1.   And much of that will come from sales of discounted goods, eating into profit margins.

2.   By leasing their own stores at outlets, they can control the display of discounted goods.

3.   In September, the catalog Web site, www.sundancecatalog.com, started selling discounted goods at www.sundanceoutlet.com.

4.   Many of those last-minute sales, though, will come from deeply discounted goods.

5.   Such settlements generally include a combination of discounted goods and services and cash, he said.

6.   Stores are fighting to the end by slashing prices on already discounted goods.

7.   That means if people are buying discounted goods, the retail sales total may appear weak even though the volume of sales is up.

8.   The August same-store sales gain was led by stronger-than-expected spending on back-to-school items, home furnishings and discounted goods.

9.   But in Japan, which is just beginning to recover from a deep recession, consumers have lately become much more receptive to discounted goods.