Finally: Here is my guide to shopping at The TJX Companies' line of stores: T.J Maxx, HomeGoods and Marshall's (my personal favorite).
1) Background
Off-price retailers, such as T.J. Maxx, Filene's Basement, Loehman's or DSW, sell clothes at a discount. (See Wiki Article)They usually get clothes at a cheaper price because a designer makes too many of a department store can't sell out their stock. The retailers get these clothes at discounted prices, and these savings are then passed onto you. You many wonder: how do they make any money? Well they make money by moving lots of lower priced inventory quickly. Addidionally many keep their costs down by store appearance and set-up (hence the browsing through racks).
I know some people get turned off by off-price retailers claiming they aren't the "real thing." Well guess what: they are. These people just don't understand that U.S. Polo Assoc. clothing is not fake Ralph Lauren. It's a different company. Off-price retailers do sell legitimate Ralph Lauren clothes, just shop smart.
2) Things to Watch Out For
First things first, as mentioned above: know your designers. Also know that many designers have "cheaper" brands, but they are still good quality, many times just different style. These include labels such as Michael by Michael Kors. These are still legitimate, expensive items, so if you're worried, just do some research before-hand.
When shopping, look for quality. Check fabrics and note the percentages. Cotton, Leather, Silk and Cashmere are always fool-proof choices. If you are buying handbags or shoes, and are not vegetarian/vegan, look for leather ones. They quality is much better, they feel better and will last longer. Additionally, the prices are not always much steeper (ok with the good leather handbags they are, but totally worth it). Beware: magnetic closures on handbags could ruin your credit cards, so try to steer clear. And don't forget to check your merchandise! Make sure there are no rips/missing embellishments or stains. If it's something you think you can fix, you can usually get 10% off if you ask, and the item is regular price.
Also, the stores do sometimes carry cheaper brands, especially in Juniors, so pay attention to quality. For trendy items, it may be ok to go for cheap over quality, especially for a teenager who will only wear it 3 times. But the real joy comes not from $15 Levis, but from $50 7 For All Mankind or True Religion jeans. That's where the skill comes in, really looking at the items. (does your store, carry crap, try a store in a different area, products get allocated based on what sells)
How to Shop TJX Stores: 3 Ways
3) Browsing
This is the usually how you will shop, just for the fun of it. In this case, take your time. Go through the racks, check the clearance, look at shoes, check the home section. Follow the rules above and you should be all set. Just have fun. If you don't enjoy rummaging through racks for fun, then this is not your type of shopping. In that case, it's best to just use a method below.
4) Budget Browsing
I call this budget browsing as I usually do this type of shopping, especially at the end of a season, such as summer right now, when 1/2 of the store seems to be clearance items. In this type of shopping you are browsing only clearance sections.
This is highly effective if you are on a budget. There is little worry that something will be too expensive once you look at the tag. Get to know your store and where the clearance sections are (usually marked with red signs both hanging and on the racks). Then just go to them right away. I usually go to shoes, w omen's, accessories and home goods, in that order. When lots of stuff is on clearance, you can find some amazing finds. If I don't feel like browsing everything, I just walk through glancing for things that pop-out and say "Hello, try me on!" I tend to look for unique items because that's the wonderful thing about these stores.
It's less likely that you will run into people wearing the same thing, and even less likely that people will say "oh that's from Express (the worst store for this) or that's from Banana" because the stores only carry so many items and once you have gone in once, you can totally remember everything they had (especially if you once worked in retail).
Also, very important: check all the sizes! This is really great now, with oversized items being in fashion. I usually wear a small or medium but I always check the large and even extra large for sweaters and tops that I'll wear as tunics with leggings (see pink top post).
5) On a Mission
Last, but not least, is how to shop for something in particular. This takes willpower. You must head ONLY to the sections where you need something. Go there, check it out (if home goods be sure to check near the registers too or in special sections (such as back to college), and if there is nothing there, get out.
Now I admit, I usually always check the shoe clearance, because it's so fast. It's organized by size on the wall so I can just glance over it. I do this because stuff goes fast. When you see something in these stores, you need to buy it or it may not be there next time. Sometimes though, especially with shoes, I will wait until the price decreases. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes they're gone. But if there really is something you want to wait on, try to wait as it will go on sale if no one buys it first. Then, if it's gone, it wasn't meant to be.
Flo's Basic Rules to Shopping TJX Stores
1. Don't be turned off by browsing through racks: that's the fun part, that's why it's called SHOPPING
2. Don't be turned off by the idea of "discount store;" it's a recession, don't be so uptight and snobbish, the quality of most of these items probably beats that crap you bought at a "regular store" for 3 times the price any day
3. Look for quality, especially with shoes and handbags (leather!), as this is most easily assessed by others
4. Browse the clearance: there are some amazing deals here!
5. Browse other sizes/styles: try on an oversized top; try that shirt with all the colors, go for a leopard print skirt: these stores are so cheap you can take risks, and your fashion sense will only be the better for it
6. If looking for something particular, look in that section, then get out
7. Always check here first. Need new wine glasses? Need new shoes? Need a cute dog leash? IT'S ALL CHEAPER HERE (usually, sometimes beat only by Amazon or ridiculous sales).
Questions? Need a lesson? Ask me: I've been doing this since I was in elementary school and my conviction that I can get almost anything at one of these stores has only gotten stronger.
