T.K.Maxx is a subsiduary company of a huge U.S firm called T.J.X, Inc which has 1,300 stores across the whole of North America making it one of the Worlds largest discount retailers. The first T.K.Maxx was introduced to the U.K in 1994 as part of an expansion plan in Europe but the venture was very slow in taking off. However slow as it was, the off-price policy that T.K offers has begun to take off in recent times and there are now 123 stores in the U.K with two more in Holland. T.J.X envisages there being 170 stores in the U.K within three years all making a profit which would mean that nearly every large town and city would have one, so if theres not one near you now, there soon will be !

T.K Maxx's off-price policy basically means that they sell top name brands at discount prices and the reason why they are cornering the niche in this market is that they are offering real designer products, not designer-style products which their competitors offer - how can they do this ???

T.K has a no frills approach to retailing - low overheads, no product tracking, no promotions, no reward cards, no special offers, no fancy displays just tonnes and tonnes of cheap stock ! They have an opportunist approach to buying so their stock varies from week to week. The content on their shelves depends on what buying deals they achieved the week before. Their stores claim to have 50,000 items in stock at any time with 10,000 new items arriving each week.

Upon entering a T.K store, I was confronted by what looked like a big jumble sale, hourdes of people were scouring the rails and shelves which contained masses of items which looked like they had just been dumped. I thought to myself 'Oh my god, I aint gonna get on too well here' but I was wrong. When I go shopping I like to get bargains and just about everywhere I looked were bargains.

So what sort of things do they sell ?

Womenswear - The stock is hung on 20 metre rails in no particular order so you just have to have a good rummage and take pot luck on whether you find anything suitable. They are not sorted in terms of style or size so just get stuck in is my advice. They have casualwear, workwear and sportswear from a huge amount of designer and high street labels. The cost savings can be up to 60%. There are a wide range of styles and lots of things may not suit or seem out of date but there are excellent bargains to be had !

Menswear - The mens stuff lies alongside the Womens on some more 20 metre rails. Again there are hundreds of items of businesswear, casualwear and sportswear at heavily discounted prices. There were some Paul Smith Suits for fifty quid, Peter Werth shirts for a tenner, Levi Jeans for fifteen quid and Nike tops for fifteen quid. All of it was in good condition in various sizes and I must admit I was very impressed and bought a couple of items.

Childrenswear - Kids thesedays are so brand-conscious and can cost a fortune to clothe. If your in that category I'd advise a visit to the kids section where there are some great bargains to be had. The sizes range from 2-14 years and although not everything may seem suitable, it is in good condition.

Lingerie - I enjoyed this section hehe, My missus is quite busty at 38DD and finds it quite hard to find bras to fit her but she was impressed with their selection because they ranged from A-G. The styles are wide ranging from lacy to sporty.

Bear in mind the two stores I have visited have had a large number of changing rooms so with any of the clothing, it is advisable to check it fits nicely first before buying. Disabled changing rooms are also available.

Homeware - The current D.I.Y explosion, no doubt down to the likes of changing rooms style programmes has seen a lot more homeware for sale in shops thesedays. Items such as kitchenware, bed linen, gardenware, scented candles, funky vases, throws, picture frames, cushions and contempory furniture can be found in this section and they are all famous brands and favourite high street names.

Gifts and accessories - This is a good section, especially for finding Christmas and Birthday presents. Stuff found here are slippers, toys, gloves, sunglasses, chess sets, torches, clocks etc etc. I got a pair of Fcuk sunglasses in the summer for fifteen quid !

Shoes - This is a very busy section and you will have to fight your way to the stock - you will be glad you did as they have designer shoes, boots, sandals and trainers with massive savings. Again it is pot luck whether you find the style you want in the size you want but it's a section worth checking regulary because they have daily deliveries.

Jewellery - This is only a new addition to the T.K range and is only available in a handful of stores. If this test is successful then it will be ironed out across the whole network within a year. If you have Jewellery in your store then your a lucky bunny.

Other stuff

T.K.Maxx offers a 30 day return and refund policy which is very handy indeed. Although I havn't used it they do have a specific refund desk so no doubt plenty of folks use this facility. I feel because of the heavily turn-round stock you could buy something on impulse and then regret later so this is something of a back-up for you. All T.K.Maxx stores take all the major credit and debit cards plus cheques as long as they are backed up with a guarantee card. Gift vouchers are also available so if your stuck for a present, you could do worse than one of those. T.K don't offer an on-line ordering service nor do they intend to which sort of goes along with their no-frills approach. Customer service is at a premium (except clothes dept) as not many staff appear to be on the shop floor but the tills are always well manned - I think the policy here is to sell and not advise. An interesting service they do offer is their recycling mobile phone service - hand in your old mobile phone and they give you £3.50, all the monies are donated to charity. An interesting concept which I can see spreading across the retail sector.

In conclusion

T.K wont suit everybody - some people like to go in a shop and find organised stock and be advised on their purchase by a plentiful amount of staff. Some people don't care about price and just want to be served professionally and some people can't stand scouring about for bargains in a jumble sale-like environment but on the other hand some people (me included) like to pick up a bargain or too and if you fall into this category you will love T.K.Maxx. Don't think 'Oh yeah, just another discount store selling tut' on the contrary the stock they sell is anything but tut - this is what sets them apart from the likes of 'What Everyone Wants' and ' T.J.Hughes'. If you visit a T.K.Maxx you will find top brand names at heavily discounted prices - upto 60% off - and to achieve this, they cut out the frills and offer the savings to the customer. Of course customer service isn't the same standard as 'John Lewis' but considering what your paying, you shouldn't expect it to be, they obviously don't invest in their staff like 'John Lewis' do. The stores are very busy and at weekends resemble a free-for-all so If you find something, buy it, don't expect it still be there a week later - the stock turns round at a rapid rate. Like I said not for everybody but in my view, a refreshing new concept to shopping which looks likely to, in the short-term at least, flourish.

T.K.Maxx,
50 Clarendon Rd,
Watford,
Herts,
WD17 1TX,
England.

www.tkmaxx.com

Many thanks for reading and Happy New Year to you all.

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