1.   At midmorning, throngs of shoppers packed the sidewalks and stores of the outlet center.

2.   At the same time, Perlmutter said the company would seek to add leasing specialists who could help raise the occupancy rates of its outlet centers and hence revenue.

3.   A growing trend among manufacturers is making lower-cost products specially for outlet centers that also are priced lower.

4.   Almost all outlet centers belong to local and state tourism bureaus.

5.   But outlet centers, even spick-and-span Potomac Mills, are usually no-frills places.

6.   Catering to that mind-set, malls and cut-price outlet centers aggressively blur the distinction between shopping and tourism.

7.   Chelsea has also hired someone fluent in Japanese to help staff the information booth at the outlet center.

8.   City officials initially wondered why anyone would want to build an outlet center almost next door to another one, said City Manager Bill Little.

9.   Conversely, even wealthy shoppers are no longer ashamed to hit discount stores and outlet centers instead of department stores for certain items.

10.   Doing the outlet center does not stimulate the mind or recreate the body or satisfy the soul.