In terms of bagging a bargain, there are very few shops on the high street that offer discounts as large as TK Maxx. The firm has a wide range of designer items on sale at rock bottom prices with fashion homeware, toys and beauty products all regularly discounted, including some surprisingly posh names.
With the average store having around 50,000 items and even store managers not knowing what will be on their deliveries in advance, there's bound to be some treasure for everyone to find whatever their size or what's topping their wish list, but finding a hidden gem in among so many products can be hard.
But help is at hand. Former employees have taken to Reddit and TikTok to spill some of the secrets on how to get the most sought-after items and even bigger discounts. Here's our round-up of some of the best we've found.
Watch for 'sell-by dates'
You didn't think clothes have sell-by dates? Guess again. In order to keep stock fresh and customers interested, every item that hits the shop floor has six weeks to sell.
If by the end of that time they're still unsold they go into clearance, which means the big red price sticker is switched with a yellow one and the price is discounted again. If it's still there after 12 weeks it will be discounted again, eventually reaching the final clearance stage where things can do go as little as 20p, depending on the item.
So to get the best deals play the long game, but just be aware if your item is sold there's no guarantees there be extra stock. So if you really fall in love with something you might have to crack and buy it earlier if you want to avoid disappointment as the best deals will be snapped up before they reach the magic sub-£1 mark.
Forget the January sales
Despite heavily promoting their January sales, like most retailers keen to get shoppers parting with their post-Christmas cash, ex-employees suggest there's not much difference between sales at the start of the year or any other time with insiders saying it's nothing more than a change of the colour of the discount sticker. So if you're keen for a deal you don't need to wait.
Shop early in the day
It's not just about when in the year you visit a TK Maxx store, but when in the day, and often it's customers themselves that are the factor here, with keen bargain hunters rummaging around sale rails looking for stock and not always putting things back where they need to be, leaving things looking a bit jumble sale-like.
New stock comes in every day, with Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays reportedly being the best days for big new deliveries. For your best shopping experience ex-employees recommend heading in around 10am, so the day's new items have been put out but staff have also had a good tidy of the shop floor and mostly everything is where it should be.
This means if you're looking for a particular size or colour of product it'll be in its usual home rather than abandoned on the end of an aisle by someone who's picked it up and later changed their mind.
Less common sizes are your friend
If you've spent your life frustrated that your feet are larger or smaller than average and no-one stocks your size, then if you find the right TK Maxx store it can feel like heaven.
Shops often have more options of less popular sizes in clothes and shoes as they don't sell so quickly, so it's worth having a good look round. Bear in mind also though that, with such a wide range of brands and designers, just because you're a size 12 in one doesn't mean you will be in them all.
If in doubt, try things on and have a peek at the rails and racks for the sizes above and below your usual option, you just might be surprised.
Don't just think clothes
TK Maxx is a great place for clothes and from gym wear to glittering eveningwear there's a great chunk of each store's footprint taken up with it. But don't overlook the beauty and homeware sections in particular.
We've seen Estee Lauder, Clarins and Urban Decay products and gift sets in stores, alongside some fantastic and surprising homewares bargains like Le Crueset teapots reduced from £70 to £14.99.
Even yoga fanatics can get an epic deal, with fitness fans giving each other tips on Facebook when they see premium Manduka yoga mats that usually sell for £90 plus popping up in stores 'in the wild' at around the £20-£24 mark.
Watch for 'shy' brands
If you're in the right mood then a trip to TK Maxx can feel like an exciting adventure. If you're not and it's busy and hot and full of overexcited people trying to get past you to grab the edge of a hem of something they may or may not like, it can feel like the third ring of hell. But this is possibly the best kept secret of TK Maxx - you don't even have to go into the store at all.
TK Maxx's website sells the same big name labels and designers online as they do in store, so you can grab something great without having to sharpen your elbows for the occasion. The reason people don't think to check TK Maxx online is because the biggest, poshest, most expensive brands the store sells are a little bit shy.
They don't want online shoppers who are searching to buy their products to see they can pick them up at a fraction of the price. So TK Maxx's online store only shows own brand items on the Google Shopping widget and other similar services, even though hundreds of designer options are basically hiding in plain sight.
Take this lovely Polo Ralph Lauren black and cream floral satin dress as an example. It's currently being sold in sizes 4 to 16 for £79.99 in a range of colours, a huge 77% off its £349 original RRP. But if you go to the TK Maxx website homepage and type 'Polo Ralph Lauren' in the search box you'll get the message: "Sorry, some of our brands are a bit shy. Not all our brands are searchable. But hunt around and you might find them in our department pages. Happy hunting!"
The key sections to browse on the site are Women's Gold and Men's Gold collections, which cover the highest level designer options including Alexander McQueen, Jenny Packham, Marni, Moschino, Nina Ricci, Paco Rabanne, Diesel, Jimmy Choo, Miu Miu, Gucci, Ray Ban, Dolce and Gabbana and more.
As well as clothes there are handbags, sunglasses, accessories and shoes but, as with the stores, stock changes quickly so filter by the sizes you're looking for and see what's available. The biggest deal we've seen at the time of writing and perfect for weddings and prom season is this stunning Jenny Packham gold sequin maxi dress discounted by £2,840 to £799, 78% off RRP.
If you're not quite ready for full designerwear, Women's Big Brand and Men's Big Brand sections offer big discounts on mid to high range options. Browsing today there's brands like Ted Baker, DKNY, Guess, Polo Ralph Lauren, Bench, Radley, Longchamp, Calvin Klein, Stella McCartney, Kate Spade, Missoni, Fossil, Skechers, Vans, American Vintage for sale alongside many more. At £39.99, this Ralph Lauren women's dress is ideal for work and 73% off.
Everything is available with next day delivery or to click and collect in store - although when you've avoided braving the aisles in person to shop online we wouldn't necessarily recommend it, especially when you can even browse today's new arrivals online without stepping out of the house.
TK Maxx: How Do They Do It, is a documentary set to air on Channel 5 at 7pm on Sunday (May 1) explaining even more of the trade secrets on how the company works.
