TK Maxx arrived in Australia in late April 2017 after buying out Trade Secret. Slowly the 35 Trade Secret stores have been rebranding across to TK Maxx and there are now stores in NSW, VIC, ACT and QLD. When visiting Oahu in 2013 I was lucky enough to visit the US version of this store – they are known as TJ Maxx over there. We got some seriously discounted Samsonite luggage and I found a gorgeous dress there.
Shopping at TK Maxx is not for the faint of heart. It is not the kind of place you can go into for a quick visit. You need to have time on your hands – plus a heck of a lot of patience – to wade through the racks of fashion. Almost everything is jumbled together into “sizes” but you cannot always rely that the other shoppers have put back items into the correct place. They also do have some areas where identical items which they have in a quantity and variety of sizes of that same item are placed.
On my first visit to our “local” store, I had a goal in mind which was to find some warmer leggings to wear around the house. I was surprised to find workout leggings with a thin fleecy inside layer and they have done the job perfectly. I also ended up with a couple of scarves and a gorgeous sparkly sequinned beanie.
There is usually some Michael Kors to be found, but the way TK Maxx buys you can never be sure what is going to arrive in the store. I have seen all kinds of brands there in my three visits so far and many of the brands are ones I did not know before but on research they are popular brands in both the US and UK – with the brands I know being things like Christian Siriano, French Connection, Rag and Bone, Cynthia Rowley and I even spotted the occasional Australian brand like Philosophy. At the moment there seems to be a large amount of Ivanka Trump and I expect we will see more of it as less and less people are buying that brand worldwide.
However ladies clothes and shoes are not the only thing to be found at TK Maxx. They also have kids and mens shoes and clothing. They have a great section of socks and underwear. They have a beauty section with marked down hand wash, creams, soaps, etc. They have plenty of accessories – everything from scarves and beanies to handbags to luggage and travel accessories. They have a range of food items, candles, reed diffusers, picture frames, bedding, scatter cushions and even some furniture items.
I loved that green plush velvet bench there. It is my Mother’s favourite colour and if it is there on a return visit I may have to seriously consider buying it for her.
On my first trip here they had some chromed feet statues on marble bases. I thought they were kinda cool and funky and had never seen anything like it before. I did initially mock them somewhat but they grew on me and I did consider buying them. On the way there for my second visit I said if they were still there I was going to seriously consider them but of course they were all gone.
I thought about this smoky grey crystal candle holder. The photo does not do it justice at all and it is quite large which you don’t really get from the photo either.. I also found this bathroom set below to be pretty funky and very reasonably priced considering it is four pieces. Especially when the only other example I can find on the web is selling for $130USD+ on Ebay.
As it says on the wall in one of the shots above – if you love it grab it now, once it’s gone it’s gone. I had hoped to pick up some more of the Kyodan herringbone running leggings I found but they were all completely gone. I was not surprised because they are amazing and can double as “normal” leggings.
I love visiting TK Maxx and browsing through the racks but it is a good hours drive away. Thankfully we love to drive in the new car enjoying the music, plus it is near to friends who just built a house, so The Other Half can drop me to wander while he goes and “helps”. I envision trips at least once a month. However I will not always be buying anything – I came home empty handed on my most recent trip.
I didn’t know we had one here!
Mind you my shopping resistance is almost total. I suspect my partner would/will love it though.
My shopping resistance is usually total but I have been working on buying a whole new wardrobe so the arrival of TK Maxx was very handy.
The around the house/workout leggings I had before are now 2-3 sizes too big. I can still wear them, kinda sorta, but it was time to invest in some new ones. ;) The Kyodan running leggings are my favourite new thing but I also got some Marika Tec ones and some Head ones, both the latter have a very thin layer of fleece inside which I imagine would be very welcome in Canberra at this time of year! ;)
I also got a great pair of Head gloves at Canberra Costco, they are super warm, can be used with smart phones and have a lovely textured palm for grip. They feel almost like wetsuit material, but they are not exactly that, they are way more flexible.. :)
I went sometimes to what is called T”J” Max in the States. I did find some great deals, but the “mess” finally got to me. I like NEAT and it was rarely that. I wish I could have gotten over my issues!
Yes the mess can really be irritating. I have to be in the right mood for it. I think mentally preparing myself for any shopping trip is key, but it is even more so with TK Maxx. :)
Ross Dress For Less in the states was even worse, in the mess stakes. But I found some amazing things there and would gladly tolerate the mess there just to be allowed to look for more. :) I think they had things that were more my style than TK Maxx currently do, fashion wise.
Hello, and I found your blog though Drifting though life…The closes TK Max I’m in United States and the closes one is about hour drive.
If you fine the time stop in for a cup of coffee
Hey Peppylady! Thanks for visiting my blog, I will be dropping by yours when I get a chance later today. ;) My closest TK Maxx is an hour there and an hour back, too. But we Aussies are used to a bit of distance driving to get what we want or need. :)
It’s the kind of store I used to love wasting a few hours just browsing in, but can’t be bothered these days. The interest is long gone.
Lucky, because it has not made it to Adelaide yet. ;) The homewares are pretty nice and very well priced. :)
I loved TJ Maxx in the States and I enjoyed looking in Trade Secret when I visited Melbs so I’m keen to check out the latest offerings on my next visit east because naturally we won’t get one in Adelaide until 2031.
That seems like soon, for Adelaide, Beth! ;) But hey, you have Vili’s cafe and Barnacle Bills. I would give up TK Maxx for Barnacle Bills and the ability to get a Vili’s donut anytime I like. ;) And at least you do have my other two favourites, Costco and IKEA. :)
That is kind of weird that they changed the middle letter, but they do have some great merchandise here too. I have several shirts from there, and need to go back to look around. However, it is only about 10 minutes away from my house! Love that candle holder!
It is bizarre, changing that letter, and I can’t seem to find an explanation of it. :)
I LOVE the homewares in TK Maxx. We have one about 10 minutes drive from us and I make a beeline straight for the home section, not the makeup or bags, which is very unusual for me! ;)
They do have some amazing stuff in the homewares section and especially stuff I have not seen elsewhere in Australia. They did have a gorgeous Christian Siriano handbag which I was very tempted to buy just because I enjoyed him so much on Project Runway. But sanity prevailed in the end and I left it on the shelf. I really do not carry handbags anymore since finding my little Travelon cross body pouch. :)
You have the eye! I couldn’t find anything I needed when I visited our local store. Will try again soon.
SSG xxx
I am getting better at only buying things I *need* now, but it has been a difficult road to get there. I really only need a few more wardrobe items and I am done for quite a while. ;)