A former TK Maxx employee has explained why savvy shoppers should look out for the number '2' if it appears on clothing labels.
The man, who used to work at the cut-price designer shop, says customers looking for a bargain would often overlook certain clues during their spree.
The former senior merchandiser Daniel Baker knows all of the tricks and tips of the retailer having worked there, and now he's urging people to check labels before buying anything, reports the MEN.
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Daniel spilled his secrets in a new Channel 5 documentary, TK Maxx: How do they do it? The show, which airs this weekend, will be an eye-opening insight into how TK Maxx operates.
In the show TK Maxx fans are offered a glimpse of what really goes on behind the store doors, with insight from former workers. As part of this, ex-senior merchandiser Daniel Baker has advised shoppers to keep their eyes peeled for a single number on labels.
Speaking in the upcoming doc, which will air this Sunday, Daniel said: “On any label, you can see a number. The number that is really exciting to a customer is number two because that means it’s genuine stock that was sold at a higher price somewhere else. It’s excess stock or something like that."
According to Daniel, the numbers usually go from one up to nine, however, "quite a few of them" aren't used, and some are more significant to buyers than others. The number 2 in particular is said to be one to watch out for while browsing.
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Daniel said: “The main three codes are one, two, and seven. One means produced for TK Maxx, two is ‘close out buy’ that is unsold from another brand, and seven is ‘packaway’ which means it’s been packed for a previous year, like Christmas crackers bought in January for the following year.
"You can get good value for money on a type one. It could be that just the sheer volume they are producing means they can price it cheaper. The real bargains you are looking for are a two and a seven for sure. That’s also part of the treasure hunt when I got into a store as I’m constantly going ‘oh that’s a type two, that’s a real bargain there."
No doubt many customers will be checking their buys that bit more closely from now on.
