Outrageous Outgrowns

Just came back from visiting the place. As the years go by the cost of the items listed has grown outrageously! Now, they have you pay for parking a whole $ 5, especially when you are shopping consignment to save some cash. OK, let’s charge these folks parking as well! That should save us some more bucks…
These are used kids clothing, toys, books etc but the price tags on them are equivalent to the new ones in the store if not more. I think a $ 19 for a used Jacket is the same price as in Old Navy or Gap when they are on sale… So just a heads up that it’s not like before. Don’t waste your time visiting the event. I did and ended up not buying anything and running short of $ 5 for the parking.

This was my first time here today. I got there around 9.10 and only found parking in the last row. I couldn’t believe how early some people got here!
Anyway, it’s a long walk from the parking ($ 3 with voucher) lot to the main entrance.
Once you get in, they offer you a big Ikea bag (which you can buy for $ 0.92). To your left are aisles and aisles of.clothes. Since I wasn’t interested in clothes, I moved on to the right side of the room which is separated by specific categories of items. I bought a bicycle, and a car seat base in this first section.
There are long tables as far as eyes can see within the room separated by Baby Gear, feeding/​nursing, toys — lots and lots of toys, books, and so on.
The place was busy with stroller jams in pretty much every table aisle.
The convenient thing they do is offer an holding area where you can pick something up and place it on hold for up to 3 hours. I used this service so I could browse other items without having to drag that bike everywhere.
The people (shoppers) seemed nice and courteous. The staff I encountered were all really helpful and nice too. No complaints there.
I really had a good shopping day here. Ended up buying, besides the above, a gliding foot rest for a nursing chair, an Ergobaby insert, a Dr. Seuss book, a Melissa & Doug time toy, a Vtech kid laptop, a Kawasaki piano, some bibs, brand new Avent nipples, a pack n play sheet, a Lego truck, some Tonka cars, AND a tandem Graco double stroller ($ 40) all for a total of $ 137 incl taxes. I did think some things were over priced but if it is offered for 50% off on Sunday, you can take your chances).
I stood in line maybe about 30 – 40 minutes but it moved fast and I was able to buy a few things placed close to the check out lines.
I missed buying a bassinet (someone picked it up just as I was getting to it) and they did not have a Ktan (they did have other slings).
Plan on going regularly each time they organize this and become a seller next year.
PM if you have questions.

Positives: There are a lot of good deals. The clothes are organized by gender and size so it’s easy to find the sizes you want for your child. Admission is free.
Negatives: Looooooooong lines. I’m glad I came Friday rather than the weekend, but even at 12:45 the line is a 45/​one hour wait. They need to fix the slow line because it would hinder me from returning. Also, you can find cute clothes, but you have to be patient and go through racks and racks to find a few decent items.
Glad I checked it out, but probably won’t return. Too long to wait for a handful of cute outfits.

We found great deals on kids clothes, toys, and other kids related items. It’s a great discount compared to buying them at the store. We were happy they accepted credit cards because we stocked up on so many things.

Getting there was pretty easy. It’s at the Santa Clara fairgrounds and parking is free. Items are organized by item type with price marked and Sunday price, sometimes 50% off on Sunday. Not sure the stuff would last that long though. Line took about 30 minutes. Go in a group and while someone is in line, the others can shop. Apparently this is faster than previous years due to the new scanning system. You can find some good deal on used kids stuff. This is like a huge garage sale for baby– young child clothing and toys. Not to many larger items like play pens etc. Not as cheap as some of the other rummage sales but it is cheaper than new. The prices seem to reflect the large overhead costs of scanning system etc. The checkout system is like frys, they have multiple checkouts and a person telling you which stand to go to.
Oh a side note I am not sure why they think this place needs to be locked down like a high end dept store. My wife wanted to head to our car to feed the baby. He is crying his head off and our car was parked by the entrance. She tried to exit through the entrance but they said no, you have to walk the entire length of the hall. Mind you she also needs to walk the entire length back since our car was by the entrance.
They also check your items and receipt at the exit like costco.
Good place to get decent deals on kids stuff. Organized very well by item area. Negative points for the long lines and poor CS. Come on guys this is a rummage sale and not high end luxury goods.

