Outlet vs. Store — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 9, 2024
An outlet primarily sells products from a single manufacturer often at discounted prices due to excess stock or minor defects, while a store offers a wider range of items from various brands.
Difference Between Outlet and Store
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Key Differences
An outlet is typically part of a retail format that offers products directly from the manufacturer, often including overstock, discontinued lines, or slightly defective items at reduced prices. On the other hand, a store is a general retail space that might sell a variety of goods from multiple manufacturers, encompassing both brand-new and standard merchandise.
Outlets are often located in specific outlet malls or on the outskirts of urban areas to save on real estate costs, while stores can be found in a variety of locations including malls, city centers, and neighborhoods, catering to a broad consumer base.
The target customer base for an outlet is usually bargain hunters looking for high-quality products at lower prices. In contrast, stores appeal to a wider audience, providing a range of products that cater to different tastes and needs.
Outlets usually carry the same brand throughout, which can limit consumer choice to what is available from a single manufacturer. Stores enhance customer choice by stocking diverse brands and product categories, offering a more comprehensive shopping experience.
The shopping experience at outlets can be viewed as more utilitarian with a focus on savings, whereas stores often provide a more curated experience with attention to customer service, product displays, and ambiance.
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Comparison Chart
Product Source
Directly from manufacturer
Multiple manufacturers
Price Range
Generally lower, discount on retail
Standard retail pricing, occasional discounts
Location
Often outside urban centers, outlet malls
Urban centers, malls, various neighborhoods
Product Variety
Limited to specific brand or manufacturer
Wide range, multiple brands
Customer Experience
Focus on discounts and bulk buying
Focus on service, environment, and
Compare with Definitions
Outlet
A retail store directly selling manufacturer-specific goods often at reduced prices.
The Nike outlet store primarily sells Nike products at lower prices due to overstock.
Store
Offers a shopping experience that might include customer service, loyalty programs, and a pleasant shopping environment.
The store has a loyalty program that rewards customers for their frequent purchases.
Outlet
Serves as a venue for manufacturers to reduce inventory without diluting brand value at retail stores.
Manufacturers use outlets to sell excess goods without impacting the pricing structure of their mainline stores.
Store
A retail establishment selling a variety of merchandise from various brands.
The department store offers a wide range of products from electronics to clothing.
Outlet
Primarily attracts bargain hunters and value-oriented shoppers.
Outlet stores are popular among those looking for quality brands without the full price tag.
Store
Located in easily accessible urban or suburban areas.
Local stores provide convenience for everyday shopping needs.
Outlet
Typically found in outlet malls or designated outlet areas.
Shoppers often travel to outlet malls outside the city to find deals on brand-name products.
Store
Sells new, seasonally appropriate, and diverse product lines.
The store updates its inventory with the latest trends each season.
Outlet
Offers products that may be overstocked, out of season, or slightly flawed.
The outlet sold last season's fashion lines at a significant discount.
Store
Targets a broad customer base, providing goods and services to a diverse clientele.
The store caters to families, young professionals, and elderly customers alike.
Outlet
A passage for escape or exit; a vent.
Store
A place where merchandise is offered for sale; a shop.
Outlet
A means of release or gratification, as for energies, drives, or desires
Exercised as an outlet for frustration.
Store
A stock or supply reserved for future use
A squirrel's store of acorns.
Outlet
A stream that flows out of a lake or pond.
Store
Stores Supplies, especially of food, clothing, or arms.
Outlet
The point where a stream flows out of a lake or pond.
Store
A place where commodities are kept; a warehouse or storehouse.
Outlet
The mouth of a river where it flows into a larger body of water.
Store
A great quantity or number; an abundance.
Outlet
The point of intersection of a driveway and a road, especially in a rural area.
Store
To reserve or put away for future use.
Outlet
A commercial market for goods or services.
Store
To fill, supply, or stock.
Outlet
A store that sells the goods of a particular manufacturer or wholesaler.
Store
To deposit or receive in a storehouse or warehouse for safekeeping.
Outlet
A receptacle, especially one mounted in a wall, that is connected to a power supply and equipped with a socket for a plug.
Store
(Computers) To copy (data) into memory or onto a storage device, such as a hard disk.
Outlet
A vent or similar passage to allow the escape of something.
Store
A place where items may be accumulated or routinely kept.
This building used to be a store for old tires.
Outlet
Something which allows for the release of one's desires.
Jamie found doing martial arts was a great outlet for her stress.
Store
A supply held in storage.
Outlet
A river that runs out of a lake.
Store
(mainly North American) A place where items may be purchased; a shop.
I need to get some milk from the grocery store.
Outlet
A shop that sells the products of a particular manufacturer or supplier.
Store
Memory.
The main store of 1000 36-bit words seemed large at the time.
Outlet
A wall-mounted device such as a socket or receptacle connected to an electrical system at which current is taken to supply utilization equipment or appliances.
