The thrill of the hunt at discount stores

Someone on a message board wanted advice for how to shop at discount stores like TJMaxx or Marshalls. Others offered helpful tips on how to get good at going through racks looking for labels, because otherwise you'd spend all day trying to look for stuff. Things are often thrown together and searching through it all requires some patience as well as knowing exactly what you are looking for.

These types of stores are good for two things: finding "designer" or popular or high end goods cheap and finding on-trend stuff, often weeks before the "regular" stores get similar items, at lower prices (though often not with the big names). What's great about them, for folks like us, is that it's easy to find things in every size since they have everything from 0 through plus/women's sizes.

I liken the experience to shopping at thrift stores. Finding the real gems require frequent visits, patience, and luck. The first thing I do is head for the clearance racks. I've scored at dirt cheap prices Havaianas flip flops and C&C California t-shirts that way. Even at their "regular" prices I've managed to score deals on a Harajuku Lovers bag (just weeks after they were in the dept. stores) and Juicy Couture stuff at my local TJMaxx. I once found a pair of Kitson shoes for $24.99. In addition, I've found a lot of nice suits for less than $75. Sometimes you're not always so fortunate...I found a rack of Antik jeans at TJ-land, but of course all were too small for me. Ditto for a pair of Paper Denim Cloth jeans selling for $25. There was a great set of Betsey Johnson pajamas on clearance at a Marshalls, but they only had a medium left.

Oh well...my additional advice on this message board was to get to know when new shipments arrive. If new things come in Thursday or Friday, most of the good stuff will be gone by Sunday evening. Stores located in well-off areas tend to carry the best items. There's a Marshalls in Loma Santa Fe, near a very wealthy area of the county, where every now and then a shipment of Marc Jacobs or Cynthia Rowley will arrive. A Marshalls in LaJolla had a huge selection of designer shoes. The Loehmann's and Nordstrom Rack in Mission Valley have top brands in just about everything. I'm also convinced that stores in some states just get better merchandise than others. I've found way better stuff in Southern California than at the very same stores in Virginia.

Finally, if you are buying any of their "house" labels or anything you're not familiar with, be sure and try before you buy. I've found that sizes can vary. Once I got a nice long denim skirt that fit perfectly even though it was a size below my usual, while I've found stuff in my size that was a little small.

Happy hunting!