# So I thought I would try shopping at some of those bargain clothing stores... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 30, 2011, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-thought-i-would-try-shopping-at-some-of-those-bargain-clothing-stores/607816 "2011-12-30T09:10:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-thought-i-would-try-shopping-at-some-of-those-bargain-clothing-stores/607816/21 "2011-12-31T03:09:33Z")
I hit Nordstrom’s Rack for shoes especially. It’s only really organized early in the day, before customers start flinging shoes and such around like confetti. I’m tall so there’s a good selection of shoes for my proportionately larger feet. It’s wonderful-- 3 or 4 hundred dollar shoes for nearly a tenth the price, and they’re well-made and _fit_! Finally it’s the 7/8 size women are the ones lamenting. Our local area TJMaxx and such are awful. Ripped, dirty clothes all over the store, especially trampled on the floor. Rude clerks and lines stretching to the back of the store. Pretty much like all other chain stores around here. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-thought-i-would-try-shopping-at-some-of-those-bargain-clothing-stores/607816/22 "2011-12-31T03:11:12Z")
Their are four or five TJ Maxx within the twenty mile radius that is my usual habitat. Each has a huge assortment of men’s shirts, all sorted by size. Name brands, and approximately 50% off. Unlike the OP, I know what neck & sleeve length I need, and how different manufacturers cut their shirts, so there’s no need to try them on. I haven’t noticed huge savings on underwear & socks and I wear few other accessories like ties. The men’s pants selection at every Maxx I’ve visited is sorely lacking and tend heavily toward golf-plaids or cargo pants with little in the middle. Dress pants are almost non-existent unless you want 100% polyester. I haven’t shopped them for outerwear but picked up several fleece jackets comparable to EMS a few years ago for about $6 each. Marshall’s seems comparable to me, but I’m a man. My only determining factor for choosing a store is the prices. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-thought-i-would-try-shopping-at-some-of-those-bargain-clothing-stores/607816/23 "2011-12-31T03:19:55Z")
Anybody ever go to Tuesday Morning? They never seem to have a complete set of anything, but like **Ellen Cherry’s** Easter platter, they have a great selection of random stuff. (Pillows, silk flower arrangements, napkins and tablecloths that are unlike any I’ve seen anywhere else.) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-thought-i-would-try-shopping-at-some-of-those-bargain-clothing-stores/607816/24 "2011-12-31T12:33:46Z")
I miss _Steve & Barry’s College Clothing Store_. Oh my goodness! They had terrific prices. I’ve got a closet fulla their Hawaiian shirts, and I’m still using one of their Wooly Bully coats. Which was $7.99, when on sale. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-thought-i-would-try-shopping-at-some-of-those-bargain-clothing-stores/607816/25 "2011-12-31T14:19:20Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > Anybody ever go to Tuesday Morning? They never seem to have a complete set of anything, but like **Ellen Cherry’s** Easter platter, they have a great selection of random stuff. (Pillows, silk flower arrangements, napkins and tablecloths that are unlike any I’ve seen anywhere else.) There’s a Tuesday Morning near me that I hit pretty regularly. It’s definitely another store that’s great for the random find and not so much for the specific need. However, I’ve seen the same merchandise at Tuesday Morning that was priced two times what it was selling for at Big Lots. Just because it’s at Tuesday Morning does not automatically mean it’s a bargain. I suspect that’s the case with a lot of these places. OTH, they don’t really lend themselves to comparison shopping. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-thought-i-would-try-shopping-at-some-of-those-bargain-clothing-stores/607816/26 "2011-12-31T15:01:47Z")
I go to Tuesday Morning pretty regularly and … funny story about the mismatched stuff — we found dishes that we absolutely fell in love with. They’re a discontinued pattern called Safari made by National Geographic Home, and our store just had the serving bowls and a few random pieces. We kept going there every week waiting for them to get more in and get it out on the shelves. My husband was the truly dedicated one; they’d see him coming and point him to the new shipments. Finally he got tired of all that nonsense and got a list of all the Tuesday Mornings in the tri-state area. 😛 He took a day off work and hit them all, and we got a complete set of 12 place settings, plus several extra bowls, etc., as replacements! Ah the mighty hunter, on big-game safari at Tuesday Morning! ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-thought-i-would-try-shopping-at-some-of-those-bargain-clothing-stores/607816/27 "2011-12-31T15:49:21Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > TJMaxx caters to women, and always has. Ross has let their organization and quality go steeply downhill in the last 15 years. > > Burlington, OTOH, still rocks. It’s like a giant garage sale/flea market only all the stuff is new. And although the casual clothing stock gets scattered as people paw thru it, it’s still reasonably organized by manufacturer and size. The suits and jackets are always nearly impeccably organized, although I don’t wear suits so I can’t speak to the quality. For heavy winter jackets, tho, it’s the shiznit. The Burlington near me is very good. My husband found a great coat for under $50 over there a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-thought-i-would-try-shopping-at-some-of-those-bargain-clothing-stores/607816/28 "2011-12-31T15:53:09Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Nordstrom Rack used to be last year’s styles and returns from the regular stores. Now it carries mostly low end stuff made for discount stores. ☹ :rolleyes: I work the “store brands” racks at Nordstrom Rack. I skip the racks of the same t-shirts or sweaters and go for the racks full of mismatched, onsey-twosies. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-thought-i-would-try-shopping-at-some-of-those-bargain-clothing-stores/607816/29 "2011-12-31T16:56:04Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > Anybody ever go to Tuesday Morning? They never seem to have a complete set of anything, but like **Ellen Cherry’s** Easter platter, they have a great selection of random stuff. (Pillows, silk flower arrangements, napkins and tablecloths that are unlike any I’ve seen anywhere else.) The Tuesday Morning in my neighborhood is literally in a basement. It’s frightening. I love TJ Maxx. The ones around here are always clean, well-stocked, etc. But I’m a woman, and I love to browse, so YMMV. The one thing I’ve noticed about Ross is that the quality of the merchandise varies depending on the wealthiness of the neighborhood. Here in Los Angeles, the best Ross’s to hit are in Westwood and West L.A. In the middle/lower class neighborhoods, the selection and deals are worse. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-thought-i-would-try-shopping-at-some-of-those-bargain-clothing-stores/607816.md?page=1)