Many manufactures set up outlet stores to dispose of overstocks and flawed merchandise. They carry selected sporting goods items at lower price points. Many neighborhood full-line sporting goods stores have been unable to compete with them and have closed down. Wal-Mart, Target, Sam's Club. Department Stores .
Most department stores carry at least some sports apparel.
A few also carry equipment. This usually involves mail order catalogs. But some manufacturers and distributors are also selling directly to the public through magazine ads, infomercials, cable TV shopping networks, and the Internet. 1 Sporting Goods Business, February, 1996. 2 Sporting Goods Business, July 7, 1997.