Most - as in easily 95%+ - of the products for sale at outlet malls were made specifically to be sold in the outlet. It isn’t the same as the stuff sold in the regular stores.
Some places (usually higher-end stores) do still have a small section in the back of things that were probably originally for sale at a regular store. If you’re into higher-end clothing but can’t afford it full price, this can actually (potentially) be worth it. But even the high-end outlet stores (by which I mean Barney’s, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Saks outlets primarily) carry easily 80-90% stuff made just for the outlet stores.
Most people who go to outlet malls wouldn’t know good high-end clothing if it hit them in the face. They want brand names. That’s really all that it’s about. I mean, I hope it is… the stuff most of the stores sell is pretty awful, and nowhere near as nice as the same brands at their regular stores.
But - it is actually significantly cheaper. Everything can be had for at least 30% off the marked price (which often is the same as the prices at the regular stores, to try to fool you) as a standard, and normally it should be an even higher discount than that.
So if you want brand names plastered across your body, don’t know how to recognize good-quality clothing (as well as good fit and style), and don’t want to spend much money, outlet malls are where to go. No surprise, then, that they’re popular and expanding.
