You go to an off-price retailer like T.J. Maxx to score deals, and there are plenty of great finds to make these trips worthwhile. But if you're already on a strict budget or just looking to limit your spending, the last thing you want is to be ripped off. Unfortunately, this is what some shoppers claim is happening at T.J. Maxx and sister store Marshalls. The retailer is reportedly selling Dollar Tree products, which are typically priced at $1.25, for much higher prices.
RELATED: Shopper Reveals the "Most Underrated" Section at Dollar Tree—And 10 Must-Have Items.
In a Jan. 28 TikTok @prissynpolished, a licensed nail technician and instructor, shares video from her shopping trip at T.J. Maxx. The TikToker picks up a multi-vitamin serum from the Global Beauty Care brand, which is priced at $39.99.
"This is from the Dollar Tree," @prissynpolished says in the video. "I bought this the other day for $1.25."
While the specific serum isn't listed on Dollar Tree's website, there are other Global Beauty Care products, including retinol makeup cleansing wipes, collagen makeup cleansing wipes, charcoal cleansing nose strips, and assorted hair accessories. All products are listed as $1.25.
Another TikToker, Cyn Gordon (@queenbcyn), has previously reviewed Global Beauty Care serums that she bought from Dollar Tree. She raved about their ingredients and their apparent effectiveness—but even with that glowing review, no one wants to pay more for something when they don't have to.
@prissynpolished either it's a come up or a scam #tjmaxx #dollartree #crazypricing #fyp
As an off-price retailer, T.J. Maxx's business model involves buying leftover and overstock merchandise from manufacturers and vendors, and then offering lower prices. What @prissynpolished is highlighting, however, is the exact opposite—and shoppers say this isn't an isolated incident.
"Literally, I just bought a 2 pack of plastic containers at [T.J. Maxx] for $10, found the same ones at dollar tree for a dollar," a comment on @prissynpolished's video reads.
"I bought a dumb flashlight thing for $15 [at T.J. Maxx] at Xmas," another reads, explaining that when they went next door to a Dollar Tree store, they saw the same product.
Others called out two of T.J. Maxx's sister brands for pricing issues, noting that they'd found them for much more affordable prices at other retailers. One wrote that they saw a chair at HomeGoods for $400, didn't buy it, and later found the same product on Amazon for more than half the price.
Another TikToker wrote, "I just saw some shampoo in Marshall's today marked down to 12.99. It's at the dollar tree for 1.25."
RELATED: Dollar Tree Sells These Same Exact 6 Items for Less Than Walmart and Target.
Many weighed in on how this might have happened, with several speculating about fraudulent returns. According to a user who said they're an ex-employee, that's the most likely scenario.
"Former TJ Maxx worker here, that is a tag printed out from the machines, not a factory price tag," they wrote. "Someone returned it with a receipt for an item that price and they fooled the cashier. It happens a lot."
However, @prissynpolished responded to a few commenters who had the same theory. According to the TikToker, there were multiple units of the same serums with similar tags, so she believes the pricing was a deliberate choice on T.J. Maxx's end.
Best Life reached out to T.J. Maxx for comment, and will update the story when we hear back.
