I was at TK Maxx earlier looking for a lightweight jacket for riding

I noticed lots of branded items in there without RRP on the labels. Brands line Hamnett and Savile Row Company.

I remember there being some reports about this a few years ago. If there is no RRP does it means these brands are specifically made for TK Maxx?

Can’t answer your Q exactly, but from what I’ve picked up elsewhere is that: TK buy work-hours at manufacturers when the factories are quiet production wise on the cheap.

Funny you ask this question.
I was in there a while ago and one member of staff was advising someone new and said..” we are not allowed to put rrp on (insert brand possibly ysl) so you need to change those tickets”. It stuck in my mind at the time and I wondered why.

I half remember something on the telly about this. Hazily I think OP is right, non-rrp labelled stuff is in-house, stuff with rrp is seconds/end of line they’ve bought in.

The impression I get is that there’s much less of the reselling now than there used to be, with more focus on the own branded stuff (which all sounds like it could be a label I’ve never heard of, but then that’s all of them).

http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/c4-dispatches-unwraps-concerns-about-pricing-and-labelling-at-tk-maxx

Can’t people work out whether they’re paying a decent price for something by just knowing how much it is? Do they really need some lie on a ticket telling them how much they’re “saving” (Thinking sportsdirect too)?

Thinking sportsdirect too

To be fair, their RRPs are generally pretty spot on, you can just hop to Cotswolds / Snow & Rock etc and check them.

Can’t people work out whether they’re paying a decent price for something by just knowing how much it is?

The Officer’s Club business model seems to be based on the idea that they can’t. 70% ‘off’ everything except Blue Star items, which are on sale at ‘RRP’ in enough shops to legally say they’re 70% off everywhere else.

Only if it’s the exact same item, I’m sure the racquet I bought from SD wasn’t the same as the (same model number) one I got from somewhere else.

I’ve got a couple of pairs of Levi’s shorts for work.

Think they were about £13.00.
Never seen them anywhere else, but they are very good quality, decent buttons, good material.

Not bothered if they’re TK MAXX only, they’re very good shorts.

Only if it’s the exact same item, I’m sure the racquet I bought from SD wasn’t the same as the (same model number) one I got from somewhere else.

Some are, some aren’t. E.g. A lot of the Arcteryx GTX jackets are the exact same model but the colours seem to be unique to SP (or different to the US/UK colours). Have bought the same jacket from Ellis Brigham and SP and compared (then returned the Ellis Brigham one as it was £500 vs £250).

If there is no RRP does it means these brands are specifically made for TK Maxx?

sometimes. But I picked up some Clarks boots from them a couple of months back which didn’t have an RRP on the label, so I looked online and saw them on sale elsewhere.

It does feel like they’ve been going more ‘own brand’-y over the last couple of years though.

An interesting question to ask yourself about mega discount places is, where do the discount tickets get stuck on… i.e., where is labour cheapest?

Rich_s – Member
An interesting question to ask yourself about mega discount places is, where do the discount tickets get stuck on… i.e., where is labour cheapest?

Good point! I worked in a NZ/AUS outdoor retailer well known for their mega-sales. Outside of sale time you had to peel off the 50% discount stickers when unpacking new stock!

I tend to pop into a TKMaxx regularly to see if they’ve got any bargains. Don’t go in for anything specific, but only look at stuff you know the price of and you know the brand well.

I’ve bought £70 Quiksilver hoodies for £20, £70 Duff/DC skate shoes for £20, a couple of Crumpler messenger bags for £10 each (£80+ normally). Got a Lowe Alpine Goretex jacket for £70 which is still going strong after many years. Oh and 2 pairs of Rohan walking shoes for £30 a pair (£120+ RRp!)

Rusty Spanner at work ?

I think that even some of the brand names are specifically made for them? Sure I read somewhere than Calvin Klein make Maxx-specific pants.

The business I work for supplies TK Maxx and at least what we send to them is original branded goods, that have a short shelf life.

Our customers (alot of export) require 12 month plus of shelf life on the products they buy if any stock is sub 12 months its on the next TK Maxx delivery if they require that type of product, simples.

Similar with Poundland etc. Branded stuff is often made for them specifically, usually with some reduction in content quantity to lower the price. Wouldn’t be surprised if RRP can’t be placed on them as they are not comparable products to the main supermarket versions.

The business I work for supplies TK Maxx and at least what we send to them is original branded goods, that have a short shelf life.

is it clothing? What does ‘shelf life’ mean in terms of clothes?

RRP – in order to use it you need to have had the item for sale for 28 days at that price before displaying it at a marked down price. As TK Maxx buy end of line they are unlikely to have it at full price for 28 days beforehand and therefore they shouldn’t use the RRP marking. The law has been enforced patchily so far, but this is tightening over time.

