TJ Maxx / TK Maxx

[thesiren]

does anyone have a list of what stores are doing this "test"?

 

[ChrissyM]

does anyone have a list of what stores are doing this "test"?

from the article that lucy posted and another that I've read I believe they are only starting with two stores in Massachusetts-- Framingham and Sudbury-- but they will be expanding to other as yet unnamed locations in later weeks/months

 

[thesiren]

right, i gathered that.

it mentions "25 test sites" though, so i was wondering what the stores might be if anyone knew.

 

[ChrissyM]

i went to the framingham store today and overheard some of the locations... one of them was bedford (i'm guessing these are all in MA)

my mother was talking while i was trying to eavesdrop so unfortunately i couldn't really make out a whole lot more...

but just to update...
in terms of brands there was prada, miu miu, valentino, dolce & gabbana, sweetface, some isabella fiore shoes, coach duffel bags, kate spade wallets, prada headbands, high-end jeans, sunglasses from gucci, exte (i think but can't say for sure--might be confusing with a different brand).. also some other brands of sunglasses but most were in unusual shapes and colors--not that the selection was huge...

on the whole it reminded me a bit of the vault at filene's basement in boston... cheaper than retail but not necessarily the best deal you've ever seen..

i think they may have added some higher end jewelry as well but didn't really look too carefully...

not a whole lot to speak of in the handbag department...

there were more brands available but i think i already listed the most notable and I honestly can't remember right now anyway...

 

[Trista]

I hope they have some of that coming in the Seattle area!!!

 

[Skirt]

We just got a TJMaxx & it has a great selection of makeup, but it just opened and thus, even after a ton of digging, the most I was able to find was a Calvin Klein hoodie that was huge on me. Not even fashionably huge, more like.. This-swallows-me-whole huge.

 

[lucy92]

initially i thought the TJ maxes were going to be receiving bloomingdales and barneys leftover...but TJ maxx are also contacting private label clothing companies in mass and soliciting leftovers from them. they are also asking companies to create collections for TJ maxx.

i hope they start contacting european companies too. occasionally, ive seen kookai and zara stuff in there.

 

[lucy92]

http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/482465.html

this news story said the "runway at tj maxx" will be at 40 stores including one in durham, nc.

http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2006/08/t_j_maxx_to_unv.html

stores in mass: Bedford, Cambridge, Framingham, and Sudbury.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060901/FEATURES01/609010355/1026

MI Stores: Bloomfield Hills (Square Lake and Telegraph) and Birmingham (13 Mile and Southfield).

http://www.cleveland.com/weblogs/print.ssf?/mtlogs/cleve_shopcleveland/archives/print180708.html

OH stores: T.J.Maxx store on 27149 Chagrin in Woodmere (just west of Eton)

 

[Skirt]

As if I needed more reason to desperately miss Massachusetts..

 

[katie-licious]

I TKMaxx!! Mainly because I am poor - but I love rummaging - it's like an amazing jumble sale!!

 

[thesiren]

if anyone is in houston, the tj maxx on west gray (next to the marshall's mega home store or whatever) is one of these runway places. the selection is tons of crap. the saddest miu miu, prada, d&g, just cavalli and michael kors stuff you'll ever see in your life. and it's already a mess. there was a $3000 michael kors sweater marked down to $900 that looked as if someone had gotten dust all over it. it already had snags too!

the best thing was denim (yanuk, antik, earnest sewn), but as mentioned in this thread, designer denim seems to be pretty abundant in these places.

 

[punky]

I went today and didnt see anything i would buy, they had lots of designer jeans but they all had crazy pockets and patch like stuff that was cool a few years ago. they also had a bunch of ed hardy and grail.

 

[ChrissyM]

^^ i saw a bunch of ed hardy hats at tj maxx the other day.. was definitely not interested

i bought a cool pair of brown wedge boots there a few weeks ago.. i'll have to post a pic..

anyway, a few days ago i bought an Elie Tahari jacket at tjmaxx..

