It’s no secret I adore Marshalls and TJ Maxx. To me, it’s like hunting or the female equivalent of football. You never know what you are going to find and every trip yields a trove of off price treasures. Aside from walking into the store and smelling the leather from brand new leather sling backs, it’s safe shopping. Every item in the store is legit, real and genuine. You will NOT find a knockoff hiding anywhere. Which you may be facing when you buy goods on say…eBay. In fact, one can often find the original tags on items. That is just one of the reasons I adore Marshalls and TJ Maxx.

*Marshalls/TJ Maxx is the largest off-price retailer. That means a bigger buying power.

*Buyers only look for goods that can be sold at a bare minimum of 60% off.

* Less than 5% of T.J. Maxx’s inventory is imperfect. If it is imperfect or last season it will be on clearance. Also the company guarantees 85% of stocked products are current season. BONUS: Anything that isn’t sold goes to charity!

*Marshalls tends to be aimed at the general consumer while TJ Maxx targets the younger crowd.

*It’s not outlet lines. If something is designed for an outlet it will say so on the tag and I have never found an outlet item in my many shopping experiences.

Because I love a challenge, I gave myself a $100 budget to create an entire look of popular designer name brand look. I needed a new fall look and found plenty of options. Immediately I walked in and found the Steve Madden Caryssa pump I had been eyeing at Nordstrom. It was $90 at the department store. It would have eaten my entire outfit budget if I paid retail. Thanks to Marshalls, I could scoop up the exact same black pump for $49.99. Then a black bootie called to me. Low and behold, an Enzo Angiolini Kaleb bootie that has been sold out everywhere was perched on a stand for just $60.

I further ventured into their huge selection of shoes to envy the line of boots before I stumbled into the kids section where I spotted a pair of adorable blue Stewart Weitzman sandals in my niece’s size for $8 on clearance! I moved to the dress section and found a warm but sexy black Calvin Klein zip collar dress. It was simple, classic and flexible as to where I could wear it. It was a mere $35 of my budget. It left me plenty of cash to accessorize it. I am a bit of hat girl and love to play with bold colors so I wanted something that caught your eye but not make the look gaudy.

A little blue cap caught my eye as the offerings of fall were all around the entire store. It was a Jessica Simpson designed cap, but the $10 price tag along with the fact that I actually found cute sold me. Then, when shopping in the forest of handbag options, a cobalt blue Steve Madden bag practically waved at me and said “Hellllllooo darling!” The original tags were still attached and retailed for $98. Again, that was my entire budget. Thanks to Marshalls, I nabbed it for $39!

Other treasures also tempted me. A red Ellen Tracy bag was boldly luring me. It too still had the original tags on it. It boasted a retail price of $120. Marshalls was selling it for $29.99. Then a black DKNY bag caught my eye. Once again, the original tags demanded $175 while Marshalls only asked for $80. Next I found a Kenneth Cole wallet for just $14.99 with original tags pricing it at $60. Next I opted for some sunglasses. I warred with two pair…a $15 Miu Miu aviator-esque won the battle against some Michael Kors shades that were also under $20.

The stores offering don’t stop there. They carry everything from coffee to cookware. Electronics, furniture, beauty products (they were well stocked on Philosophy products yesterday!), hair styling products, linens, towels, toys and even seasonal items which have swimsuits and beachwear to back to school items and now Halloween costumes and décor are all available off price.

So what did I walk away with for $100? A Calvin Klein dress, a Steve Madden bag, a blue cap by Jessica Simpson and a pair of Miu Miu sunglasses. All are the exact same quality, items and current season as what you’d find at department stores, but had I taken my budget to those department stores I would have only been able to walk away with the cobalt blue bag. It was like getting the dress, sunglasses and cap for free!

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