I haven't been to this location in a few years and I don't know why, but I always forget how much…read moreTJ Maxx has to offer. For some reason I have it in my head that they just have discounted clothing, but that's not even a third of what they carry and their deals extend way beyond clothing.
Believe it or not, the reason we stopped by on Sunday around 11:30am was because someone mentioned the chain carries good quality honey. Both my husband and I were doubtful, but were assured they had a gourmet food section full of quality items.
When we entered there were several staff members a few yards in providing sanitizer, clean carts and tracking the number of people in the store on a small flip chart. The two employees greeted us with what I assume were smiles (lots of guessing with masks, lol) and friendly voices. I've never seen a TJ Maxx so clean or so organized- great job!
The store was very crowded with a few dozen customers. Due to the size of the store, social distancing wasn't really that hard unless you were in one of the small aisles and somebody walked in. However, social distancing was non existent in the check out line. The line is filtered between shelving of more products (so much eye candy) so there is little you can do if someone gets too close to you.
The line did move pretty quickly. I think they had 3 or 4 registers open at this time and their computer system calls out the next open lane on the speaker so you know where to go. That's pretty efficient and I like knowing where to go instead of wandering around trying to see who seems available. The lady who checked us out was very nice.
In all honesty, I paid very little attention to the clothing, which was mostly in the center of the store. I did glance at a couple of prices on a rack while I was waiting on someone to vacate an aisle I wanted to spend more time in. It was leisurewear and it was a good price for the items. I can't comment on the selection including a lot of sizes or work clothing. From what I remember prices weren't quite Walmart low, but were definitely discounted and had a selection of quality, not just the cheapest brands.
They had pretty large sections dedicated to purses, pillows and toys that I noticed as I walked through the store. There was a large area for dog beds ranging in size. Did you know Serta makes dog beds? I didn't! $30 for large Serta dog bed seemed like a good deal for the brand and feel.
I had no idea their kitchen selection was so varied! There were so many pots and pans and meal prep containers (glass, plastic, multi sections etc), ice trays in different shapes and sizes and funky gadgets. We didn't need any of that but couldn't help browsing and fawning over the deals.
I'm always a fan of the miscellaneous sections and love when I find those little light switches you can apply to walls in poorly lit spaces. I saw those on the back right wall, right next to the step stools. Can I just say, as someone of the 5 foot persuasion, that I was thrilled to see their step stools came in multiple sizes!! In a glance I noticed a single step, double step and 16 inch option around $20!
The other thing I noticed that surprised me was their furniture selection. The back left corner has a few coffee tables and dressers, but there were more than a dozen types of chairs including a couple of nice desk chairs. They also had a variety of wall art.
They had a great selection of men's razors, trimmers and clippers that were excellent prices for the available brands.
I've considered changing out drawer or cabinet handles exactly zero times in my life, but I saw some super cute options here if I ever decide that's important.
We each bought slippers even though we really didn't need them. They had a variety that ranged from $8-20 but the sizes were the reason we made the last minute purchase. It's rare for me to come across slippers for a size 6 1/2, much less with memory foam and for $8, so I snatched those up. My husband has never come across a size 14 slipper and those were well worth $15.
It's pretty ironic that I went to check out their gourmet food section but spent the least time there because it was really popular! There were two or three mini aisles with tea, coffee, olive oil, syrup, chocolates etc. but they were always in use and had people waiting their turn. I would've liked to check out more of what they had but once I saw they were low on their honey selection with only a small size I wasn't interested in, I did the polite thing and vacated the area for others... and got sucked into the rest of the store, lol.
I'm not normally a fan of these types of stores, but I will definitely return when I need to replace my desk chair or accept my fate and get a higher step stool. In fact, I'll probably stop in any time I'm considering a home décor purchase, although I'll probably aim for a slower time so I can also check out their gourmet food section without feeling rushed.