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10 Things You Didn’t Know About Marshalls and T.J. Maxx

Recently I attended the Marshalls and T.J. Maxx Holiday Blogger trip where I learned many things I didn’t know about the two stores.

On the trip flight, accommodations, transportation, and meals were provided.

While there I was surprised about the amount of information I didn’t know about either Marshalls or T.J. Maxx even though I consider myself a seasoned bargain shopper!

Here’s a list of some of the things I learned at the event last week.

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Marshalls and T.J. Maxx

1. Each of their 1700 stores received 10,000 items a week. Some stores get shipments every day, some a couple of times a week. Store owners never know what the shipments will contain. Every time you shop it’s like walking into a new store.

2. No Coupons and No Sales (even Black Friday). Marshalls and T.J. Maxx know that by using coupons or sales the customer will hold off on purchasing an item and instead wait for a sale. They would rather the customer purchase the item right away, especially because their merchandise is always changing. While they are not offering any special deals or coupons for Black Friday, they are open at 7 am – and don’t forget about those 2300 iPads that will be shipped to stores this week!

3. Customer Study: A social anthropologist studied the average Marshalls and T.J. Maxx shopper. It was found their typical customer is a glass-half full person. They are usually open minded and love the thrill of the hunt. They don’t go into the store with an objective, instead they are motivated by “What am I going to find today?”

4. For the Guys: Half of the Marshalls and T.J. Maxx customer base are men.

5. Flexible “No Walls” Concept: Their buyers can purchase 5 or 500 of an item because not all of the stores carry the same merchandise. This allows the buyers to purchase large quantities to carry in all stores or only a few pieces to carry in select stores.

6. Marshalls and T.J. Maxx are able to pass on great value to their customers because:

  • Their buying team is made up of great negotiators who travel 40 weeks or more per year to 60 different countries (vs. department stores who buy seasonally).
  • They buy direct from the vendors and designers. They save money by cutting out the middle- man as well as owning and running their own distribution centers
  • They offer certainty to the vendors and designers: they will pay on time, they never return merchandise to vendors, and they don’t come back to the vendor or designer asking for advertising money.

7. Don’t Pay for the Display: At Marshalls and T.J. Maxx they maintain low prices by keeping operating costs low – no carpets, no fancy mannequins, no fancy fixtures, etc. This allows them to offer quality merchandise at a great price.

9. Biggest Myth: The biggest myth about the two stores is that, “In order to offer the products at such low prices, there must be something wrong with them.” This is not true. Only 5% of their goods are irregular and those that are will be clearly marked. The irregularity is also something that the average customer will not notice.

9. Defining Value: Marshalls and T.J. Maxx only sell merchandise that meets the following qualifications:

  • Fashion – it must be a fashion classic or an on-trend, current season style
  • Quality – it must be first quality. They never compromise on this.
  • Brand – it must be a designer or brand name that customers know, trust, and will be proud to own.
  • Price – it must be negotiated to sell for up to 60% less than if found in a department or specialty store.

10. Marshalls and T.J. Maxx are not Discount Stores: They are off-price stores. The difference is this – off-price stores sell brand name and designer merchandise, while discount stores primarily sell private label merchandise. The discount stores may offer some designer names but the difference lies in the quality of the merchandise. A blouse selling at a discount store for $29.99 was manufactured to sell at that price. At off-prices stores like Marshalls and T.J. Maxx a brand name or designer blouse selling for $29.99 was manufactured to sell at approximately $50.

 



Comments

  1. I went to TJ Maxx when I had some free-time on my hands, and I was very surprised at what they in stock. In the teens section for my daughter I found Hollister, A&E, and Abercrombie and Fitch. What I did realize though is the the tag on the sweatpants from Hollister said “L” while the size of it was obviously a small. So that got my thinking that TJ bought those pants because of the mistake. The thing that got me the most excited at the store was the PURSES! They had wallets by Ivanka Trump (, Ivanka is just beautiful) Coach and Burberry. The prices were amazing, the Coach bag selling for $79 when originally it was about $150. They had Lady Gaga’s perfume “Fame” for $15, CHI straighteners for $79. I couldn’t contain myself, so I had to buy everything that I liked. If you ever go there, don’t expect to walk out empty handed. TJ Maxx is my new favorite store!!