I had to move the cupboard to get to the power outlet.
Store
A great quantity or number; abundance.
Outlet
The place or opening by which anything is let out; a passage out; an exit; a vent.
Receiving all, and having no outlet.
Store
A head of store cattle (feeder cattle to be sold to others for finishing); a store cattle beast.
Outlet
To let out; to emit.
Store
(transitive) To keep (something) while not in use, generally in a place meant for that purpose.
I'll store these books in the attic.
Outlet
A place of business for retailing goods
Store
Contain.
The cabinets store all the food the mice would like.
Outlet
Receptacle providing a place in a wiring system where current can be taken to run electrical devices
Store
Have the capacity and capability to contain.
They sell boxes that store 24 mason jars.
Outlet
An opening that permits escape or release;
He blocked the way out
The canyon had only one issue
Store
To write (something) into memory or registers.
This operation stores the result on the stack.
Outlet
Activity that releases or expresses creative energy or emotion;
She had no other outlet for her feelings
He gave vent to his anger
Store
That which is accumulated, or massed together; a source from which supplies may be drawn; hence, an abundance; a great quantity, or a great number.
The ships are fraught with store of victuals.
With store of ladies, whose bright eyesRain influence, and give the prize.
Store
A place of deposit for goods, esp. for large quantities; a storehouse; a warehouse; a magazine.
Store
Any place where goods are sold, whether by wholesale or retail; a shop.
Store
Articles, especially of food, accumulated for some specific object; supplies, as of provisions, arms, ammunition, and the like; as, the stores of an army, of a ship, of a family.
His swine, his horse, his stoor, and his poultry.
In his needy shop a tortoise hung,An alligator stuffed, and other skinsOf ill-shaped fishes; and about his shelvesA beggarly account of empty boxes.
Sulphurous and nitrous foam, . . . Concocted and adjusted, they reducedTo blackest grain, and into store conveyed.
Store
Accumulated; hoarded.
Store
To collect as a reserved supply; to accumulate; to lay away.
Dora stored what little she could save.
Store
To furnish; to supply; to replenish; esp., to stock or furnish against a future time.
Her mind with thousand virtues stored.
Wise Plato said the world with men was stored.
Having stored a pond of four acres with carps, tench, and other fish.
Store
To deposit in a store, warehouse, or other building, for preservation; to warehouse; as, to store goods.
Store
A mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services;
He bought it at a shop on Cape Cod
Store
A supply of something available for future use;
He brought back a large store of Cuban cigars
Store
An electronic memory device;
A memory and the CPU form the central part of a computer to which peripherals are attached
Store
A depository for goods;
Storehouses were built close to the docks
Store
Keep or lay aside for future use;
Store grain for the winter
The bear stores fat for the period of hibernation when he doesn't eat
Store
Find a place for and put away for storage;
Where should we stow the vegetables?
I couldn't store all the books in the attic so I sold some
Common Curiosities
How do prices generally compare between outlets and stores?
Outlets typically offer lower prices than stores, focusing on discounts and clearance items.
Why are outlets usually located outside city centers?
Outlets are often situated outside city centers to take advantage of lower real estate costs and to create destination shopping that draws in bargain hunters.
What is an outlet?
An outlet is a retail format that sells goods directly from the manufacturer at reduced prices.
What is a store?
A store is a retail space that sells a variety of goods from different brands to the general public.
Can I find the latest products at an outlet?
Outlets generally do not carry the latest products; they often sell overstock, out of season, or slightly imperfect items.
Are outlets owned by the manufacturers?
Yes, outlets are usually owned and operated by the manufacturers of the goods they sell.
Do stores offer discounts like outlets?
Stores offer discounts, especially during sales seasons or promotional events, but not typically as steep or consistent as outlet discounts.
Are there any disadvantages to shopping at an outlet?
The main disadvantages are limited product variety, potential for lower quality or flawed items, and less convenient locations.
What types of products can I find at a store?
Stores offer a wide range of products, from clothing and electronics to groceries and household items, depending on the type of store.
How do stores cater to different customer needs?
Stores cater to diverse needs by offering a variety of products, services, and often personalized customer service.
How do outlets affect brand perception?
While outlets can dilute a brand's perceived value by offering goods at lower prices, they are also a strategy to manage inventory without impacting the full-price retail market.
Is shopping at an outlet better than at a store?
Whether one is better depends on the shopper's goals: outlets for bargains on specific brands, and stores for a wider selection and a more traditional shopping experience.
Why might someone prefer shopping at a store over an outlet?
Someone might prefer a store for the convenience, variety, and the immediate availability of new and diverse products.
What role do stores play in a community?
Stores play a significant role in communities by providing goods, services, and employment, and often becoming a social gathering spot.
What kind of shopping experience can I expect at an outlet vs. a store?
Outlets focus on low prices and bulk buying, whereas stores focus on providing a pleasant shopping environment and customer service.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
