Buyer beware you may not be paying the cheapest price for clothes (TK Maxx)

Member Name: olly374

Product:	TK Maxx
Date:	15/12/05 (2680 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some cheap items mainly toys, household goods

Disadvantages: Looks like a jumble sale, lots of items not cheaper, some unhelpful staff

There has been a TK Maxx near me for about 5 years but in the first four years I visited it once and walked out in disgust. The sections and clothes rails where not labelled, stuff was thrown all over the place and the shop was too hot. Therefore trying to find something in this mess was to me a shopping nightmare.

What made me try and shop there again was a friend who had found a cheap ballgrown there.

So last summer I went into the store to purchase a handbag. I went in on a weekday and discovered that most of the items where not thrown all over the floor but actually on the shelves and rails they should be on.

The handbag section of the particular store I went into was well organised. I looked at the handbags and quickly realised that that the designer handbags they were selling where at least a year old due to another friend having one of the bags on display and receiving it 12 months ago as a present. (This bag was really nice which is why I remember her getting it. I discovered the cost of the bag when I went to find an evening bag.) The bag was now about a third of the price of what my friend had. I did however manage to find a bag I liked and even though it looked like year old stock from a well known store, I brought it anyway as it was about £10.

As my handbag purchase was a surprisingly painless process, I have sinced popped into TK Maxx shops every now and again. Mostly I leave with nothing as I either find that:
1. The designer clothes are designer names I have never heard off and the items are the same price on the high street for brands I have heard off
2. The store is too messy to bother finding anything
3. Anything that I like is not available in my size.
4. There are other smaller outlet stores that sell designer womens clothes sell similar items for cheaper e.g. coats

For example this weekend I went shopping for a scarf. I discovered two scarves I liked an brought them. I then noticed that there were some pashmina's in the store priced at £20 with a designer name I have never heard off. I have sinced popped into 2 well known high street shops and have found exactly the same colour cashmere pashminas for the same price.

I have used about 4 different Tk Maxx stores and have noticed that only the bigger ones sell any household goods. The household goods are actually cheaper than other stores and are properly branded for example their salt and pepper mills where £4 each there as in other high street shops the same brand was £8 each. Similarly the toys are cheaper than other stores but a lot of the boxes the toys are in are brashed which is not good if the toy is a present.

Lots of the staff in the stores are unhelpful in directing you to the right section if you want a particular item. This makes me feel like the staff don't know the layout of the store themselves and as sections are not clearly labelled the larger stores are a nightmare for people who don't like having a rummage.

TK Maxx also have the policy that you are not allowed to try coats or jackets on in the changing rooms. This is not normally a problem but if you are like a lot of people and buy a coat or a jacket to match an outfit, and have the outfit to put on to see if it matches which can only be done in a changing room than this is a problem.

Summary
TK Maxx is a good shop for those that like rummaging through racks and rails. However the shop is a case of buyer beware that you may not be paying the cheapest price for the item as some of the clothes brands are designer brands that are not well known, and you are probably better of paying the same price from a well known high street shop.

Summary: Buyer beware you may not be paying the cheapest price for clothes