(I"m reviewing the shopping in Kittery in general and not one specific set of outlets.) Here's the thing, there's really not such a thing as an outlet store any more (except in rare cases). Years ago you could shop at "outlets," frequently located by the factory where a product was manufactured, and buy overruns, seconds, returned items, etc. for a good price. Then this "outlet" craze caught on, and now you can shop at the Ralph Lauren outlet or the Coach outlet almost anywhere in the U.S. So before you decide to go you need to know that you need to treat this like any other shopping trip to your local mall - know that you might or might not find good deals, you might or might not find a good selection of items, and you might or might not find things you want to buy. Definitely get your hands on a coupon book by visiting the visitor center; you might save more with the coupons available. The set of outlets in Kittery is pretty standard (with the exception of The Kittery Trading Post, which is unique but definitely doesn't feature bargains). There are not many upscale outlets (for example, no Kate Spade or Michael Korrs). The trend in outlets these days seems to be towards women's clothing, shoes, and accessories, so there are no longer Lenox or Royal Doulton or other china outlets and no textile outlets (for sheets, towels, etc). Definitely check out the map before you go and see which stores you want to go to and where they are located. The outlets in Kittery are located in a series of shopping centers or strip malls throughout town, and it's easy to miss a store while driving by (and it can be a nightmare to try to turn around on a busy day). Plan your visit well to minimize the backtracking and plan on entering town on one end and leaving on the other end. Traffic can be horrific during the busy season and it's a pain to have to keep parking and then driving to the next shopping center for the next set of stores. The newer-style outlets which are all located in one big mall are more pleasant to shop at.

I'm sure you can get some good bargains in some of the stores here if you know your prices. (Visitors from other countries seem to love the outlet stores and those who live in pricey cities seem to find the stores a bigger bargain than those who live in less expensive places.) Other than that, treat it like the chance to shop at a lot of different stores at once, and perhaps at some stores you don't have at home, although most of these stores can be found at any outlet mall in America. Also be aware that some outlet stores like Coach and Eddie Bauer have merchandise that's made specifically for the outlet stores. There's nothing wrong with this, but that Coach bag you're getting for $100 is not a Coach bag that was made to sell in the regular Coach retail store in Boston or in Macy's. It was made specifically so the outlet store could have some (relatively) inexpensive bags to sell.

This is really pretty much like any other outlet group. However, the big exceptions are Orvis, Barbour, and Coach Men's. These are outlets you find at few other places and there are some bargains to be had. Also Bob's Clam Hut is right on the same street, so you can grab a great meal while you are there.

I'm a bargain shopper, so I was disappointed to have a hard time finding deals. It seemed like an average outdoor mall to me, although there was a Coach factory store. I don't even like Coach so that wasn't helpful. There was a nice mix of men's and women's retail, though. Plus, there's a Lindt store. They were having a 10 for $20 chocolate bar deal when I was there which was pretty exciting.
Overall, don't have to go back again.

Good selection of outlets but a bit overrated these days. In the past we loved the Kittery Outlets but we prefer the newer all in one village style Outlets found in Merrimack and Wrentham.