TK Maxx

[Downunderduchess]

I’m in Sydney & have never shopped at TK Maxx before. Can you tell me your best find? The shop nearest where I live is not in my usual shopping precinct so am thinking if it’s worth a special trip. I have heard it’s hit & miss. Wondering what lovely bargains you have found there.

I’ve found some fab massimo dutti bargains recently eg cashmere jumpers for £9.99
I have narrow feet and buy Brazilian shoes eg bottero for £10-£20
Last week found a lovely lulu Guinness leather bag for £80

I pretty much always buy my jeans And sports wear (not trainers) at TK Maxx.

I’ve had lots of random clothing bargains - sunglasses, knitwear, dresses but you have to buy when you spot stuff. Back when I had to attend a formal ball and a formal cocktail thing annually I’d buy from their formalwear rail if I happened to spot something.

I also buy a lot of household stuff there. Bedding, towels, kitchen stuff and pet stuff mainly.

Buy lots from there but you have to have time to mooch. Best bargain was a Calvin Klein leather biker jacket for £125 instead of about £400.

Lipstick queen lipsticks - £7 down from £20.

French sole ballet flats - £30 down from £100+.

Miller Harris perfume - £30 down from £70

I rarely bother with the clothes. I tend to go to the accessories, like tights, knickers and socks. Plus home wear (bedding and kitchen accessories).

You can get some great bags, sometimes a deal on perfume/skin care/hair care etc.

I sometimes get 'shaper' knickers there. My friend gets bras. An ex flat mate got all her ski gear at another branch (Ken High Street)

Love the bedding too. Also often some good glassware and unusual plates etc.

It used to be my go-to shop. I rarely bother these days. This is partly because my local branch turned to shit - others may be better - and because they're too random in size and quality for me to trust their website.

I also realised that some of these labels are not what they seem, that sone things (mainly clothes) that have a high end label are not made to the same standard as other items sold under that brand. This would be fine if the label made that absolutely clear but it doesn't any more. It means you no longer know whether you're looking at something that didn't make the grade, a past season item or - increasingly - something substandard that's been knocked out and packaged specifically for TK Max.

In its heyday I bought some great things but I've also bought so much crap that overall it would probably have been cheaper to pay full price for the good stuff.

That said, if I was near a decent branch, I would probably still go as I enjoy a good rummage - and boy do you have to rummage - but I would check out anything I found very carefully and sceptically.

When I say 'mainly clothes' I mean that's mainly what I used to buy from them. I don't know enough about their other stuff to say whether it applies there too.

I've bought make up from their online store. People tend to open them and swatch them. If you order online they're fully sealed

I've just bought a beautiful Devotion dress for £64 from £200 (still on their website) and a £60 American vintage black l/s top for £12!!! Both ordered on the website.

@chunkyrun Covid means the makeup is being placed in little sealed plastic pockets with the openings security tagged. I’m enjoying not having fingers rammed in everything

My best find is a Ralph Lauren embroidered silk wrap skirt with an RRP of, I believe, several hundred pounds.
I bought it for £9.

I hardly ever wear skirts. But, you know, I make an exception for this one occasionally.

Compared to the TKMaxx in the UK, I think the Sydney stores are a waste of time. I haven’t tried Hurstville yet. I love a good mooch round when visiting England and have had some great buys over there so was really keen to see what would be in the Australian stores. It’s probably all the stuff that doesn’t sell overseas! A bit jumble sale really. You may be lucky with exercise gear.