Shopping in Washington state -- Belis Fair (especially)

jousy

Hey everyone! I'm aware that there's a "US Shopping" thread somewhere but my question is rather specific so pls bear with me Happy

My daddy very kindly offered to drive us girls (the rest of my family, lol) down to Washington to shop! My mom is quite reluctant though cuz she's freaked out about paying taxes at the border or somesuch.

I was wondering:

1) HOW IS Belis Fair Mall? It seems to have all the stores I'm looking for AND MORE. My mom thinks it might not be worth the drive cuz it's not an outlet mall. For those of you that have gone recently (or a little while ago), HOW ARE THE PRICES THERE? I'm eyeing stores like A&F, Hollister, Aero, Wet Seal, etc. just to let you know. If it has an AE, do let me know what their prices there are like. THE MORE EXACT/SPECIFIC THE BETTER!!!
Some of my mom's coworkers gave us bad advice for our last trip so the best store we visited all day was Maidenform. thanks but no thanks! Very Happy

2) What's the deal with the taxes at the border? My friend said she once bought over $1000 worth of clothes, told the officer exactly that and somehow didn't have to pay anything. Is this for real?! My other friend lied about her $500 purchases and said she only bought about $50 worth. I haven't bought more than $20 worth of stuff in the States before (sad i know!) so I'm clueless about what to do.

3) Do you have any other malls/outlets to recommend? Nothing more than a 2hr drive into Washington though. ;)_orange

Thanks everyone!!! <3
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nineteenlove · Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 6:31 pm Post subject:

I think it's really worth it to go to Bellis Fair. It's closer to the border than the other really big outlet (Seattle Premium Outlet). Usually when we go, we go down to the outlet first and on our way back, go by Bellis Fair or if we get really hungry, stop by Bellis Fair first.

Prices..since you're looking at A/F, Hollister, Aero, I would say prices are pretty good but it also depends when you're going. Usually, Hollister has graphic tees, tanks, hoodies, sweaters on sale. I found some pretty cheap stuff there in the past when I've gone. Aero wasn't cheap when I went down there last time. AE is pretty cheap considering now our dollar is higher than their dollar. The irreversible tube top from the summer was $3 there (clearance). But they also had a bunch of tanks, shorts, pants on sale. A lot more sizes and variety than AE here. Just a tip.. Wet Seal has pretty cheap clothing as well. It's like Stitches here I guess.

Taxes at border really depends on the person you have going through there. Once, we had $300 over 3 days and at first the lady looked suprised but when she realized it was over 3 days, she let us through. I think she was one of the tougher ones. Another time, my friends, mom and I all went and we got about $400 worth of stuff for one day only and the person let us through (maybe because he saw that it was 5 girls in the car) lol. There's just 2 really different experiences though.

Defientely check out Seattle Premium Outlet for sure! About 2 hours drive from border. They have a lot of stores there. It's better than Seattle Prime Outlet (or something like that).

Have fun and hope that helped!
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Puddingcup. · Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:37 pm Post subject:

items at american eagle in the US go to the sale rack a lot quicker
my friend bought a tank from there that she really really wanted for only $10 from there
and when we came back, it was still regular price back in canada
overall, bellis fair mall is really good
but alderwood is not much farther than seattle premium outlet
but it's well worth the drive
there's a nordstrom rack right beside the mall too
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Meg-san · Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 7:03 pm Post subject:

It really depends who you get with the taxes. Technically you're allowed $50 each if you don't stay overnight. Sometimes we've each spent around $100 and been charged, sometimes we haven't. Usually we just lie-they don't seem to care too much when families go through.

lemondiva · Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 9:19 pm Post subject:

Awww... your dad is so sweet. Happy

1) Bellis Fair is pretty awesome. The prices are normal American prices, which means that right now they are much cheaper than prices in Canada. It does have an AE, which has prices in American dollars exactly as shown at ae.com. A&F prices are also cheaper than the Canadian prices you see when you go to abercrombie.com (you're automatically directly to the Canadian website because they don't want you to compare the American prices with the Canadian ones).

2) The amount of taxes you pay depends on how long you've stayed in the States. For 24 hours or more, each person can claim up to $50. For 48 hours or more, each person can claim up to $400. Any remaining amount spent you have to pay taxes for, which is 13% for BC. I wouldn't lie about the amount you've spent; it's likely still going to be a better deal, even after the taxes are paid. What you do is tell the border guard how much you've spent. If it's more than the amount you're allowed, they tell you to park by the station and go in. You just bring your receipts and they will tell you how much to pay.

3) Seattle Premium Outlets is pretty good, but only the first few times you go. I also like Bellevue Square, but that's probably farther than you're prepared to go.

Happy shopping!!