Attention outlet shoppers! There is a new outlet mall in Livermore and people are already showing up droves and stuffing the parking lots. And newscasters are covering this like it's a natural disaster.

The Paragon Outlets mall is right next to the Fallon Gateway/Target complex, at West Jack London Blvd. and El Charro Road, right across the Livermore border from Dublin. They're having a four-day grand opening celebration which began this morning, and thousands of people have already showed up, making the traffic just getting off the freeway to the mall a nightmare. But you can't keep people away from good deals on clothes and shoes!!

ABC 7 would like everyone to remain calm, keep their heads from exploding with bargain-lusting joy, and try to be patient as they sit in unmoving traffic on 580 trying to get here to spend their money.

There's a Neiman-Marcus Last Call, an Armani outlet, a Bloomingdale's outlet, Nike, Barney's, DKNY, Saks Fifth Avenue, Prada, and about 120 other high-end outlets. The new mall is also a job-creation engine, with about 2,000 new jobs in the complex. It's also the first outlet center to open in California since 2001, and is seen as a sure sign of a rebounding economy. Livermore is certainly happy for the tax revenue, and this place is certain to be a clusterfuck right up to Christmas, and beyond.

[ABC7]
[Mercury-News]