Columnist Muriel Stevens: Outlets truly ring the Belz

Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2000 | 9:52 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' shopping column appears Wednesdays. Her dining column appears Fridays. Reach her at muriel@lasvegassun.com or 259-4080.

What a nice surprise it was to find at the Belz Factory Outlet World right in my own back yard -- terrific new stores. My favorite haunt at Belz is Off Fifth, the Saks Fifth Avenue outlet. I'm always in a hurry, so I dash in and out, rarely taking the time to go into the main building. Big mistake. Since the last time I'd walked the mall many upscale stores have been added.

It's not Freeport, Maine, but it's getting better all the time.

I was at Belz not to shop, but to return some merchandise purchased at the Jones New York shops in Freeport. The shops there were so busy I couldn't get into a dressing room. The salesperson assured me that I could return anything that wasn't satisfactory at the JNY shop in the Belz outlet.

The Belz JNY store manager was most accommodating. Without any hassle she credited my charge card. So why do I not shop at Belz instead of Freeport? Our JNY stores are smaller, the selection is not as good and the styles may be out of date. They also don't have the same accessory and costume jewelry selection.

The manager explained why. The Belz store is a true outlet offering mostly end-of-the-season merchandise and close-outs. There are always racks offering 50 percent off the already low ticket prices. There may not be a full range of sizes. The store did have a few of the things I saw in Freeport, but in limited quantity.

Belz also is home to a brand-new Dansk outlet. It opened four weeks ago and is right next door to Off Fifth. Of course I had to go in. It's a marvelous store filled with Dansk china, flatware, pots and pans, cutlery, handsome wood serving pieces, dozens of gift items and more. Merchandise is beautifully displayed. The shop is not as large as some of the Dansk stores I've seen, but it is just great.

Tommy Hilfiger is building a large store just up the road from Off Fifth and Dansk. For now it's thrown up a huge tent that's filled with all kinds of sale stuff.

The separate section where Off Fifth, Dansk and Tommy Hilfiger are found is called Annex One. Not all of the lanes go through to this section. Just follow the lane closest to the main building.

Supermarket grumbles: Ever wonder why your favorite products disappear from supermarket shelves? Be assured it's not always because they're no longer available. Usually it's because their shelf space was eliminated. There is absolutely nothing wrong with supermarkets selling their own label foods, but they should leave at least some space for other brands so that consumers have a choice. I recently discovered Blue Bunny sugar- and fat-free chocolate peppermint ice cream. Better than any other brand of sugar- and fat-free ice cream I'd tasted, I couldn't wait to return to Raley's for more. What a disappointment.

Almost every shelf, except for novelties, was dominated by Raley's own brand of ice cream. A token selection of other ice creams did not include any sugar- and fat-free. When I asked why, I got some asinine answers. Oh sure, I'll call the main office to complain, but it's disappointing that a family owned chain that promised to be different is playing the same old shelf games as the big chains. The Blue Bunny search continues.