Former TK Maxx employee dishes the dirt – get the biggest bargains at TK Maxx with insider tips: spot yellow labels, check week codes, and know the best times to shop for final clearance deals
One way to work off the festive period is to head to the shops for Boxing Day sales, and one retailer, TK Maxx, is known for offering great bargains.
Eager bargain hunters flood in, desperate and eagle-eyed, ready to snap up designer goods at knocked-off prices. From handbags to homeware, shoppers will “excuse me please” and “Sorry, sorry, can I just…” their way past each other, pushing and jostling to grab the best deals this festive season.
Lou Smith, 28, knows the chaos well. Having worked at TK Maxx for six years, starting as a Christmas temp at 17, she saw every type of customer behaviour imaginable. Speaking to The Sun, she revealed: “I used to be shocked by what some customers did. Now nothing shocks me.” Some shoppers go as far as swapping discount labels or even bringing their own label makers to pay almost nothing.
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Lou juggled her work with school and later university, working in two TK Maxx stores during her time with the chain. “During Christmas and the New Year sales period, I was working up to 35 hours a week while studying full-time,” Lou explained. This is exactly why she is the best person to dish the dirt and give her top tips on bagging a real bargain.
When to shop
In reality, TK Maxx doesn’t run specific Boxing Day sales. Stock is constantly rotated and discounted, meaning the best time for bargains is January. Sharing her expert advice, Lou explained: “There are two major final clearances: one in the middle of the year, and the next in January.” Most stores receive deliveries at least six days a week, usually around 6am, and staff often start earlier to label and display new stock. Lou advised, “If you see a staffer with a label maker, ask them what they have just discounted.”
Colour codes you need to know
When it comes to discounts, not all labels are equal. Red labels indicate a standard markdown, but yellow labels are the “Holy Grail.” They represent final clearance prices, sometimes as low as 20p. Each label also includes the week number when the product arrived, which helps shoppers track how long it’s been on the shelves.
Offering an expert tip, Lou encouraged customers and keen deal seekers, “check the week number,” and “If we are in week 50 and the product you are buying has week five on the label, take the item to an associate and ask them if it has the correct price.” You could be onto a real bargain.
How discounts work
Products are typically discounted by around 30 per cent six weeks after arrival and by another 15 to 20 per cent after eight weeks. Discounts continue every two weeks until the item reaches the lowest possible price, often 20p, during final clearance sales.
Timing is everything
For the best finds, Lou recommends weekday mornings, when fresh stock is most accessible. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are when extra markdowns usually appear. January is the major final clearance window, and late January may even reveal hidden “staff holds” placed strategically on shelves.
Weekend afternoons should be written off as they are usually very busy and likely to just stress you out, Early bird takes the worm is definitely the approach to take here. Make sure to look in the corners and where stock is in abundance to check the back for any hidden items for those staff members who might have set something aside for themselves to pick up later.
Beware the cheats
Not all shoppers play fair. Some try switching labels, and a few even bring their own Kimble guns to reattach tags. “It is illegal and will be spotted at the register when the item is scanned,” Lou warns. “Ultimately, it means big stores lose money, there are less discounts and staff suffer.”
Giving her last golden nugget to savvy shoppers this festive season, Lou encouraged those looking for a bargain to grab anything they want from Boxing Day onwards. “From Boxing Day onwards, if you see something you like, buy it immediately,” because according to Lou, the product will most likely not make an appearance the next day!
