Thanks baglady for all your info! I actually just called my local outlet and gave them the style number and the SA said they don't start selling the newer bags if they're still available in the stores until 3-6 months after they're no longer available. I'm confused! I saw a ton of ergo hobos on Fri in the outlet and I know they're still in the stores!
The retail bags that show up at the outlets come from different sources, but the truth actually is they start transferring the bags that will be deleted from the next floorset and online even before that date it gets discontinued. It starts happening slowly, and I don't know how to predict where/when it will happen. I've asked, but nobody seems to know. However, most of the "to be deleted" items are consolidated and shipped off right after the website changes. I've been beefing up my collection for the past 3 months this way, as there were a lot of bags I wanted but didn't want to pay retail or even PCE at the time. So I waited...but you have to time it right, or trust them to call you if you get on the list for the items. Most of the deleted items arrive at the outlet within several days to 2 weeks after they have been deleted from the website. A lot of the bags are already redlined once they hit the outlets too...so for me, if it's not a bag I "have to have", I just wait, get on lists, and then get it later on. I'm sure in some cases they save overstock for months or whatever, or at least you will see periodic runs with certain styles in certain colors... but I think that's also because some places keep the stuff for longer. Or they don't ship out their returns right away. I noticed here at SHort Hills, they had a lot of bags and wallets still on the floor that I had been snatching up at the outlets for at least a week prior. If it's a hot item, it may never make it to the outlet, or do so in small quantities in certain areas...or even over a year down the line. The Carly is an example of a bag that took forever to make it to the outlet...because it was so popular. They also don't move JAX overstock out to the outlets right away always either. SOmetimes months later you can still get a bag that's already had an outlet run prior to that.
As for other sources, some of the retail bags that show up at outlets are specifically returns. In an area like central PA, up until now, there has been no retail venue (although BonTon has recently added retail Coach). So people would either go to KOP or order online, and then return to the outlets there because it's far more convenient. I've nabbed some really great bags that way, and sometimes they are in the back. I had them bring the ones in the back out for me to look at.
They also get display or regular transfers. I know Reading picks up a lot of KOP transfers, for example. If the bag has a brown tag attached to the hang tag ball chain, it was a display model. Some have varying degrees of use for that, as they bring bags in and out of rotation while the bag is current to the line and on the floor...so in theory you could purchase a "new" bag that was a display for a while at a particular boutique if they put that bag back in the back stock room for sale (which they sometimes do). THis is why sometimes the white retail tags are not attached...or they are attached on the inside zipper pocket. Some of the display bags at the outlet were not in such great shape this weekend.
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). I'll figure it out. But in the meantime...thanks again for the info!!!
Wow, I didn't think anything from the Bleecker store would show up at the outlets ever...I wonder if it was a return. I'd LOVE to find a Delphine there...prefereably for about 50% off 
-I'd buy it in a heartbeat!
