The secret to scoring major savings at T.J. Maxx and its sister stores is hidden in plain sight — here’s how to crack the code.
Shoppers at T.J. Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods may be missing deals right in front of them — all because they don’t know the tag terms. Each store — which is owned by TJX Companies Inc. — has a string of numbers and symbols that contain meaning.
Blogger Elliott Norris took to Threads and revealed a hack to all of the secret savings with a video titled, “How not to get scammed at Marshalls and T.J. Maxx.” The key — look at the tag.
Each tag has a slew of numbers and symbols that may seem standard but carry real knowledge if you know what they stand for.
“There are a lot of good deals at Marshalls, T.J. Maxx and HomeGoods — but there’s also a lot of scams,” Norris said in his video. “You are also overpaying for a lot of stuff and you are not realizing it.”
The first thing Norris shared is the two numbers to watch for — both at the end of the set. Each tag has a string of numbers on them — right above the price. On a T.J. Maxx tag, Norris said the first number found is in a box — which happens to be 24.
This represents the date it arrived at the store and the second number — which may be even more important — indicates where it was made.
In the video, that particular tag had a 1 at the end, which means it was made for the store specifically. In other words — you may not be getting the best deal.
The budget blogger claims if you see a name brand like Calvin Klein at one of the TJX companies, you may think you’re automatically getting a better deal than if you bought it at a Calvin Klein store.
Norris says it’s not true — that number 1 means it was made specifically for the budget stores. He also says the only thing cheap about the product is the quality.
“The quality is also a little bit lower, usually. So you’re not really getting a deal, it was made to be sold here at a certain price,” Norris said on the video.
Jeff Rossen, consumer journalist and host of Rossen Reports, is another expert who knows the TJX tags like the back of his hand. He spoke with The Post and shared how to find the numbers and what each means.
“Look at the long string of numbers printed near the top of the price tag, usually above the price. Go all the way to the right,” Rossen told The Post. “You’ll see a small number inside a black box, followed by one final number.”
That very last number to the right of the box may be a 1, 2, 6, 7 or 9. As Norris noted, the 1 means it was made for the store. But Rossen shared with The Post what the rest of the lot signifies.
- 1: This means the item was made specifically for T.J. Maxx. So you might see a big designer name, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it was ever sold in that designer’s regular stores.
- 2: Generally means the merchandise came from another retailer or an outlet. These can be some of the best finds because you’re getting merchandise that wasn’t made specifically for T.J. Maxx.
- 6: This indicates a coordinated set. If you’re buying clothing, for example, there may be another piece that goes with it. Make sure you’re getting everything you’re supposed to.
- 7: This is another code to watch for, particularly at Marshalls. It can identify higher-end or past-season designer merchandise.
- 9: Pay attention to this one. It can indicate special-care merchandise, meaning you might be looking at dry cleaning or hand washing.
Rossen also revealed another secret tip T.J. Maxx shoppers should watch for — the color. Red and yellow are the two that customers should keep their eyes on, as they hold some secret savings.
“Red means the item has been marked down, but yellow is the one I really love. Yellow generally means final clearance,” Rossen told The Post. “That’s when the store is trying to get rid of the merchandise, and you’re typically looking at its lowest markdown.”
