I’m a shopping expert – the four tricks TK Maxx uses to make you spend more revealed and how to avoid them
TK Maxx is one of the best spots to pick up designer gear for less – but some little-known tricks could have you spending more money.
Retailers regularly employ different tactics to keep you in their stores for longer and blow more cash.
But you should always stay savvy to make sure you’re only picking up what you actually need.
TK Maxx uses a number of tricks aimed at getting you to part with your hard-earned dough.
Shopping expert Tom Church revealed four you should take note of.
He’s the co-founder of shopping latestdeals.co.uk, which shares deals, vouchers, freebies and competitions with two million members.
Shoes at the back of the store
One of the most popular departments at TK Maxx is shoes, with shoppers often flocking to their nearest store to bag some.
But the retailer knows this, so often places the department at the back of its stores.
It does this in the hope customers will spot something else on a rack en route and be tempted to pick it up.
Tom said: “It’s similar to how supermarkets put eggs and bread at the back of stores.”
Aisles near the tills
TK Maxx, like plenty of other retailers, laces its aisles in front of the tills with cheap items.
But always stop and think, “do I actually need this?”. Remember it’s only a bargain if you were already going to buy it.
Tom said: “On the way to the till, you walk through a tiny zig-zag aisle packed full of cheap items.
“These tend to be less than £5, and often consumables like sweets, chocolates, and coffee. Things to tempt you.
“There’ll also be small beauty bits and bobs, soda, hand gels. ‘Oo, I’ll get that’ is exactly what they’re gunning for.”
Black Friday sale hype
Black Friday, Christmas and January sales might be enticing, but they often don’t live up to the hype.
Because TK Maxx prides itself on always offering an up to 60% discount, it’s hard for the retailer to drop its prices any lower on these days.
Tom said: “In the past, TK Maxx explicitly said it doesn’t do Black Friday. Then they realised people stopped coming to the store.
“So they started to say ‘60% off RRP for Black Friday’ which is the same deal they do all year round.
“The same is true for Christmas and January sales.”
That said, while you might not get better deals across the Christmas sales, TK Maxx will have more stock offering you a greater choice.
Label tricks
TK Maxx often puts yellow and red stickers on products when reducing items further.
Each label also has a numeric code on it.
If there’s a “1” it means the clothing was made specifically for the retailer.
But they can sometimes have a designer label on them as well, so you might think you’re getting a bargain even though the product was made specifically for TK Maxx and hasn’t come from another store.
Tom said: “These are not usually good buys and is a trick by TK Maxx to make you spend more money.”
If you’re looking to find your nearest TK Maxx store, the retailer has a branch locator on its website.
You just have to enter your postcode or town and it will bring up your nearest store.
The Sun contacted TK Maxx for comment.
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