Discount Shopping in New York

Listed below are some of the notable larger stores that are renowned for their prices. This is certainly not a complete list of the bargains that can be found in the city. If you're looking for discount clothing, you can try walking around some of the more bohemian areas like Greenwich Village and the St. Mark's region. You'll be able to pick up some hip clothes without the usual hip clothes price tag. You can also find good bargains in some of Manhattan's malls and shopping centers. 

Burlington Coat Factory 
Whse #168
45 Park Place
New York NY 10007 (212) 571-2631

Burlington Coat Factory
Whse #235
707 - 6th Ave
New York NY 10010 (212) 229-1300

This national chain of department stores has locations in 42 states, but the one’s in New York are worth mentioning because of their sheer size. The location downtown on Park avenue is a great place to find overcoats, jackets and other coats.

Century 21 Department Store
22 Cortlandt Street
(212) 227-9092

Oh baby, this is where to come to find some real bargains on men’s and woman’s clothing. Most discerning shoppers in the financial district have been to Century 21 to find outrageous discounts on suits, dress shirts and casual wear. It’s the Mecca of discount clothes shopping. Try to visit the store in the mid-morning or mid-afternoon when most businesspeople are at work, because it become a mob-scene during lunchtime and after 5pm. Expect to find top designer names at an average discount of 30%. I was once able to get a Ralph Lauren dress shirt for $13.99; that barely covers the tax at the Brooks Brother’s located down the street!

Daffy’s
335 Madison Ave. & 44^th Street
(212) 557-4422
111 Fifth Ave. & 18^th Street
(212) 529-4477
1311 Broadway & 34^th Street
(212) 736-4477
135 E. 57^TH Street (bet,. Park & Lex)
(212) 376-4477

Daffy’s is much like Century 21 as far as the selection of merchandise, but it doesn’t match it in savings. However, if you don’t have time to travel all the way downtown, you’ll still find some great discount merchandise at Daffy’s. It’s mostly known for handbags and accessories, but you’ll always find some top designer names on sale. The location on Fifth Avenue is known for it’s luggage and handbags.

Filene’s Basement
620 Sixth Ave. & 18^th Street
(212) 620-3100
2222 Broadway & 79^th Street
(212) 873-8000

Although not as good as the Boston stores, Filene’s in New York is still a pretty good place to find some bargains. They specialize in men’s and women’s clothing, handbags, perfumes and accessories. There isn’t the infamous wedding sale like in Boston, but that is probably a good thing – if the sale whips up that kind of frenzy among polite New Englanders, it could turn lethal in New York. If you’ve covered the other discount stores, you can probably skip this one.

Directly above the location on 18^th street is another good discount clothing outlet, TJMaxx. (212) 229-0875. It generally carries the same type of merchandise as Filene's, so it might be worth a little comparison-shopping. There’s a lot of crossover between the two stores, so it’s too close to say which one is definitively cheaper.

Moe Ginsburg
162 Fifth Avenue
(212) 242-3482
Moe Ginsberg is probably the best place in New York to find men’s clothing and suits at terrific discounts. If you were buying multiple suits, the only better place would be the annual warehouse sale at Barney’s. No other store carries such a wide range of top-name to lower end suits and menswear. It’s easy to see where they save money, because the building definitely lacks any sort of aesthetic appeal. The multi-lingual staff is very helpful.

Syms
400 Park Ave. & 54^th Street
(212) 317-8200
42 Trinity Place (Bet. Broadway and Rector)
(212) 797-1199
The downtown Syms location is a popular shopping destination for men working on Wall Street and the financial district. Although Syms does carry women’s clothing, they are primarily a men’s clothing outlet. You can find good discounts on suits, ties and all the clothes needed to look respectable at the 9 to 5. You’re not going to find that Armani at 50% off, but you will have a good selection of mid-range suits from which to choose. Syms carries a large number of suits and clothes for the larger man, so don’t be afraid to have a hot dog on the way.