Thanks to Unilocal’s events section, I found this event! I was excited and anxious that it would be packed with long lines, but it was spacious for the most part and the line went quick! The tables with the books and toys could have been more spread out because there was a big empty gap in the middle of the room.
We went on a Friday afternoon. I thought my toddler would nap through it so I could shop, but he fell asleep on the ride and woke up when I put him in the stroller. It wasn’t too bad with a cranky child.
I went there with a bassinet, baby carrier, maternity clothes, power wheels, leg warmers and books on my list — I came out with a baking pan-​looked new, piñata-​new in package, books, clothes, and shoes. I spent $ 50, which I charged what a great convenience, for about $ 15 items so averaging about $ 3.33 per item. I did see the power wheels, baby carriers and bassinets but decided to buy these new. I also bought a halloween costume.
I wish the shoe size signs had the age because I forget what size corresponds with the age, but the tags had the age labeled.
I was tempted to come back for the Sunday half price tag as it was marked on the tags, but I didn’t see anything else that I would want to get since I ended up buying stuff that wasn’t on my list.
I was thinking of checking out a consignment store but haven’t yet so I don’t have anything else to compare to.
The setup seems very organized. Even your receipt will tell you a description of your item and price with barcode. It was fun, and I would check it out again in 6 months. They already have the date for the October sale.

I was expecting a lot more from OO. I’m a regular consignment store shopper (Kid 2 Kid, The Kidz Shoppe, etc) and was not impressed by the items available at OO, or the prices. Many of the items were very worn and faded, especially in the 2T/​3T range, and I found almost everything overpriced. I saw lots of items from lower end retailers like Target and Kohl’s which were priced at rates comparable to the original prices at those stores… so why bother buying them used? I suppose OO might be great for people accustomed to buying items at full-​price at some of the pricier stores, but for people who have the time/​energy to shop sales and/​or local consignment shops, it’s pretty disappointing.

⁴⁄₂₀: After today’s trek, I’m contemplating upgrading my review to 4 stars. I went this morning and there is like TWICE the amount of stuff laid out this time than the last couple times. Remember to bring your own bags! And if you bring your kids, you should bring someone to watch them while you look in peace. The racks are packed in TIGHT so you have to stand in the clothes to allow someone to go by. The line was long but it went relatively quickly. I feel like the sellers priced their items better this time. I’m bringing my mom tomorrow or Sunday so I’ll update after :)
¹⁰⁄₂₀₁₁: I give this 3 stars because finding stuff 2^nd hand is like a treasure hunt, which may end with gold or empty handed. For sure it’s better than cruising garage sales and consignment shops though. But I put it in the middle of the road because it really is dependent on sellers’ quality of items and pricing. And you need to watch what time you come if you’re not able to stand in line for an hour (Saturday is long line time). And for SURE bring your own bags and an empty stroller doesn’t hurt if you want something big like a car seat. Before going, you should know what current prices are at your normal shops so you don’t end up feeling like you’ve overpaid. They do take ATM cards, which is super convenient. If I was going to think of garage saling for 3 weeks or going to this place, definitely go to outrageous outgrowns.

I have been a seller and buyer at O.O. for about the past five years. I love this place! My only complaint is that they don’t allow junior sizes. The last sale I did I had several bags of clothing returned to me because they were junior sizes. Hopefully they will soon have juniors. I will say they are very particular with quality control. NO stains, tears, fraying, holes etc. At the last sale I did they had «oops» labels which marked the oops spot which let the buyer know there was a problem and pointed it out so they decide if it’s something they still wanted to buy. That is ideal because then it cuts way back on the items that are pulled and returned. Every sale has sellers that overprice their items or sellers which bring in outdated clothing. Hopefully if they realize the reason their items didn’t sale. The purpose is to get rid of your sale items so keep your prices between a garage sale and resale store. Ask yourself, «would I pay that price?» Sunday is half price on many items, depending on the seller. The tag tells you if it is. I recommend leaving children at home, if possible, because you really do need a couple of hours to go through the merchandise. It is very possible to get entire wardrobes at one sale. The earlier in the sale you shop, the better choices you have. Yes, you may have to wait in line for an hour but you can bring someone with you to hold your place in line while you shop if you are worried about time. The lines do move rather quickly though. I can write much more but, you get the idea. I am a genuine bargain shopper and I highly recommend O.O. to anyone I know with children or grandchildren. You will find many amazing and unique items! Happy shopping.

