TK Maxx - I bloody love it!

[FlatOnTheHill]

Im new so sorry if this has been done before.
Am I the only one that loves this shop?
All of my girlfriends and women work colleagues hate it.
I can spot quality a mile off. And whilst some stuff is not all that I have bought some lovely things in there. Clothes, shoes, home, even Penhaligons perfume, Christy towels, a Chloe coat, Coach shoes down to 40 quid from £145.
The bags I think have gone downhill. I hate labels that show by the way. But I can spend hours in there, luckily the Lakeside Essex branch has a loo and cafe. Do you love it or loathe it?

in my area -

peterborough - good
corby - good
leicester - not so good
grantham - good

Brighton - Fucking abysmal!

I agree with Brighton. It's the worst TKM I've ever been in and I make it my life's work to get round a fair few.

TKM in Bath is like a gaudy, cheap-looking rummage sale; everything's stuffed on rails and I cba to try and find anything anymore. It's not particularly cheap, I've yet to hear that someone's found a bargain and the bags are over-priced and faux leather. Apart from the soaps I don't buy anything else.

God the one in Harrow is like KMart on Black Friday. It's shocking.

today I am actually wearing a pale biscuit cashmere jumper that I bought in there along with a boden black wool skirt (£19 from £69)

The boden skirt was also from there, for the avoidance of doubt.,

Isle of Wight, good. Southampton, dire. Bournemouth, good.

I love it too. I don't mind the jumble sale, I like the sense of adventure and that it's actually different to the clone-clothes in the mainstream shops. Best to pop in frequently as if they have a delivery of something lovely it goes fast. The homeware is really good quality too. I'm not really bothered if the discounts are inflated as I'd never buy designer stuff in the first place, it's still mostly good quality for what you get for the price. There are definitely brands like Fenn Wright Manson as well as the own-labels.

Lakeside Essex - good
Romford - not very good
Westfield Stratford - awful
Sailsbury - OK

whirly where is yours?

Obviously not Brighton!!

Opi nail varnish, Tula leather bag, jaeger knitwear, cashmere gloves, dune boots are my most recent bargains
I enjoy a rummage in clearance home wear too
Knives are particularly good value
My best recent home wear buy was a tablecloth in a particular pattern which I have been trying to find for over 10 years - outbid on eBay etc - found last week in clearance for £15

Regent road Salford - Brilliant. Have never left empty handed.
Trafford Retail Park (Urmston) - ok but absolutely deserted every time we go. I don't like that. Good kids clothes and toys in that one.
Arndale Centre Manchester - Horrific. It's stuffy, closely stocked and a trip hazard. I feel for whoever has to put the shoes and clothes back. It was so busy the queue for the fitting rooms were at least 30 people long. Some not so shy people were tucking themselves in a corner and trying stuff on there. About 10 years ago I saw a man fighting a woman for a pair of thigh high leopard print boots. I can only imagine he was a drag queen because they were a sight to behold. :o

I think the trick is to go online before you go into the actual shop, and have a good old browse in comfort with a cuppa without the heat, bustle, horrible Muzak and the mania from other shoppers who are as badly affected by the mess as you.

Know what items you are looking for, in what colour and what size. Know who you're looking for clothes for, and what suits them. You need to focus.

You can be in and out in 20 minutes that way.

I've found some beautiful shoes, bags and glasses that way. I've also picked up some lovely cashmere sweaters.

Don't go off for a nosey in other sections until you've done your online reconnaissance! That way is madness and a lost hour, or two, whilst you recover from overload.

I haven't got the Gift, but I've developed a Strategy that works just as well.

Venus, I find that there's very little overlap between the stuff on the website and what's actually in store.

Venus, I find that there's very little overlap between the stuff on the website and what's actually in store.

Well only, it gives me a good idea of what's available there. For sure there are things not on the website, but I find they're in the rummage all day category, and that's somewhere I don't go.

If you're looking for a shoe, or bag, or cashmere, then it's much better to see what's available online. They can order it in if its not available in your local shop.

If you don't have the Gift, a Strategy can work just as well. Using the website to hone your search might be useful for some. I always ask staff to help me find the things I know from my online recon I want to look at instead of rummaging if they're not where I expect them to be. The staff are very obliging I find.

I think it's also important to remember, TKMaxx won't solve all your wardrobe requirements!

Maybe my store is very different to yours, Venus. I find that the selection online is MUCH smaller than in the shop (and I'm not just meaning the 'rummage' section).

I genuinely find that the website stock bears hardly any relation to what's in the shop. Interesting that you mention the cashmere –the selection of cashmere jumpers currently online is very small but the shop is awash with them.

As I say, maybe the stores just vary.

At the moment I'm in to their Hair shampoos and conditioners , I've been using their Brazilian conditioner for frizzy hair , big bottle , very good . So much better than Boots hair products , which are expensive and the usual blah blah , .

Maybe I have the knack but over the past couple of weeks I've picked-up some Versace shirts, Private White overcoat and Cheaney boots for DH at humungous discounts. Very pleased with myself.

I tend to treat the stores and the website as two separate things too - there's so much variation between what I find in my local branch, and then in a city branch, and then online. A lot of it seems to be pretty random drops - I guess given how many TKMaxxes there are now, you'd have to have really massive orders to have much of anything throughout the whole network?

Edinburgh bargain seekers rejoice! That never ending building work in St Andrews Square opposite Jenners will be the biggest TK Maxx in the UK outside of London.

(also all kinds of rumours of exciting restaurants etc but as yet unconfirmed).

Hate it. You go in looking for an age 8 hoody or something and all they have is a skimpy summer top in the middle of winter, an Elsa dress and a pair of sallopettes in the size. It's like an overpriced jumble sale to me. You can actually see on the racks clothes with holes in.

Yet, there's always a big queue for the till in there so I don't think you're alone op.

I think if you're the kind of shopper to browse at your leisure, sift through to pick out the nice bits, having nothing in mind you need to get, it's probably lovely. But if you've got half an hour to get something you need for tomorrow, it's hopeless.

if you're the kind of shopper to browse at your leisure, sift through to pick out the nice bits, having nothing in mind you need to get, it's probably lovely. But if you've got half an hour to get something you need for tomorrow, it's hopeless.

Not to blow my own trumpet , but I have found excellent bargains in both categories. Maybe I just have TK Maxx-dar.

Brixton - good

Purely Way, Croydon - very good (plus Ikea is there too and a John Lewis at Home store)

Southside wandsworth - ok home department is small

Lewisham - not so good the home department is rubbish compared to the others