TJ Maxx

Yes, I'm a big fan of TJ Maxx. Shop there quite often. I would say at least once a month. Always something in there that I want. The main thing I like about TJ Maxx is that it has nice clothes but they are very reasonably priced. You can dress very well for a reasonable price. All of the top brands are there. In addition to that they have excellent cologne, watches and other jewelry. I don't have anything negative to say about them at all. One of my favorite stores.

 

It's hit and miss for me, but always good for a browse and to find the odd item on sale. I tend to look at the clearance for bargains in jeans and cashmere tops or yoga pants, my staples. Another good department is the luggage and bags as they do discount them and you can find some good buys there. I see it as a thrift store with constant stock and I like how they reduce the prices each week. Accessories are good too and I have found a few hats and scarves there that are really cheap.

 

I've always had good luck in their clearance sections. I always check clearance before I look for sale or regular priced items. They always seem to be marking items down, and I've been able to score some really great deals in the past. I got a phone case for my iPhone 4 (when I still had it) for $0.99 because it didn't have a box and the new iPhones had just come out. I've gotten great deals on handbags, wallets, and shoes as well. It's one of the places that I shop most. It's very similar to ROSS and I usually always leave with something good. I just found a Calvin Klein wallet that was originally $98.00 for $12.00. I ended up buying two of them, one for me and one as a present for someone.

 

They really do have some excellent wallets and watches for good prices there. I've found some very nice Nautica and Polo wallets there. Most of them are between $12 and $15. You can ask for a better price than they. If you bought them at a department store they would be upwards of $40 or $50 dollars. I think it's pretty silly to not save that type of money if you can. One area where TJ Maxx needs to improve is in having a wider and better selection of pants. They aren't very good at this point.

 

I'm a big fan of TJ Maxx and Marshalls and similar stores...you can get some great deals on things up to 80% off and I've always found the staff and the overall environment to be friendly and inviting. I find a lot of great steals there during this time of year, in particular.

 

I used to, but then I found a few other outlet stores in my area that had even better deals on stuff like clothing, that put even TJ Maxx to shame.

They have good deals on some items, but then other items are just as much as they are at department stores elsewhere for full price. You need to be careful with what you buy, because they can negate the good price you are getting on one item by over charging you for others. One common thing they do is list the full manufacturers suggested retail price, which is always way more than any store would ever charge you for that product to begin with. I can get men's Chaps/Dockers brand button down dress shirts for $25-$30 at Macys already. I don't need to go to TJ Maxx and get the same shirt "discounted" for $24.99 with a price tag that says it originally sold for "$70".

Same thing with their odd/ends pans and pots. Sometimes they will want like $15-$20 for a pan, which is not even in it's original packaging and may have some damage on it, when I could buy that same pan or a comparable pan for the same price brand new elsewhere.

Plus if you get in the habit of shopping for all your clothing at end of season clearance sales, you can get all that stuff for far cheaper than what you would pay at TJ Maxx for it the following year. I get brand name dress shirts for like $8, that would normally sell at TJ Maxx for like $15-$20.

 

I'm going to do a lot of my Christmas shopping at TJ Maxx. I find that it's one of the best places to save money while at the same time being able to find everyone a gift that they will actually enjoy and/or wear on a regular basis. They sale fairly stylish clothes and I have a couple of younger nieces that I buy for. So, I have to be able to get them something that is actually in style. That's quite easy to do at TJ Maxx.

 

TJ Maxx is a okay place to shop at, but it's still kind of pricey to me. In my early 20s, I used to shop at places like TJ Maxx and similar type of retail stores, but now I have learned how to compare prices and shop better at other places like Thrift stores, Garage sales, Ebay or Amazon. I understand now too, that all prices are arbitrary and can possibly be negotiated. Also, I rather do shopping that I personally select things matching my own style and preferences, than preordain styles and fashion store retailers hire marketers to put out for that specific season or holiday.

 

Can you really find comparable items at comparable prices at garage sales? I'm highly skeptical of that. I've found some cool things at garage sales before. But those great finds are few and far between. It's not as simple as going to any rack at a TJ Maxx and finding something that you can afford and actually like. It's very rare that I find a new or lightly use piece of clothing at a garage sale. As far as Ebay and Amazon, I have never bought clothes off there.

