Shoppers at Las Vegas Premium Outlets pound the pavement in search of bargain fashion finds. Photo by Christine H. Wetzel.

The secrecy involved in stocking outlet stores is tight enough to impress the Central Intelligence Agency. Simple questions like: How often do outlets receive merchandise? Where does it come from? What line or season do they have in stock? -- sparked looks of panic in outlet store managers across the valley.

The secrecy exists because most outlets in Las Vegas are carrying the current season's apparel. It's a double-edged sword for outlet managers: They want to promote their store by bragging about selling the same line carried at department stores for 30 percent less, but they don't want to enrage the corporate office by disclosing information that will upset the main retail stores that are hawking goods for more.

"The selection we have is the same as the boutique at the Aladdin, only with outlet prices," said Kelly Dissakul, the manager of Benetton at the Las Vegas Premium Outlets, 875 S. Grand Central Parkway. "Since the Aladdin store has been open for way longer than us, people know about them. They'll go there and buy a suit and then hear about us from someone and come here and see the same suit for less. They'll go return the suit there and come back and buy it here."

Dissakul said Benetton's franchised structure means the outlet's stock comes directly from Italy, and rarely do boutiques send their non-sellables to the Vegas outlet store because "they usually sell out."

Dissakul said outlets often sell current collections for less because of the variety of their clientele.

"It's much higher-end shopping at the Aladdin. People shopping there drop a couple thousand, no problem," Dissakul said. "We're more geared to locals or tour bus groups looking for a bargain."

It is clear from looking at the merchandise available at Elie Tahari, Theory and Coach, among other stores at Premium Outlets, that they are carrying items selling at full price at major department stores in Las Vegas.

Jennifer DeBough, Elie Tahari manager at the Premium Outlets, didn't want to comment on what was sold at local department stores, but confirmed the Tahari outlet was selling current season merchandise, marked down 30 percent to 75 percent. The clothing sold at the Tahari outlet comes from the boutiques, not the department stores.

Most major retailers have their own discounted outpost. In Las Vegas we're lucky that so many outlets are congregated in the valley. From Primm to the Las Vegas Outlet Center, 7400 Las Vegas Blvd. South, you could stock your closet with designer duds and dependable staples for at least a third of the price.

So why would anyone ever pay full price?

Most department stores don't agree with the varied clientele theory and want to resist reducing prices for as long as possible.

One major department store in town, which wanted to be unnamed, has an elaborate mark down procedure.

If an item is deemed still in style, it won't be included in the store's sale. A computer tracks all point of sales transactions and determines how popular a particular item is and whether it is the opportune time to mark it down. The discounted items that don't sell are shipped to the East Coast, where the non-selling items from their sales are shipped out West. Another sale is held with the merchandise from the East, the premise being that what's not cool there might be a big seller here. Merchants have learned that it's worth the shipping costs to try to sell items to another market before reducing prices further. If an item doesn't sell on either coast, it is sent to the central distribution center and eventually delivered to the outlets.

The moral of the story: If you're playing the waiting game with a garment you must have from a major department store, wait only if you have the patience and stomach to potentially lose it. There will be a lot of people eyeing your item before it gets to the outlet. On the other hand, if you see a buy-or-bust item in a boutique in town, look online and see if there's a local outlet. Call or stop by the boutique's evil stepchild to see if they have your item. This could potentially mean no waiting but lots of saving.