I love shopping at both TJ Maxx and Ross stores for items in my personal life and also for my business. There are so many great deals to be had and these stores. You just have to know what to look for! Today, I thought that I would share with you some insight on both of these stores and how to make them both worth your while on your next shopping trip!
How Do They Get Their Inventory?
Both stores use off-price concepts, meaning that they sell items for less than their retail prices. Most of their merchandise is acquired through “closeouts” and “packaway” purchases. A “close out” refers to when the company buys manufacturer overruns and a “packaway” refers to when a company buys canceled orders both during and at the conclusion of a fashion season and sets them aside for future use. “Packaway” items tend to include fashion basics that can be set aside for a future date.
Ross primarily uses the “closeout” method, which allows them to ship their items to their stores while the item is still in-season. This, then, allows for their customer’s to receive in-season items for discounted prices. TJ Maxx, on the other hand, uses both methods. Depending on what part of a TJ Maxx store that you are looking at, you will notice items that fall into both categories.
Are Their Brands Legit?
This is a great question. Ross stores do not manufacture their own brands. Every item that you find in store comes directly from the manufacturer. The items may have some defects or be irregular, which is clearly marked on the tag, but everything should check out. TJ Maxx, on the other hand, is a different story. TJ Maxx actually manufactures their own clothing and has licensing rights to use designer brand names. Most of these items will say “TJX Europe, Watford” on the tag but not always. It takes a trained eye to know which items are actually from a designer brand and which ones are a designer knockoff manufactured by TJX.
Here is an example of a TJ Maxx designer licensed tag:
*These tags all have a very similar font and look very cheaply made.
How to Read Their Tags
Each store has its own unique sets of tags. Knowing how to read these tags can be helpful when it comes to getting discounts in items and also, can help you to understand why some items are marked differently than others.
Let’s start with TJ Maxx:
There are few things to note when it comes to TJ Maxx tags. First, let’s start with the tag colors, their stickers, and what they mean:
White Tag (No Sticker)- Regular Price
Purple Tag- Items from the Runway collection (designer)
White Tag (Red Sticker)- Clearance Price
White Tag (Yellow Sticker)- Final Clearance Price
Blue Tag- Items with a Coordinating Piece
Knowing what tag is for what will allow for you to create a strategy while shopping in-store or online.
What the Numbers on their Tags Mean
A– Department #
B- Item’s Category # (vague description of item like color, brand, item type)
C– Unique to Ttem SKU#
D- Item’s TJX price
E– Month/Fiscal Week Item Arrived (1-24 Month Period)
F– How Flawed Item Was When Left Manufacturer (Anything greater than 1 indicates flaw)
The most important item to note here is the SKU# on the top of the tag. If you find 2 items that have the same style # and one is cheaper than the other, then the store may have missed a markdown. Definitely ask if you can receive the item for the cheaper price.
Let’s talk about Ross:
Ross does not have as many different tags as TJ Maxx. Usually at Ross, the items have a standard white tag without a clearance sticker or one with one. I have also seen a few colored tags at Ross as well. Based on my observations, these tags will either indicate a designer or contemporary item.
When it comes to discounting their items, Ross will usually do so in increments of 10-20%. That being said, if there is something that you are interested in on clearance, it may be wise to pick it up when you see it. Additionally, the same items can arrive under different shipments with different SKUs. This means that you may find 2 of the exact same item in store marked at different prices. This doesn’t mean that one item is better than another; it just means that these items arrived in two different shipments and the older item received the markdown as it has been in the store longer. Know that Ross will not price match in these instances.
What the Numbers on their Tags Mean
A– Security Tag Code
B- Item’s SKU #
C– Color and Size
Again, the most important item to note here is the SKU number. If you find 2 identical items on clearance with the same SKU, then you can buy both items for the clearance price.
I hope that you found this post helpful!
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