Outlets - "Back To the Future"

Is it me or are the majors retailers going back to the future when is comes to outlet stores? Over the past year two players in the industry, Lord & Taylor and Bloomingdales have made an aggressive push towards outlets stores. Lord and Taylor is joining Bloomingdales at the high traffic Dolphin Mall in Miami (Sweetwater) Florida, which will be the third outlet location for Lord & Taylor in the last 9 months.

The outlet business is has become the new cash cow for may high end retailers in this "new economy" but has been around for decades. The difference now is many retailers are developing private label merchandise or working with vendors to produce a less expensive lines that would be sold exclusively at outlets. I miss the days of seeing a $1,000 Gucci sweater at the outlets for $150. Tell the Insider what you think