Many people view buying designer items as an investment—the lofty price tag is offset by the high-quality material that will hold up for years to come. But not all of us have the means to regularly purchase luxury products at face value—which is why we've become "Maxxinistas." T.J. Maxx, alongside its sister store Marshalls, sells a lot of designer clothing and accessories at discount prices, helping you get that good quality without breaking the bank. But now, one fashion expert is urging caution before your next shopping trip. Read on to find out why she wants shoppers to be extra careful before they buy designer at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls.
RELATED: 5 Warnings to Shoppers From Former T.J. Maxx Employees.
Business has been booming at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls recently.
Lets Design Studio / ShutterstockTJX Companies Inc., the parent company of T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, says shoppers have been gravitating to these stories. For the most recent quarter, the discount company reported a 3 percent increase in net sales compared to the same time last year.
"I am very pleased with our first quarter performance," Ernie Herman, CEO and president of TJX Companies, Inc., said in a statement, noting that the growth was "driven by an increase in overall customer traffic" at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls stores.
Herman added, "Every day, our global organization is focused on bringing customers around the world excellent values on great fashions and great brands and an exciting, treasure-hunt shopping experience."
RELATED: T.J. Maxx Has Secret "Runway" Stores Where You Can Save 60 Percent on Designer Items.
But one expert is urging customers to shop carefully.
Luxury fashion expert Amanda is now warning shoppers to be cautious with their "bougie" purchases from T.J. Maxx and Marshalls in a July 20 video posted to her TikTok account @fashionnoodle.
"Listen friends, be so, so, so careful when you go to the bougie T.J. Maxx's and bougie Marshalls to pick up some designer goodies," she says at the start of her TikTok.
Amanda was responding to another TikTok video where the creator showed off several different designer bags at a Marshalls stores, including brands like Off-White, Versace, Chloé, Valentino, and Yves Saint Laurent. These brands originally cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars each, but may be anywhere from 20 to 60 percent off at T.J. Maxx and Marshalls.
She claims that you could end up with fake designer items.
ShutterstockAmanda was also responding to another TikTok video from user @jack.savoie, where he claimed that reality TV star Bethenny Frankel had purchased a pair of fake Manolo Blahnik shoes from a T.J. Maxx store. According to Amanda, that's not surprising.
"Unfortunately, when somebody buys a luxury item from Marshalls or T.J. Maxx and returns it, there's nobody there to verify its authenticity," she says in her video. "So what's happening? Folks are buying fakes and returning the fakes and keeping the real."
Ex-employees said they've witnessed this happen.
ShutterstockBest Life reached out to both T.J. Maxx and Marshalls about the concerns surrounding fake designer products, and we will update this story with their response. But many people—including ex-employees of these retailers and other similar stores—sounded off in the comment section of Amanda's video to agree with her.
"This is very true," one person replied. "Used to work there a couple years ago and managers would take back any bag even if we knew it was fake."
Another commenter claimed that they watched someone return a fake Gucci ring. "The T.J. Maxx gave them a hard time, but ended up taking it," they said.
It's not just discount retailers either, according to commenters. One added, "I worked for Nordstrom. Tag swapping happened ALL the time."