Cont from review below; please start with the review below this one.
1) Communication. When I signed up as a seller, I told the woman who was my contact that I had a medical appointment the specific day large volume sellers HAD to bring their items in. «No problem» I was told. But the week before the date mentioned, I was told under no circumstances could I change the date and time of the appointment.
2) Items on review — the reviewer returned some of my NWT items and non-​stained items — huh?!
3) I was a seller and was considered «large volume» (200+ pieces). One thing stuck out that aggravated me the most:
a. I visited Outrageous Outgrowns on the preview night. I counted 12 pieces of my daughter’s clothing stocked.
b. I visited Outrageous Outgrowns on Friday. I saw three pieces of my daughter’s clothing stocked.
c. I visited Outrageous Outgrowns on Saturday. I didn’t see ANY of my daughter’s clothing stocked.
d. When the final invoice and check was sent to me, I had over 200+ pieces of clothing and goods suddenly sold on Sunday at 50% off. Very very suspicious and I won’t trust them again with my stuff.
I warn all mothers selling at the show to WATCH YOUR ITEMS and carefully and make sure they are on the racks in the appropriate sections, etc; ESPECIALLY if you are a high volume seller. I DID check all the racks for my daughter’s clothing and *it wasn’t there*.
BUYER
It can be fun or painful. This is a large consignment sale, and if you aren’t used to the fast and furious pace, get out of the way. Women are snapping up bargains like they’ve never seen toys and clothing before, some are extremely nice, some are hostile. Be prepared to meet both.
Some great bargains can be found — the mother in line next to me found a stand and sit stroller for $ 6, I found NWT rain boots for $ 10 a pair, normally $ 35×2. I saw NWT shorts for $ 2, a gorgeous Christmas dress for $ 15 NWT and used baby accessories for prices that would make the most saavy shopper blush with glee.
You should know your items and prices before going to this sale; otherwise you can make mistakes. I dress my daughter in Gymboree, so I easily purchased 7 pair of pants at $ 7 – 8 each for lines she is wearing or will be wearing this year. I did note though, that some of those pants are not worth the price I paid due to condition and one pair of pants had the lovey animal snipped off, which lowers the value to almost nothing. Obviously, I chose to purchase anyway, knowing I may not have the opportunity to resell these items at a later date, but that’s my choice.
Some items are overpriced, that’s what happens when people price their own items. This year’s sale seems to be higher than previous sales, either due to the economy or greed I don’t know; more items were being left on the racks.
New items are put out each day, and their famous half price Sunday sale is fun, but I was too late when I went; all the good items were gone.
Checkout was reasonable when I went — about 15 minutes; it can stretch for an hour or more, so little tikes are best left at home. Bring a snack and make a new friend in line.
I don’t buy my daughter’s clothing here (just some fun or excess pieces), but I have fun and have found some great things at good prices and met some nice and not-​so-​nice people. Go with a budget and/​or shopping list and you may have good luck.

I don’t have kids, and so was dragged here on a rainy Saturday morning by a friend, a morning that I would have rather been cozy in bed. And to say I wasn’t looking forward to this outing would be an understatement.
But as things often are for me, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. Things were well organized and easy to find, and most of the items
were well-​priced. The line to checkout was long, but not as terrible as I’d heard it was. Overall, I’d say it was a good experience for those that are looking to save a few bucks on lightly-​used kid’s stuff.

I just finished up my second shopping trip there yesterday. Like another Unilocaler, I buy 80% of my daughter’s clothes at OO for the following 6 months. I got her entire 6 – 9 and 9 – 12 month wardrobe for $ 230. The contents filled an entire blue Ikea shopping bag. I think the prices are very reasonable – for example, I got several t-​shirts brand new with tags from The Children’s Place for $ 2.50 each. You cannot beat the prices.
Plan on being there for several hours, including the shopping and checkout time. If that doesn’t interest you, then go elsewhere. If you can invest the time and effort, then go. It’s worth it.
Well organized, great selection, and friendly cashiers. I have nothing but great things to say about this event. I plan on being a seller at the event in the fall.

When I was expected my son I went here to purchase a few big items. We got a co-​sleeper bassinet for $ 40 & it was barely used. We got a swing for $ 35, various toys, parenting books & clothes. The prices are a little more than garage sales, but not by much. I like that it is a 1 stop shop for all your infant to kid needs. The best part is admission & parking are free & on Sundays everything is 50% off!

I like the people that own this company. What I can’t tolerate are the parents who don’t know how to control their children or they let them open and destroy the toys for sale. For that I’m a little pissed. Now that my kid is a little older, I don’t really go here anymore. If you do have suggestions like the line, I would bring it up with the owner or send feedback on the website.

I visited Outrageous Outgrowns at the fairgrounds today for the first time and I was very pleased. I can only imagine going on Saturday or Sunday. It was crazy at 9:30 on Friday morning. Next time I will leave the baby at home because it is easier without her, of course.
The prices are great. More importantly, I was pleased with how clean everything was. The power was out at the fairgrounds when I got there so it was hard to see everything, but I still put a bunch of cute clothes in my bag. While in line the power came back on and I was very pleased to see that the clothes were very clean and new looking.
I do recommend going on Friday for best selection (haven’t even been on Saturday or Sunday, but I can only imagine).
Also, be sure to bring your patience because there is a very long line to check out, but it is all worth it.
Oh, entrance is on Monterey Highway (not Tully)

