%. You can tell that it’s been marked down further if it has a price written in red pen.
Round 3: If things aren’t selling again for another six months, they will discount it another 50%. You can tell by the second red pen number. Once it gets to this point, the employee says it’s very rare that it’ll get marked down again. Inventory is probably very low at that point, but you never know.
Inventory at the Gucci Outlet
The great thing about the Gucci Outlet is that these items come directly from the retail stores. If you don’t already know, a lot of outlet stores make a special line just specifically for their outlet stores. For example, a lot of the items that you find in the Banana Republic outlet store, you will not see at the actual Banana Republic. You can distinguish this by looking at the tag and seeing if there are three diamonds on it. If there are three diamonds, that means that this item was made specifically for the Banana Republic outlet and is not a true Banana Republic clothing item.
Fortunately, the Gucci Outlet inventory is the stuff that you would actually see in the real stores and even some straight from the runway. I saw this tiered maxi skirt that was on the runway for $4,500 on Net-A-Porter. They have the exact same skirt at the outlet for only $560! As you can see below, the outlet price is automatically adjusted to 50% off from $4,500 to $2,249. Then the skirt got marked down another two times which brings it to an overall 87.6% discount off the retail price!
Also, if you don’t see anything you like right away, ask to see if they have anything in the back. Apparently, from what a sales associate told us, what is shown on the show floor is set by Gucci corporate. They get sent info on what should be on the floor and what should be in the back. So, definitely ask them if they have anything else in the back that’s different and that’s in your size. That’s what our sales associate did and luckily for him, I actually ended up buying something. Otherwise, if they don’t have an item that you’re looking for at your store, they can check the inventory of another Gucci outlet and can have it shipped to you.
Tips for a Successful Trip to the Gucci Outlet
- Get in line early. The Gucci Outlet opens at 10:00 a.m. so I would get there at least half an hour early. The first time we came, we got there 10 mins after it opened and we had to wait two hours. I don’t think any one of us thought we would be waiting that long. At that point though, we already committed so we stayed.
- Don’t Come After 2:00 p.m.: When we went back in September, they actually stop the line at 2:00 p.m. They do this so everyone has a chance to shop. I know the store hours say that they close at 8:00 p.m., but they definitely shut down the line hours sooner. With that being said, they might have changed it since or it may depend on how many people are in line that day. To be safe, just go first thing in the morning.
- Get an Appointment. We’ve been to the Gucci Outlet multiple times now and we highly suggest you make friends with your sales associate. If you know you’ll be coming back often, I would politely ask them for their business card because next time, they can actually set up an appointment for you. This is what we did the last two times and it was so convenient. We just walked right up to the door, give them our names, and say who we were here to see. Just like that, you get to bypass the entire line. Otherwise, you can set up an appointment online through their website. I actually have not tried this yet, but am curious if anyone else has, and has it been successful. Let me know in the comments below!
- It’s HOT. These outlet shops are in the desert so be prepared that it will be extremely hot during the summer. Even though the Gucci Outlet line is partially in the shade, most of the line is in the sun so I would suggest not wearing black or anything too heavy during the summer months. The winter months should be fine.
- Bring Sunglasses/Sunscreen. These outlets are outdoors so bring a pair of sunglasses so you’re not squinting for two hours.
- Parking: If you take Millard Pass (not Millard Pass Rd. – that’s a different street) off of Seminole Dr., there are a couple of uncovered parking spots. These spots are the closest to the store, but there are very few. We like to drive up a little bit farther and park in the structure since we don’t want to come back to a hot car.
- Location: There are two parts to the Desert Hills Premium Outlets. The west property has all the regular outlet stores that you typically see. The east property is almost twice the size and it’s where all the designer brands live. The Gucci Outlet is located on the very east side of the east property right across All Saints and close to the Nike Outlet.
Gucci Outlet Pictures