TKMaxx Out Your Credit Card (TK Maxx)

Member Name: GuruOnAMountain

Product:	TK Maxx
Date:	19/09/04 (2540 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You can find a bargain here., The company has links with charities., The Checkout staff are usually friendly.

Disadvantages: Messy layout., Clothes on sale can sometimes be horrible, or still quite expensive., Staff on the floor are hard to get a hold of and aren't all that helpful, in my experience.

The TK Maxx that I normally frequent is a funny sort of place. First of all, the entrace is tucked away in between two shops and is hardly noticeable. Second of all you have to go down a huge escalator down deep into the bowels of the earth to get to the goodies inside. Lastly, it is, like most TK Maxx stores, almost blindingly white inside.

I often wonder if I'm the only person who frequently shops there due to these three factors. So what is it that just makes me keep coming back?

Well, for a start, TK Maxx promises brand name clothes at reduced prices. It's true that I've found my fair share of bargains. I found a nice pair of Skechers trainers for only a tenner once and they often sell cartoon socks for a pound or two a pair, compared to the £4 you would pay for the same socks in Claire's Accessories or somewhere similar. They are usually selling a plethora of brand name jeans at very reduced prices, too, so they are second to none when it comes to value for money.

Most TK Maxx stores are fairly spacious, with departments catering for women, men, kids and usually even home furnishings, toys, bags, purses etc. on sale. However, my one main gripe with TK Maxx is its tendency to be downright messy. Clothes tend to be arranged by size on racks, but you really have to raid through them to find what you're looking for. Also, often they'll only have one item in a particular style on sale. The shoe section is probably the worst when it comes to mess. Both shoes in a pair are displayed on the racks and the theory is that you take the shoes, try them on, and take them up to the cashier if you want them, return them to the racks if you don't. Unfortunately, the inevitable happens. People try shoes on, decide they don't like them and leave them on the floor, so you usually find yourself stepping over huge piles of shoes to look at the racks yourself. Don't get me wrong, I understand that this can happen and it's not easy to keep the place clean, but I've never seen staff picking up the shoes. I work in a shoe shop myself, and although it is a tedious task, making sure we pick up any shoes discarded on the floor and returning them to their shelf or place in the stock room is one of the top priorities.

What's more, toy boxes tend to be bashed, ornaments tend to be damaged and clothes can often be marked. You feel like you're looking through the biggest bargain basement and oddments sale in the world when you're shopping here, at times.

The TK Maxx company started in America, and has now almost 2000 shops in the USA and Canada. They've only been in the UK for 10 years (at the time of writing), but have 150 shops here already. They claim to have close links with charities such as the NCH, which is a nice touch. It's unusual to hear a company mentioning charities at all, never mind giving links to the charities on their website etc.

The staff in TK Maxx aren't the type to wander around trying to cajole you into buying, which is nice as I like to browse on my own, but they aren't the most helpful either, in my experience. I've only had to ask for assistance twice, but both times it took my ages to find a member of staff and when I did they were vague and unhelpful. However, from my experience, the checkout staff are very friendly and chatty. I suppose that in a store as large as TK Maxx, especially when it has a rather messy layout and displays are all over the place, it would be hard for them to keep on top of things and know exactly what's on sale, so it's not exactly their fault that they're a bit vague, but I think this is an issue the company should address.

I often find that a lot of the clothes on sale in TK Maxx are rather unpleasant, and some of the nicer stuff is still quite expensive and you're not making a great saving, but they do always seem to have sale racks out, and you can sometimes come across a real bargain skimming through these.

All in all, TK Maxx is a good store to browse in if you have the time, and you might just find a good bargain here. However, it is definately not the kind of place you could go into if you were in a hurry and wanted to pick up a jacket, top, trousers etc. quickly and then zoom out as you really do have to be prepared to rake. It's definately worth a look, though, so if you ever come across one and have time to spare, pop in and see what you can spend your hard earned cash on.

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