I didn't realize what a great deal i had gotten until i just googled elie tahari, and checked out what they had on bluefly to see how much similar pieces would go for..
imagine my surprise when i saw the same exact jacket

I managed to buy it on clearance for $175...

bluefly is selling it for $305.. which is brought down from $358, and a supposed retail value of $598 (who can really trust bluefly for the true retail amount though

)...
though i did see their jackets on the neiman marcus site for about that much so it can't be too far off...

either way i'm feeling better about the deal i got because i don't usually pay so much for stuff i buy at tjmaxx

this just goes to show once again that you can't beat the deals at tjmaxx

(if you click the pic/link you can see a better pic of the jacket and details)

pic from bluefly.com

 

[ChrissyM]

i figured while i was in here i would post an update on what i've been seeing at the stores lately..

about a week ago i was at the framingham, ma store (down the street from the corporate offices)
I didn't have a whole lot of time to browse but i quickly looked through the "runway" section...
at lot of stuff was on sale but the prices for the most part didn't tempt me..

the same orange-y/beige patterned prada shirt dresses were still there (they've been there since the debut of the runway thing).. i think the fabric on the dresses is too thick/stiff/not soft to justify the price--whether or not it's prada

some sweetface long dresses were also on sale (also there since the beginning)

they have some nice valentino long coats ($$$) in sort of bigger sizes... good for older women... would look odd on anyone under 30 i think...

i think the selection in terms of accessories has decreased.. there are some bulgari wallets and belts (all monogramed, and pink/beige i think )
i haven't noticed anything in terms of sunglasses, headbands etc..

for bags they've got the usual dooney & burke.. when it's not monogramed it usually looks good (saw some nice leather satchels/messengers (?) at another location)
i was excited to see a marc by marc bag--though it was definitely not one of the best designs and the leather felt hard... it was a green/blue/turquoise color with a navy strap and a silver buckle thing that was attached to the zipper so this big buckle would have to be unclasped in order to unzip the bag--good for thwarting pickpockets but not much else
i don't want something i'm going to have to struggle with everytime i try to get something out of my bag

i'm hoping at least that the appearance of a marc by marc bag is a good sign that there will be more (and better) marc by marc to come..
crossing my fingers

 

[angela xx]

so should we expect what we find depending on where we live?
like the tj maxxes in places like say, NY would be a lot more likely to have worth while items than a place like Maryland?

 

[messe_de_minuit]

Last year in London TK Maxx there was a lot of high end stuff, both in Hammersmith and Clapham Junction branches. I even saw a Marni coat in Hammersmith. CJ had a lot of garish Pucci stuff last year. Hammersmith had some silk see by chloe blouses a couple of months back. The CJ branch had a weird cube shaped black Gucci double G print bag for £99 this past weekend. It was small and a strange shape for a bag.

I've seen Lulu Guinness, Bric's and Osprey bags in various branches in the past. Lots of Osprey bags in at the moment.

I saw some Prada mens' suits in the Croydon branch before Christmas.

I've bought Givenchy and Ray Ban sunglasses in UK TK Maxx for £20 each. I've also seen sunglasses by Celine, Loewe, Fendi, Chanel (awful pale blue lenses), Ralph Lauren, Valentino, Etro, Missoni, Max Mara..... They start getting them in around March I think with deliveries right through the summer. It's best to go several times.

 

[ChrissyM]

so should we expect what we find depending on where we live?
like the tj maxxes in places like say, NY would be a lot more likely to have worth while items than a place like Maryland?

i don't think that all NY stores will necessarily be better than all maryland stores.. or any other region for that matter

i think that it really depends on each individual store and the specific town or location...
some have more "urban" clothing... rockawear, sean john etc because ppl that fit that demographic live in the area while other stores might carry more high end items..

like messe_de_minuit mentioned.. it's best to sort of check in often because they get new stuff in all the time

there are 3 tjmaxx locations that i go to for the most part.. one of them i rarely find good things in--but the point is, i usually know what to expect when i go into each of them.. and though there is some overlap in merchandise it is like they are three different stores in some ways..

 

[Julz]

Both stores in my area have this Designer department mentioned in the thread...but its full of mostly disappointing items.

 

[Feline]

I find TK Maxx very hit or miss - the York one is like a jumble sale, but I've had a couple of pairs of jeans, a long suede coat & several pairs of Doc Martens (when I was into them!) The Harrogate one is better laid out and I've had some really nice clothes from there and some household things. I've also had some great underwear. I've yet to try the Lincoln one.

 

[snowqueen]

^^ tk maxx is great for homewear .. brought many a nice last minute house warming gift from there.
the udnerwear is good as its all the off sizes as well so i can actually get my size 4 or 6 knickers