By: Heather Habermehl
Staff Writer
Outfit Description: Peebles is wearing a colorful, graphic-covered T-shirt paired with a button-up cardigan. Her jeans are cuffed-up, showing her low-top canvas lace-up sneakers.
Fashion Tastes and Preferences: To describe her style, Peebles used the words “classy, conservative, boho.” Describing her look is inconsistent since she likes to dress according to how she feels when she wakes up. “Usually in the morning, I’ll dress like whatever mood I’m in,” she said.
College-friendly Copy: “My favorite places to shop are J. Crew, H&M, Van’s and local boutiques,” said Peebles. These retails are all located at the MacArthur Center here in Norfolk. There is an abundance of local boutiques as well. A few locations for local retailers in Norfolk include the Ghent area of Colley and 21st Street, Little Creek Road and the JANAF/Military Circle Mall shopping area. As for places with inexpensive apparel, Peebles has a few suggestions. “Macy’s and Nordstrom’s have great clearance and discount sections. J. Crew offers a student discount.”
“Three Words to Live By: Discount
Clearance, & Sale”
Everyone wants to get the best price available on his or her apparel and as college students there are several ways to save. Discounts, clearance sections and sales should be utilized effectively in order to make the most of your shopping trip and the most of your budget.
In an area such as Norfolk, with a sea of college-aged adults and young professionals, apparel businesses want to attract these demographics to their locations. A popular way to do so is by offering student and military discounts. Not all retail locations in the area present such discounts to their customers, but they are more common in this area than other regions in the state. Also, these discounts may need to be asked for; apparel stores may not advertise them. For example, J. Crew at the MacArthur Center has a student discount available that students need to mention at the cashier without prompts. Other types of discounts are available as well. Do not hesitate to ask your favorite retailers what they have to offer you.
The MacArthur Center, a popular shopping destination for ODU students, houses many affordable retailers. Fashionable chain stores for young adults, such as American Eagle and bebe, offer sizable clearance sections. In comparison to the amount of regularly priced items, their clearance sections are extensive. Also offering great clearance sections are the shopping center’s anchor department stores, Nordstrom and Dillard’s. Nordstrom is well known for its great savings on women’s clearance shoes.
Visiting a clothing store that promotes having a sale is one of the most popular ways to shop on a budget. Since most chain stores do not have websites for their individual brick-and-mortar locations, information on their sales can be hard to find. If the store is part of a mall or shopping center, try visiting that structure’s website to check for sales. To continue the MacArthur Center as an example, mall-wide updates can be found online (www.shopmacarthur. com/shopping/sales_offers). Unfortunately for the companies, many store locations need to close due to insufficient revenue during the economic downturn. Store closings offer amazing markdowns that usually only last a few days. Local news outlets cover these events.
