5 Annoying Things You're Doing at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, Employees Say
Are you causing problems for workers while you're hunting for bargains?
There are surely many of us out there who might consider ourselves "Maxxinistas," even if we don't necessarily call ourselves that out loud. Who can resist the bargains that T.J. Maxx—and its sister store Marshalls—carry at all their locations? But those designer deals and unique finds can actually come at quite a cost for the employees who work at these stores. Over the last few years, for example, employees of TJX Companies (the parent company for T.J. Maxx and Marshalls) have witnessed crowds of customers swarming stores and shoppers getting into physical fights over mugs, jars, and spoons, thanks to the cult craze of Rae Dunn ceramics. But even if you're not going to these extremes, you might still be causing issues for workers in other ways. Read on to find out the most annoying things shoppers do at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, according to the employees who work there.
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1
You're always trying to get even more of money off an item.
People shop at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls because they offer brand-name and designer products at discounted prices. But workers say even these bargains are not enough for some customers. "I once had a woman try to tell me to not [scan an item]," one worker recalled on Reddit. "It was like my second day on cashier. She gave me the rudest look once I told her 'I am not doing that.'"
One T.J. Maxx employee said shoppers will expect price corrections on products that have been erroneously left in clearance areas by other customers. "My favorite one is when a shoe is placed in the clearance area and I have to explain to them someone placed them over there and I can't change the price," the worker wrote on a Reddit thread.
Another user said they have seen T.J. Maxx shoppers intensely inspect their items to try to get an even bigger discount. "They're just looking for the tiniest scratch on their item to get 10 percent off," the cashier said.
2
You're shopping as if the workers aren't there.
In July, a Marshalls worker took to Reddit to share some of the "top things" that annoy them about working at the retail chain. The employee, who posted under the username @No-Collar-7431, said that customers will often try to shop around them as if they're not there and then get upset. "Customers look through the racks I'm flowing and get mad at me when I try to [you] know do my job," they wrote. "Like no, you're in my way. I should be getting mad at you, not the other way around."
A T.J. Maxx worker shared the same issue on Reddit back in March. "One day, I was in beauty bent down putting things on the bottom and this lady was standing behind me reaching over me, so I asked her if I was in her way and if I need to move," the employee recalled. "She told me I was fine but continued reaching all around me so I stood up and said, 'I'm sorry I don't appreciate people reaching over me like that.'"
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3
You're going to a register before they call you over.
If you've waited in line at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls before, you're well aware that employees will call up customers to different registers one at a time—usually with a button they press to light up their number. But if you think you're helping them by just going up as soon as the previous customer walks away, you're not.
Marshalls employee @No-Collar-7431 said they also get annoyed when customers approach their register before they call them. "Bonus points … if they just throw all their stuff down without saying a word," they wrote.
As a T.J. Maxx employee posting under the Reddit username @kurobinz explained, some workers have to put hangers back or clean the counter before they can check out another customer. "Please wait [until] I press my button," they wrote.
4
You're abandoning your cart in random places.
Cart etiquette is a thing—and it appears that T.J. Maxx and Marshalls shoppers are especially bad at it. "They just leave their cart in front of my register and walk away," one T.J. Maxx employee said on Reddit.
Another user complained that some shoppers will also abandon carts at the fitting rooms when they aren't using them anymore, even though "there's limited cart space" in the fitting room area as it is. If you leave a cart there, you're making it harder for people to bring in their carts so that they can try on clothes.
This is also frustrating for workers who say they sometimes struggle with having enough carts for everyone. If you're leaving yours stranded, you might be taking it away from another shopper who needs it—and causing more problems for employees. "People complain to me in a very rude away about the cart situation," Reddit user @kurobinz said, noting that some T.J. Maxx shoppers will yell or give them dirty looks because of this. "Sometimes we don't have a cart for everyone."
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5
You get upset when you're asked to show your ID.
Workers for the two retail chains reveal that they also catch a lot of flak from customers when they're asked to show an ID. According to the standard return policy for both T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, you may be able to return items without a receipt or beyond 30 days, but you'll receive a merchandise credit only. In order to both receive and use this credit, you will be required to show a valid government photo ID. "Any name printed on the merchandise credit must match the name on the photo ID presented or the merchandise credit may not be used," the policies state.
But despite this being a clearly stated requirement, shoppers still get upset. One T.J. Maxx employee said she encountered this with a woman who was trying to return a bunch of tops that were past their return date. "I asked to see her drivers license for merchandise credit and she got upset saying she didn't want me to see her ID, as it's 'personal info,'" the worker wrote on Reddit. "I was happy she left so I didn't have to do the other returns."
