They had to peel me off the floor from the moment I laid eyes on The Runway at Maxx collection at T.J. Maxx. At  an instant I knew that I couldn’t be a Philly Fashionista without also being a Maxxanista.

There I was in a seemingly unassuming shopping center in the presence of some of the most desirable high-end fashions imaginable…all on a budget, of course. I can honestly say that before this fateful trip I did not so much as utter designer names like Lanvin, Miu Miu and Versace in the same paragraph let alone sentence as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls.

But with an entirely new perspective and a newly found appreciation for T.J. Maxx, I dove into their racks and began to explore some their best offerings. Now, this was something to rave about! I searched though such labels as Helmut Lang, 2 B Rych, Vince, L.A.M.B., LaROK Luxe, Tibi and Cynthia Steffe, just to name a few. In the end I successfully found three items that I couldn’t live without. Which is always the goal of a shopping trip, if you ask me. And in case you were wondering how my fitting room experience went, here are a couple of looks I picked out. Can you guess which I ended up taking home with me?

I was partial to The Runway at Maxx collection, which is why I chose to visit the St. David’s location, but as a general rule, I have always been a fan of T.J. Maxx and Marshalls. Their home section has never disappointed and they’re a great place to buy tights and workout equipment.

As a parting note, I will leave you with my TIPS on how to have a worthwhile trip T.J. Maxx and Marshalls:

1. Go on a weekend or a weeknight night when you don’t have time restraints. There is just so much to choose from and look through that you really don’t want to miss out and not make the most of your trip.

2. Always find out when the shipments come in and try to go on those days. As excited as you may be about designer fashions, so are a lot of other savvy shoppers, so get there when the goods come in and leave nothing to chance. Your experience with the store will be completely different when you find it fully stocked with your favorite things. Each store gets over 10,000 new items in EACH week and you want to be the first to see it.

3. Frequent visits to T.J. Maxx and Marshalls will translate into more finds. I know that it sounds like common sense, but one thing to know is that T.J. Maxx and Marshalls buyers are constantly on the road, traveling over 40 weeks a year to get the latest and greatest merchandise. Department stores usually buy seasonally and let their in-store merchandise dwindle down but at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls there’s a constant influx of new apparel and specialty items. I know that the big misconception is that their products are last season, but that’s just not the case. Oftentimes you will find the same products at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls as other stores who are selling them without a discount.

There are no full proof ways to shop during a recession, but visiting T.J. Maxx and seeing what they have to offer is definitely a start. Happy shopping on a budget, ladies and gents!

-Biana

Tweet