T.J. Maxx Shopping Tips
T.J. Maxx- the gift and the curse. It is probably one of my all time favorite stores, but sometimes I take my T.J. Maxx obsession to the max! There are 2 types of off-price shoppers- those who pop in on occasion to pick up a piece or two and then those who stalk the stores for new arrivals and the best deals. I’m clearly the latter. For those of you newbies or casual shoppers, or those professional deal hunters looking to sharpen your skills, here are some tips on how to get the MAXX out of your T.J. Maxx shopping trips:
1. These stores get shipments everyday. Every. Day. And there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to what they are getting at any given time. So check in often to catch the best deals, and shop in the mornings to be the first to get to them, as they typically put out the new stuff overnights or before the store opens.
2. Don’t put anything down! I repeat, don’t put anything down to “think” about it because it will be gone when you go back for it! If you are typically a department store shopper you will learn quickly that T.J. Maxx and Marshalls operate differently- they don’t have a breadth of sizes and colors in most items. Sometimes the store literally only gets one of an item, and nothing is on automatic replenishment. So if you see something you like, throw it into your cart and debate purchasing while you walk around the store with it. Because putting it down means leaving it for the person right behind you to snatch it up…and they will! Check out my example in the video below of an item I didn’t think anyone else in the world would want but I missed out on it for that very naive thinking… and am clearly still bitter about it!
3. Don’t believe the myths. Many still believe that TJX stores (parent company of T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and Home Goods) only carry old, past season, defective items. This is not true! Time and time again T.J.’s has proven to have the very same items Macys and Nordstrom have in their current seasons. They do, however, sometimes carry “irregular” items. They are typically marked as such on the tag but I still recommend trying everything on for that reason.
4. Do your research. As stated above, the store is known to carry current season items as well as designer pieces. Know the suggested retail prices of items you are looking for to verify the deal you’d be getting. For example, in the video below I highlight Valentino heels that I found in store. T.J. Maxx has them priced at $799, which is a pretty penny upon first glance. But if you know that these exact heels sell for $1000 and up at Nordstrom right now and this designer is very rarely discounted, you understand that price is a steal!
5. Understand the tickets. They are shown in detail in my video, but anything with a red ticket is a markdown (duh). Anything with a yellow ticket is a second markdown and if you find one of those items, jump on them! T.J. Maxx only takes additional markdowns twice a year- in January and July. And trust me, the professional bargain hunters are well aware of this and flock to score the deals. There isn’t any specific date in these months that stores take these markdowns, it’s typically the second week. To be alerted first join their mailing list, ask an associate or stalk the stores all month… or do all 3 like I do! Then there are the purple tickets. Those represent The Runway section, designer items straight out of showrooms and runways, labels you typically find in high end boutiques and department stores. There are only a handful of stores with Runway sections, so check T.J.’s website to find one near you.
6. Their inventory and markdown systems are outdated. This is one of the most frustrating things about shopping these stores from a consumer stand point. We have gotten spoiled with stores being able to check other’s inventories and warehouse inventories if they don’t have something we want in stock. Major stores even have buy online and pick up in store options, as well as price adjustment and matching policies. You won’t find any of this at TJX stores. This is why I call these stores a gift and a curse. A personal example- I found the perfect pair of Kate Spade pumps at one location. They had 1 single pair in the store, a size 7. I needed a 7.5, and I needed that shoe! Had this been a big box store I could have quickly asked an associate to locate them at another store or ordered them online and had them shipped to my house for free. Instead I had to embark on a T.J. Maxx stalking mission, physically visiting almost 10 stores in 2 different states to find the shoes. I never found them, however in my travels spent a ridiculous amount of money buying other things I never planned on but ‘had to have’, as well as starting some new stalking missions by finding other things that weren’t my size but may be at all the other stores I just went to but I didn’t see them because I wasn’t looking specifically for them so now I have to go… you see how this can quickly spiral out of control if you are as obsessed as I am! So if you are nothing like that, enjoy T.J.’s at your leisure. And if you are like me, I feel your pain! Also, since inventory isn’t in their outdated systems, neither are prices. So stores can have completely different prices based on if the associates have gotten to physically out the mark down sticker on the tag or not. Prices ring according to how they are ticketed, not as they should be universally. So if you find an item at one store not marked down that you know was marked down at another, ask an associate to scan it with their gun for you. Some associates will have no idea what your talking about (or pretend to) or say it’s not allowed, but you can usually eventually find a nice one who is willing to help a polite shopper out.
7. Head to T.J. Maxx for certain items, avoid it for others. The items I specifically head to the Maxx for because they have the best deals are the designer pieces for less (Runway section!), purses, shoes, work out clothes, dresses, premium denim, luggage, pet products, kid’s clothes, men’s dress shirts and home decor. What I avoid going for are curtains, towels, intimate apparel, cosmetics and jewelry. And not because those products aren’t great there, more so because of the lack of units in inventory. For example- great bras but I can’t find my size. Or a curtain that matches my living room perfectly, but they only have 1 panel in stock and I need 4 panels. Need a new black eye liner or foundation? No guarantees they’ll have it. Throw pillows are greatly discounted here, but again you may only find one at a store then have to go hunting for a match. And the jewelry department is great but the markups are still kind of high on some items. For example, it’s a good place to get Lucky Brand jewelry, but you can likely find the same pieces at Macy’s and catch a sale.
So there you have it! My personal take on tackling this growing chain. If you are also a maxxinista, I would love to hear about your tips and the amazing deals you’ve found as well! And if you still need help navigating the craziness to find the best deals and items for you, book a personal shopping trip with me! Oh, the fun we will have!