As a frequent traveler, some of my must-haves for any type of trip are a pair of comfortable, quality leggings, dependable sports bras, and functional pants. Often, this equates to me wearing nothing but athleisure-type clothing!
One of the best athletic/athleisure brands out there today is Athleta.
Athleta has been having a huge moment over the past few years. They’ve begun to build a reputation for having high-quality workout and yoga clothing for women.
The quality of their products is often compared to Lululemon, but what makes Athleta stand out is that their products sit at a lower price point, which is what we like to hear as budget-friendly shoppers!
While Athleta does cost less than Lululemon, still not everyone can afford Athleta retail prices, and many who can, simply do not want to spend an arm and a leg on workout clothes!
Well, I’ve got an awesome secret for you today! I’m here to tell you that you can score Athleta gear at pretty discounted prices. We’re talking 30-70% off Athleta products, on a regular basis!
How do I get in on these crazy deals, you may ask? Well, if you’re lucky enough to live near an Athleta Outlet store, you’ll be able to really take advantage of this article. Read on to find out more about the Athleta Outlet as well as my latest experience there!
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ATHLETA: BRAND OVERVIEW
Athleta is an inclusive lifestyle and athletic brand featuring technical yet sustainable clothing for all body types. The brand was established in 1998, with a forward-thinking movement–to support and celebrate the power of women and girls everywhere, regardless of their size.
Today, Athleta operates more than 200 stores in the United States and Canada. Regardless of which store you visit, the brand’s mission is the same–that clothing by Athleta will allow women to feel comfortable in their active lifestyles.
The brand promise is reflected in their products, message, and even their choice of models. On their website, you’ll notice that their models span all ages, all ethnicities, and all body types. How can you not love that inclusiveness?
I personally love Athleta clothing because they check all my boxes: high-quality, sustainable, functional, and cute! I also love how the brand has expanded into other types of products outside of workout clothes.
Athleta now also carries swimwear, bags, accessories, jeans, jackets, and tops for everyday life. There’s something for every type of woman–even girls!
ATHLETA OUTLET STORE: OVERVIEW
Location: Currently, there are two Athleta outlet stores in the US. The stores are located at the Chicago Premium Outlets in Chicago, Illinois and the Leesburg Premium Outlets in Leesburg, Virginia.
Discount: Most of the items in the store are priced at 25-50% off, but it is possible to find items priced at 70% off.
What they carry: The outlet stores’ selection include collections from both current and past seasons. The store carries products that you may also find online in the Sale category, as well as best-sellers such as the Salutation Stash Tight, Momentum Seamless Tank and Conscious Crop.
The outlet store carries a broad range of tops, bras, underwear, jackets, bottoms and swimwear. It also carries Athleta Girl, a clothing line for younger female athletes.
Athleta Outlet Addresses:
- Leesburg, VA Location: 241 Fort Evans Rd NE Unit 317, Leesburg, VA 20176
- Chicago, IL Location: 1650 Premium Outlet Blvd, Aurora, IL 60502
ATHLETA OUTLET STORE: WHAT TO EXPECT
These gigantic outlet stores opened in 2022 and basically carry all the markdowns from the Athleta retail stores. A lot of what you’ll be able to find in the outlet store you will also be able to find on the sale page on the Athleta website.
During my visit in November, I found a wide selection of just about everything in any size imaginable (XXS to 3X, size 0 to 26). From leggings to lifestyle pants, sports bras to underwear, duffel bags to headbands, athletic tanks to sweatshirts and dresses–it’s all here.
No matter the season, you’re sure to find something good.
During my visit in November, there was a fairly large selection of swimwear and summer items as well as gear more suited for the winter and fall seasons.
Upon walking into the store, you’ll first notice that there’s a lot of stuff in here. Both sides of the wall are lined with fill racks of sports bras, workout tops, yoga pants, leggings, lifestyle clothing and more.
While it did look like there was a massive selection of clothing in the store, what I noticed once I started really browsing was that the selection was way bigger for the smaller and larger sizes (XXS, XS, and L or above) than for the more common sizes (such as S and M).
Take for example the leggings section. The Small and Medium sections made up about 10% of the entire length of the rack. The remaining 90% of the rack ranged from XXS to XS and Large to 3XL.
Though that did mean slimmer pickings for me, that also means if you typically wear a smaller or larger size, you will have a wonderful selection of discounted goods to select from!
I was also surprised to find such a nice selection of colors throughout the store. Typically at outlets, I find they usually carry really horrendous, obnoxious colors. (Think highlighter yellow, neon green, and other less popular colors.)
However, I was delighted to see such a wide variety of colors and styles at the Athleta Outlet store. Not only did items come in pretty versatile colors, but the patterns were actually cute!
I really liked this pair of mauve patterned leggings. Unfortunately, the store only carried them in a size XXS.
After getting through the workout tops, leggings, hiking pants, and lifestyle tops in the front of the store, I proceeded to the center of the store. This is where all the accessories lived.
A few good deals I saw in this section included these awesome no-slip headbands in the cutest summer colors, the Kinetic Waist Bag (originally $55, going for $24.97), and their iconic bestseller Activate Mask in a 2-pack for only $14.99.
I was most shocked to see these masks because a 2-pack typically retails for $40!
As I continued to browse the store, I noticed a pretty wide selection of clothing and gear for younger girls, named Athleta Girl.
Though I didn’t dig around too much, I did see some pretty sweet deals in this section too. Again, there were lots of options in some pretty classic colors such as black, gray, pink, and dark green.
In terms of discounts, you could expect an average of 25-50% off retail.