 

Another place you might want to check out, if they have one in your area is Gabriel Brothers. I think they now also go by the name "Gabes". Their clothes are always steeply discounted year round. I often go there for men's Dockers stuff, such as dress pants and socks and belts. They sell Docker's dress pants for under $15 each, whereas they are usually around $60 a pair in places like Macy's. Supposedly they are "irregular" but I've never found any problems with anything I've bought. Their men's Docker's brand socks are also cheap at like $6 a pair vs. about $15 a pair elsewhere. They don't have the greatest selections, but you can still save a lot of money there on the bargains you do find.

I miss the Value City stores. I think they all closed with the exception of their furniture stores. They used to have great prices on their clothing as well. They mainly carried casual and sports wear type clothing, but you could also find a decent selection of dress shirts and jeans and dress pants too. I frequented that place a lot when I was in High School all the way into my early 20's.

 

I've loved TJ Maxx for nearly 20 years but I do have a few issues with them that some people should make a note of.

1. Be very careful of buying food items, especially the ones marked way down (clearance). Once I got an herb blend (like seasoning) and it had bugs in it. Sometimes their Godiva coffee no longer has a scent and when the bag looks beat up, I don't even consider it.
2. Some stores don't have a women's/plus size section. Before my surgery, I was a 22/24 and though they had sizes up to 28, there are some stores in the L.A. area that only go up to size 16. The store near me normally has a nice selection of plus-size clothes but they cleared that section away to make room for holiday items,
3. Buy enclosed items with caution. During my last trip, they had a large number of fragrances marked down. The only thing that interested me was Pink Sugar. However, it was locked in a security case that could only be opened by the cashier. Funny it was the only one in a case like that. When I got it home, perfume exploded everywhere because the glass bottle broke to almost nothing.

 

I love TJ Maxx and Marshall's. The same company owns both of them. I first of all love the low prices. Then I love the selection. I think TJ Maxx has a better selection than Marshall's. T.J. Maxx has a selection that appeals to younger women. Their selection of cologne is fantastic. I like all of that summer ware they had on sale in July and August.

Whereas Marshall's has items that appeal to the whole family. Also, there is another store related to those two. It is call The Home Goods Store.

 

Big Lots, TJ Max, and other stores such as these are great places to shop. They save you a lot of money and you can get some great stuff. Everywhere I go, I always look for stores like these in my area. Unfortunately there is none here. The one they did have, Hunt's, was shut down before we moved here. Wish I could find places like them online.

 

Last year was the first time I had gone back to TJ Maxx after many many years. I was actually very pleased with the things that I found there, originally I went just for some cookware but by the time I had finished I had knocked off a huge portion of the Christmas list. i will go back there this year. Where I made the best buys were in the men's department. I was able to get some of the nicest shirts for my boys at a very good cost. i was glad that I had not got the shirts earlier at JC Penney. I paid about a third of what I would have from Penney's. I got all three of my boys very nice Ruff Hewn shirts and some wonderful timberland socks. When all was said and done I walked with 8 gifts for $65 that was a deal! I agree with whoever said that about the food though- pass it by

 

I also love TJ Maxx (or TK Maxx as we call it in the UK). I usually shop for accessories, clothes and shoes there, but I don't really bother with cosmetics and fragrances as I have my trusted places I faithfully go to for those. The thing I don't like about it is its inconsistency; not all the sizes are always available. Plus if you see something and like it, you better snap it up because if you return on another day it will almost certainly be gone! When I lived in England, I went to browse about two to three times a month and I would always find heaps of clothes I just had to get. You can really find some gems there if you have the patience. I mean TJ Maxx is like one huge ongoing sale, but the clearance section is always worth a look before checking out the rest of the store.

 

I'm torn when it comes to discount clothing stores. On one hand, I can get like 6 or 7 tops for under $50. But in my experience, many of them fall apart or lose their shape after a few washes. It can feel good to find those deals while you are standing in the store, but what good does it do if I am right back there again a few weeks later? I almost would rather spend the $50 on one high quality shirt that will last me for years to come. But if I did that, my wardrobe would not be very versatile.