FORMER TK Maxx workers have revealed top tips for bagging bargains at the discount store – including secret codes.
The shop is well known for stocking top brands at far cheaper prices than you’ll find elsewhere on the high street.
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It promises to offer shoppers up to 60% off the recommended retail price of its goods – and sells clothes, furniture, shoes and even more.
You can even buy designer brands like Gucci, Moschino and Dolce & Gabbana reduced by as much as 92%.
Meanwhile labels like Calvin Klein and Nike are on the rails at discount prices too at it’s more than 300 stores in the UK and Ireland.
But what many shoppers might not know is that there are secret codes that reveal the best bargains.
An ex-TK Maxx worker has dished the discount dirt about the labels and what to look out for, in a new show on Channel Five. TK Maxx: How do they do it? will air on Sunday May 1 at 7pm.
And two is the magic number out look for.
In fact there are three main codes you should keep an eye out for on tags, according to former senior merchandiser Daniel Baker: one, two and seven.
He said: “One means it was produced for TK Maxx. Two means that it is a ‘close out’ buy, so it’s stock that they’ve got at a deal, that was existing stock that’s unsold from another brand.”
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“Seven is what they call packaway, which means that it’s been packed away from a previous year.”
So the number two on the label in TK Maxx shows that it was on sale for a higher price elsewhere, and the shop has snapped up the item to pass on to it’s own shoppers for less.
He said that when he finds a type two he knows “there’s a real bargain there”.
Items with the figure one on labels may also be branded, but have been produced for TK Maxx.
That means you’re still likely to get it cheaper, but the item may be a different colour, style or material produced for a lower price for the retailer and never on sale elsewhere.
Daniel said: “You can get good value for money on a type one. It could be that just the sheer volume that they are producing means they can price it cheaper.
“So the real bargains you are looking for are a two and a seven. And that’s part of the treasure hunt.”
Some well known brands produce their own lines for TK Maxx, including Calvin Klein and Le Creuset.
The posh pottery and pan maker which can set you back hundreds of pounds makes simpler – and cheaper – versions of items especially for the retailer.
Dean Argent, and ex-buying director for TK Maxx said: “Everyone knows that brand [Le Cresuet] for the flame orange colour, but what TK Maxx do very cleverly is stock the blue and red colour but not the orange colour.”
Experts said that it allows the brand to sell more but not impact the brand image, or relationships with main stockists, like John Lewis.
These types of products are known as “made to order” and you can spot them by looking for the number one on the label.
These numbers are shown towards the top right and will be stand-alone figures, without ant zeros.
Savvy saver Charlotte Jessop, who runs the personal finance blog Looking After Your Pennies, told The Sun how you can save an extra 20% at TK Maxx by shopping at the right time.
Shoppers can get secret rewards and bag the best bargains on certain days when new stock is delivered, among other savings.
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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