In general, I found that sports bras were running between $20-40, workout tops ranged from $20-40, bike shorts/running shorts ranged from $20-45, leggings ranged from $30-60, and swimwear from $15-30.
Since summer had just passed, I suspect that’s why the biggest discounts were on the swimwear. Still, not a bad time to stock up on high-quality swimwear (especially living on the West Coast)!
There were also some doorbuster deals, meaning these items were steeply discounted, tend to be about 70% off retail, and totally worth checking out. Some doorbuster deals during my visit included:
- Balance Jogger: $129 retail, outlet price: $19.97
- Farallon Wide Crop: $89 retail, outlet price: $19.97 – I ended up buying a pair of these
- Jumpsuits: $129 retail, outlet price: $39.97
Despite it being in the middle of the day on a really busy Sunday afternoon, I was still able to find a pair of wide-leg pants in my size, and it just so happened to be a doorbuster deal! Instead of paying the retail price of $89, I was able to get them for $19.97! Such a good deal.
After trying on a few other pieces, I decided to go with a few lifestyle pieces including the wide leg cropped pant, a pair of cotton denim with LYCRA®, and a pair of heathered shorts in an oatmeal color–all perfect for travel, vacation, and exploring with comfort.
Each and every item I committed to was so incredibly comfortable, which was exactly what I was looking for. Not only will these be great additions to my “work from home” wardrobe, but they’ll also be wonderful options for my future road trips and plane travels!
MY ATHLETA OUTLET SAVINGS
In total, I bought 5 items from the Athleta Outlet store.
- Farallon Heathered Wide Leg Crop – Original Price: $89 | Outlet Price: $19.97 (78% off)
- Flex Straight Leg Crop Jean – Original Price: $119 | Outlet Price: $34.99 (70% off)
- Farallon Short – Original Price: $69 | Outlet Price: $39.99 (43% off)
- Knotted Headband in Powervita – Original Price: $18 | Outlet Price: $12.99 (28% off)
- Supernova Plunge Bikini Top – Original Price: $59 | Outlet Price: $14.99 (25% off)
The retail cost of my items was $354, yet I only paid $113 for the 5 items. Overall, this was a 67% discount off the total retail price!
Man, I love saving money whenever I can, don’t you?
BOTTOM LINE: IS THE ATHLETA OUTLET WORTH THE VISIT?
Yes, the Athleta outlet is worth a visit, if you’re in the area. However, if you live on the other side of the planet and don’t make it here, it’s really not the end of the world. I’ll explain more below.
It was definitely mind-blowing being able to walk into a store that carried 90-95% sale clothing from a higher-end brand such as Athleta.
At this outlet store, you won’t have to beeline for the back in order to find good deals and avoid paying full price, since the entire store is essentially one big sale!
Having said that, I wasn’t too entirely blown away by the outlet prices. After buying my items, I went home and did some research on the products I bought. What I found was that a lot of what I was able to find in the outlet store I was also able to find in the sale section of the Athleta website.
Most of the products were priced similarly in-store vs online, with the exception of the doorbuster deals. You definitely can’t beat those doorbuster deals!
I will say that one other benefit of visiting the Athleta Outlet Store is that you may have better chances of finding sale gear in your size. A lot of the time, if you are late to the online sale party, the common sizes of products on sale get sold out really quickly.
And while the smaller sizes tend to have a more limited selection than the larger sizes, you’ll still be able to find a good amount of stuff–especially after a truck shipment day! The Athleta Outlet Store could be that second chance for you to find that item in the right size.
Don’t live near the Athleta Outlet store? Other options for you include:
- buying directly from the final sale section of their website online.
- finding good deals on new/lightly used Athleta gear on sites like Poshmark.
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ATHLETA: ESSENTIAL SHOPPING TIPS
- It’s best to visit right after the store gets a new shipment of products. Call the store ahead of time to find out when their next shipment is coming in.
- For the best chances of assortment/variety in your size, visit first thing in the morning before the rest of the crowds get their chance to shop.
- If something ends in $.97, make sure it fits right and is not damaged. Anything marked $x.97 is final sale.
- If something does not end in $.97, then it is returnable in 30 days with a receipt.
- If you have an Athleta, Banana Republic, Old Navy or Gap credit card, you may have loyalty points that you’ll be able to use towards your Athleta Outlet purchase. I have a Gap credit card from years ago and was able to save $2 on my purchase without even trying.
- If you’re the type to research, you could easily pull up the Athleta website to read the reviews of each product before pulling the trigger and committing to buying it in-store. The website is pretty beefed up on product reviews, especially for the bestselling items.
- Don’t live near the Athleta Outlet store? Shop the Final Sale section of the Athleta website for the next best thing. The items in the Final Sale section range from 50% to 85% off the original price!
- Join the free Athleta Rewards program and you’ll immediately start earning 2 points for every $1 spent.
- Not in a rush to buy anything? Wait for the Athleta Semi-Annual Sales, which take place in July and mid-December.
ATHLETA: LATEST FINDS / SALES
ATHLETA OUTLET: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
And that concludes this post! I hope I’ve inspired you to make the drive out to the outlet yourself, or at the very least, shop for stellar deals online on the Athleta website!
LOOKING FOR MORE RARE LIFESTYLE/SHOPPING DEALS? YOU MIGHT LIKE:
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Allbirds Outlet Store: The Secret To Getting Allbirds Shoes On Sale
My Mind-Blowing Experience At The West Elm Outlet: Everything You Need To Know
The Nike Employee Store: How To Get In and What To Expect (Beaverton, Oregon)
Great review, I live in Toledo and can’t wait ti make my first trio to the Chicago outlet!