For many people, shopping at discount stores and factory outlets is the only affordable option.

outlets 是名词 outlet 的复数形式。outlet 由 out（向外）和 let（让、允许）组成，原意是"出口、排放口"，引申为"销售渠道"。factory outlet 指"工厂直销店"，即制造商直接销售产品的店铺，通常价格比零售店更优惠。