Lodi Station Outlets in Lodi, Ohio ~ A day of frugal shopping and fun

If you live in Ohio and have never been to Lodi Station Outlets before, it is a definite must! You can get so many quality items at a fraction of the price you would pay at a mall! We live only 18 minutes from the outlets, so we shop their quiet often! The Lodi Outlets are so much more than just shopping!  There is a the trains, live music at certain times, a play ground, foot court model trains and more!  Well today I got to participate in a VIP Blogger’s Event at the Lodi Station Outlets!

Model trains on display

Lodi Station Outlets is a 311,478 square-foot turn-of-the-century outlet mall featuring vintage trains and over 60 fabulous outlet stores. Lodi Station Outlets boasts a lineup of nationally-known retail brands, including Aeropostale, Polo Ralph Lauren Factory Store, Gap Outlet, The Children's Place, Bath & Body Outlet, and Tommy Hilfiger, among many others.

Some of our favorite stores are Gap Outlet, The Children's Place, Bath & Body Outlet, VanHuesen, Rack Room Shoes, etc.    Well what is great about the outlets, most stores accept coupons!  So I am the mailing list for Gap (not all Gap coupons are okay at the outlets), VanHuesen and The Children's Place.  So not only are you saving money by shopping at the outlets, but then with coupons, the savings are even greater!

Today I hit the Bath and Body  outlet!  You can not use coupons there, but the deals are so great, there is no need to!  Check out my haul!  The retail value was $86.50 if you were to by at the mall, but the majority of items were 50-75% off, so I only paid $24.30!!!

The Children's Place if you sign up online, they will periodically email you coupons!  Today I used a 20% off coupon!  The retail  value of the items I purchased were $38, I paid $15.70!

Not only is there a Rack Room store, but a Rack Room Outlet store!  I  scored 2 pair of New Balance shoes for $17 each. They retail for$45 a pair!!  I got the exact same pair, just in two sizes!  She will be heading off to Kindergarten this fall and wanted

First stop when you arrive, shop be the food court area.  There is a Customer Service desk and you can sign up for the HOT TICKETcard to savings.  Not only will this save you some money, but there are fliers there too with coupons!  While in the food court area, you can pick up tickets for the train or grab a bite to eat!

Train Rides:  If your kids are like mine, they feel the only reason to visit is for the train rides!  Now you cans purchase a  VIP Premier Pass. It costs $35 for adults and $25 for children under 10 for one year of free train rides.

ALL DAY PASS - $3.50
Available Monday through Thursday (weather permitting), this ticket allows you to board the train at Lodi Central Station at any time, and ride the train throughout the entire center.

SINGLE RIDE PASS - $3.00
Available Friday, Saturday and Sunday (weather permitting), this ticket allows you to board the train at Lodi Central Station at a designated time, and ride the train throughout the entire center. On these days, the train will not stop at any other stations aside from Central Station. The ride is approximately 15 minutes, and will take you on a journey around the center!

Tickets are sold for specific departure times to ensure every passenger has a seat, so purchase your tickets early to have your choice of ride time.

Food Selection
Auntie Anne’s Soft Pretzels
Steam Café
Subway
Villa Pizza
Wok And Roll
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory

The kids and I enjoyed lunch at the Steam Café and dessert at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory!  The folks at the Steam Café were so pleasant!   Not only do they have menu items, but everyday they come up with specials for that day!    I enjoyed the chef salad, my daughter a turkey with colby cheese sandwich on ciabatta bread and they kindly made my son a PB&J even though it was not on the menu!  The food was wonderful! 

After the day of shopping we cooled off with ice cream from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory!  The store is a chocolate lovers paradise!  The kids picked mint chocolate chip cones and I had good old chocolate and it was divine! Plus we picked up a couple of cookies for a special treat for later, the cookies range fro $2-3 (see pic below) and they are worth every penny!!!  Did you know that from November to December they have tickets up for donation ticket and one lucky ticket owner will will a 3 foot tall Santa made of chocolate!  Plus they donate all the proceeds to a children's hospital!    

Here are some of the upcoming  events between now and end of September:

Sale Events:
7/05-7/30    Back to School Gift With Purchase (Spend $150 at the outlets and get a free youth t-shirt and VIP Train Pass)
7/24-7/26    End of the month sidewalk sales
8/01-8/14    Back to School Gift With Purchase
8/26-8/28    End of the month sidewalk sales
9/02-9/05    Labor Day Weekend Sidewalk Sales
9/23-9/25    End of month sidewalk sales  (I hit these every year and well worth it!)

Other Special Events:
Chalk on the Walk, July 16, Noon-2pm
Wild West Weekend, Reverse Train Robbery on August 27 & September 17

Meet & Greet Chugga Chugga Charlie:

7/16 12-3pm
8/07 & 8/27 12-3pm
9/03 & 9/10 12-4pm

Also they have Trick or Treating, Ride the Train with Santa, Easter Egg hunts and so much more!   Seasonal stores also come in around the holidays!  Last year there was a Toys R Us outlet!

See the before and after of shopping at the outlets:

Follow Lodi Station Outlet on Facebook and on Twitter.

Disclosure:  We received a $100 Visa card to spend at Lodi Station Outlets to show how much one could save at the outlets!  We also received  lunch,ice cream, swag bag, coupons, a train ride and VIP Premier train ride Passes to help facilitate this review. For my full disclosure policy please click here