TKMaxx I don’t know more about, I thought it was old stock and seconds (kitchen equipment for example).

IANAL though so this is just as I understand it.

Dont worry about tk maxx TOG24

Been eyeing up a waterproof in one of their outlets reduced from £120 to £89

So says thrifty moi, I will wait till black Friday

Only the ticket now says £120 reduced from £240 **** shysters to fit their 50% of RRP window posters.

I don’t know how it works but I just picked up my new winter coat from the Sheffield branch. Patagonia Gore-Tex 3 in 1 thing with an RRP of £480! It was much less than half that. I’ll hopefully get the next decade out of it.

I also just paid £35 for some Levi’s that look like dark blue jeans but feel like pyjamas. Soooo nice. Went back for a second pair and they were all gone.

Patagonia Gore-Tex 3 in 1 thing with an RRP of £480!

Sounds about right, my Marmot GTX Ski jacket was £500 RRP, bought half price in the Ambleside Marmot shop in end of season sale.

I bought some of those “savile row” trews. Great for £14 and a perfect match for my fave Margaret Howell jacket (and guess where I got that?).

is it clothing? What does ‘shelf life’ mean in terms of clothes?

No it’s not clothing .

I doubt they sell seconds since no manufacturer worth their salt lets anything leave the factory with tags on. I got a pile of proper seconds in Hong Kong, none of which had tags intact.

And their cast pans are awesome.

Its slick marketing bordering on the illegal. That RRP £480 jacket never was intended for sale at £480. It was intended to be sold at whatever price you paid for it in TK Maxx. It’ll be made specially for TX Maxx to hit that price point. It might look identical to one in other high street shops but its likely that its not quite the same.

http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/c4-dispatches-unwraps-concerns-about-pricing-and-labelling-at-tk-maxx

I’d never been but chap I work with goes to a store every week looking for bargains, buys a lot of jewelry for his gf. He once bought an On-one bike that had a green frame and the RRP for the green one on the website. When I saw it I saw that the specs were different so RRP completely wrong – I pointed this out though said it was still a decent deal but he took it back.

He buys clothes there by checking their prices online, I have bought a few things if I think it’s what I want for a fair price – don’t care about brands really.

Its slick marketing bordering on the illegal. That RRP £480 jacket never was intended for sale at £480. It was intended to be sold at whatever price you paid for it in TK Maxx. It’ll be made specially for TX Maxx to hit that price point. It might look identical to one in other high street shops but its likely that its not quite the same.

http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/c4-dispatches-unwraps-concerns-about-pricing-and-labelling-at-tk-maxx

You’ve not read any of the posts before posting have you?

I read the whole thread thank you. People posting above me were still asking the same questions that had already been answered.

Just read the Dispatches link, wish I was called Harry Wallop.

Interesting thread and article.

If a high end brand is allowing TK Maxx to use their label against a lower quality product then they risk damaging the sales of a full priced product in other high street shops.

If you by a brand xyz product from TK Maxx and it doesn’t last very long how likely are you to buy another of their products full price?

Not sure if it’s the case now, but a few years ago electrical appliance manufacturers would have model specific for high street store like Currys. Last time I bought a TV most of the Samsung’s were specific models for Currys, which you’d never find on the Samsung website.

Its slick marketing bordering on the illegal. That RRP £480 jacket never was intended for sale at £480. It was intended to be sold at whatever price you paid for it in TK Maxx. It’ll be made specially for TX Maxx to hit that price point. It might look identical to one in other high street shops but its likely that its not quite the same

I respectfully disagree that Patagonia are making products specifically for TK Maxx.

Not TK Maxx, but twice in the past I’ve bought branded shoes from an outlet village and they’ve been awful, nothing like the quality of the same brand from a proper shop. Timberland & Vans FWIW. Both pairs were just really really stiff and never broke in whereas “proper” ones were comfy right away. They got binned while still looking almost new. So not a bargain despite the “discount”. I’m sure they must have been made specifically for the outlet store.

I respectfully disagree that Patagonia are making products specifically for TK Maxx.

+1

It will be a retailer dumping excess stock they can’t shift.

Sundayjumper – Member

Timberland & Vans FWIW. Both pairs were just really really stiff and never broke in whereas “proper” ones were comfy right away. They got binned while still looking almost new. So not a bargain despite the “discount”. I’m sure they must have been made specifically for the outlet store.

Vans have quite a wide variation in soles, I had some baxters- from the Vans store- which were just like you describe, hated them. But I had a set of TNTs from TK Maxx and another from a high street shop and they were the same. So maybe it’s just that?