  2. I shop T.J. maxx and have been able to find some great deals. I like that you never know what you will find when you go in. They have a really good selection of home and bath items.

  3. I’m so happy with Marshall and T.J. Maxx, especially when there’s no special sale or event going on at the store or mall. They’ve helped me save a lot. And I’ll continue to shop with them :)

  4. I am going through the same thing right now. I have never heard of movmoer until now, will have to check it out! I have recently decided that it was time to get thte old me back, i am so tired of looking in the mirror and not recognizing myself.I am really bad about not wearing make-up unless we are going out somewhere, which is only a few times a week. And the hair issue i have completely given up on. I really miss the old me somedays. I just started working out again and hope that maybe this will push me in the right direction to only use stretchy pants for working out and not for everyday wear, and pulling myself up out of the momfunk as i call it and being fabulous again! good luck to us both!

  6. Many thanks for spreading this kind of fantastic content material on your site. I ran into it on the internet. I will check back again when you post more aricles.

  7. I am curious to know what the difference is between Marshall’s and TJ Maxx? I have a Marshall’s close by but would prefer a TJ Maxx as I find they have a better selection of designer items!

  8. Your trip totally sounds like a dream trip to me. And being the Maxxinista that I am (I couldn’t resist that), I pretty much knew everything you mentioned above. It pays to frequent the stores. I’ve also learned from past mistakes that if you see it? You should buy it. Don’t wait and think about it because it will be gone!

  14. Interesting facts! I love the “Don’t pay for the display” – I’d much rather save the money than see a beautiful product display. I can use my imagination! :)
    As an avid coupon clipper, I would argue that with no coupons or sales, they are missing out on customers such as myself that would purchase items at the store that offers the best price. However, I’m sure their marketing team has done research on what works best for their customer demographic…but it’s food for thought! :)

  15. We don’t have Marshalls and T.J. Maxx in Canada. It sucks. I always watch their commercials and wish….for one day.

    • I can’t say for sure, but I would think this information holds true for Home Goods as well because it is also owned by the T.J. Maxx and Marshalls parent company, TJX. I do have to admit that I went into Home Goods for the first time today – I had no idea what I was missing! From what I saw it seemed to be set-up in a similar fashion as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, but I’m going to look into it and let you know what I find out tomorrow.

      *Updated
      Here’s the info I received from TJX about Home Goods:

      “HomeGoods is also an off-price retailer,owned by the same parent company that owns TJMaxx and Marshalls. Most of these points apply to HomeGoods stores, with a few differences:

      HomeGoods has more than 330 off-price concept stores throughout the United States, each of which receives new shipments every week, so there’s always something new to discover. HomeGoods does not do coupons or sales because we offer the same high-end, designer goods found in department stores and specialty stores at significant savings every day. HomeGoods’ also has a customer profile that is similar to that of T.J.Maxx and Marshalls. The flexible, no-walls concept – using simple fixtures and displays – does apply to HomeGoods as well, allowing their buyers to travel the globe 40 weeks or more per year to more than 60 countries to snag the best deals directly from designers. Like T.J.Maxx and Marshalls, HomeGoods is also known for offering certainty to the vendors they work with by paying on time, not returning merchandise, and never asking for advertising money. The biggest myth about HomeGoods is that the merchandise is past season – which is not true! All HomeGoods merchandise is current season and on trend. HomeGoods also defines value as Quality, Brand, Fashion and Price. ”

  18. TJMaxx and marshalls are 2 of my fave stores that I definitely don’t visit often enough. I like the difference between discount and off-prices stores too, makes a lot of sense.

  20. This is great information! Do you know if the iPads will be sold off price? I think it would be cool to be one of their buyers. We love our TJ Maxx stores. Thanks for the great info and hope you had fun in Boston!

    • Yes. They said the iPads will be sold off-price, but wouldn’t say how much or at what locations they would be. I’m stalking my stores this week in hopes I find them!

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