You like to wait in line for an hour (no joke!!)? You like shopping in the dark? It was my first time today. Very disappointed that it wasn’t a better shopping experience. Yes, they have lots of stuff and some of it is a good deal (if you don’t count waiting in line) but honestly, most of it you can find elsewhere. Everyone shopped in the dark until around 10 or so. I overhead someone say that the cost of turning on the power was increased by a lot (which also was tacked into the prices of their goods)…Um, excuse me, but if you run a business, don’t you think that would have been a good thing to figure BEFORE you have customers come in?
And since the line snaked around the whole building to pay for your items (I kid you not) and 17 registers were going… I asked some of the people that worked there why they wouldn’t consider moving part the line forward so that people would be queued up to the registers farthest from the «line starts here» sign. The people that were standing at the sign couldn’t see the available registers on the other side! (Not to mention, people would continue to shop on their way to the registers.) They said that one line was fastest (–in my opinion that’s crap – have they ever visited Costco or Safeway??). It’s sloppy planning! They could run it so much more efficiently! Meanwhile, enjoy your child crying, screaming, running, etc. as you try to shop, take them to the bathroom, feed them a snack and wait in line for an hour.
I give them credit for being crazy to attempt to be the biggest used items reseller in the Bay Area but the cost of doing business with so-​so prices and lines that were ridiculous is not worth the $ 0.50 savings you get on some items! You are better off visiting local shops like Kid to Kid, The Kidz Shopp, and Mommy ‘n Me!!! Support your local shops and develop a relationship with the owners! You’ll have a much better shopping experience!

As a seller and buyer for the past 5 years I can tell you … this is the best way to sell your kids clothing and toys and the best place to buy the next set.
Yes, they are very picky about what they allow you to sell (especially on clothing), but as a buyer, I appreciate that I don’t get things home and then notice a stain or missing button. They seem to care a lot about making sure this sale remains a consignment sale and not a junky yard sale.
I buy 80% of my daughter’s clothing at this sale. Each time I buy at least 20 clothing items and spend about $ 75. Often these are brand name items … you can’t beat the deals here.
Finally, they organize all the items by type. So, this isn’t like walking around a flea market from booth to booth … NO, you go to an organized rack of Size 4 girls clothing. I’d compare it more to shopping at Ross than a flea market.
Can’t say enough great things. It’s worth checking out! By Saturday afternoon, the selection can be lacking.

i think this is a pretty good idea, a semi. annual sale of used baby products at the santa clara fairgrounds. in general, i don’t really buy a whole lot of used goods. however, that all changed with the arrival of our son. wow, babies go through clothes and stuff so fast! we’ve had absolutely no hesitation with accepting
.downs. now, we’ve also been shopping around quite a bit for used baby stuff. my wife received an e. mail (probably through some mommy group) about the spring 2010 outrageous outgrowns event, so we decided to check it out.
since it was raining on friday (of this friday, saturday, sunday) event; she ended up skipping friday; but we all went together on saturday. the cashier told us that they had twice as much stuff on friday. we bought a couple of things and returned on sunday because many (but not all) items.
what i like best about this event is that most of the staff there (like the cashiers but not the security staff) are volunteers from the parenting community as opposed to simply hired help. this reminds me of the difference between the snowbomb dot com bay area snowboarding and ski festivals versus the evil corporate, soulless ski. dazzle show. at outrageous outgrowns (like at the snowbomb dot com fests) the people working there actually care about the event and the community and actually _​know_​stuff about the life of the attendees. like, when i asked the cashiers questions about the products, they _​knew_​because they were also parents and had seen these products and kept up with all the news about baby products.
well, the prices are mostly pretty good and cheap; but this is a consignment sale, so the actual sellers set their own prices and some just have unrealistic expectations. i _​love_​how parking is free! i also love how the sale accepts credit cards! you can’t do that with most craigslist or garage sale transactions. well, maybe someday, i’ll return to sell stuff. i plan to return in fall at least to _​shop_​for more stuff.

Definitely worth checking out … like a huge consignment store — sometimes you find some great things, sometimes you don’t … very good for clothing for infants 2 years and under … there are a lot of toys/​books/​etc. — you just have to have the TIME to hunt through everything, as quality, pricing and options vary. Also can get VERY crowded, lines can get long — but they are good at managing everything.
Also, on Sunday a lot of the merchandise is marked down to ½ price … so a good time to do a quick fly-​by if you are in the area.

While it certainly has a vast selection and the products are very well organized, the price points are not that low.
If you shop at garage sales and thrift stores regularly, it will seem expensive. About 3 to 10 times more expensive than thrifting. But if you shop only at «regular» stores, then the prices are cheaper, about half to 60% off. And since these items are mostly used, that’s not that great of a deal.
But the workers are very friendly, and the selection is good, so you won’t have a bad experience. Just not an amazing-​deal experience.