TK Maxx

TK Maxx is one of the larger stores in the Manchester Arndale, with 3 floors across the center, with one being for men’s clothing and one being for women, and a third which is basically a small strip with a lift, to get in and out of the store from Market Street, which can often be the main exit when the store closes, especially at 6pm on a Sunday, when they need to clear out the store and the Arndale is closed too.
This store has two lifts, once that goes through all 3 floors, and the other that is just used for the two main floors of the store.
I regularly use TK Maxx at the Arndale, as it is one of the easier ways to get into the Arndale, using the lift with wheelchairs and prams, as some exits have escalators, and some take you on a completely different floor, meaning you have to get in lifts nonetheless, and this one seems to be relatively quiet.
The store is quite a nice store, and seems to follow the traditional TK Maxx layout and specializing in clothing and I know they have a good range of clothing too (Clothes shops don’t tend to be my thing to comment on in detail!)
T.K Maxx is classed as a department store and compared to the likes of John Lewis, Selfridge and Harrods, who all have stores in Manchester (excluding Harrods), it doesn’t seem to do a great job at doing as it is. I often associate department store to be like Debenhams and Selfridges and have a wide range of perfumes in one place, resulting in an abomination to my sense of smell, and they don’t have it here.
It stands out to be a lower-​end department store and some isles can be a little narrow at times, so I don’t think it is the best place to shop, especially when considering the great range on offer in Manchester City centre, so I feel the highest I can go for now is 2 stars.

TK Maxx is one of my favourite stores to buy shoes, t-​shirts and jeans. I like the way that they group everything by size rather than by style, which means I can easily choose something which will fit me. One grievance I have of this branch is that the fitting rooms don’t have a seat meaning it’s a struggle fastening your shoes again!

Well what can I say about TX Maxx Manchester WOW I thought London tx maxx was big un till I saw the Manchester branch its huge and full of well brilliant bargains from fashion to home accessories. I must say this store is my favourite shop for clothes I spend a fortune in hear but save a fortune as well.

Trainers, shoes, hoodies and belts… Yes you can find them here!
I originally became a ‘tkmaxxer’ after my first time upon visiting the store — the skate shoes (the variety!) won me over! I remember buying a pair of Vans and DC’s which I would never have been able to buy at retail when i was 14! (it used to be in the basement of primark at this point)
This one moment spurred my craze — I have been going there ever since and adding to my shoe, trainer and hoody collections!
Prepare go rifle through some awful stuff but you’ll definitely find some gems :)

Despite not being hugely fashion-​conscious, I do find myself gravitating towards ‘designer’ brands, mainly in the sales or at TK Maxx. I’ve bought both menswear and cookware at TK Maxx, and felt I bagged some good bargains. Also, I’ve found the staff a pleasant and personable bunch, although with more of a general intelligence than much specific product knowledge. I find a lot of menswear on the high street is just a bit too ‘fast fashion’ for me. Whereas brands like Timberland, Nautica, Polo Ralph Lauren offer more generic classic looks with more enduring appeal. Here’s what I’ve ended up with from TK Maxx — chinos by Timberland and Nautica; a wool/​poly blend duffel coat by Gloverall; cord trousers by Timberland; a wool-​lined overcoat. Cookware — a small bamboo chopping board, a Y-​peeler, a stainless steel paring knife, a futurist-​looking silicone steamer basket and a very solidly made large stainless steel pan. Oh, and a lime green suitcase with great wheels!
The cookware is a good example of why TK Maxx is worth my while. A lot of stainless steel pans that I see in use at friends houses, the coating is worn through and the build quality doesn’t look to have been up to scratch in the first place; similarly Asda, Wilkinson and pretty much everyone and their uncle offers own-​brand stainless steel cook’s knives, but do these knives keep their edge etc? Whereas with the right brand of pan and knife at TK Maxx, quality can be much higher.
I noticing mixed reviews for TK Maxx, and I think it is fair comment that these stores are not for everyone and can indeed prove a bit of rough sensory experience and a waste of time. Basically, we need to move with the times: there are now a variety of retail formats on the high street, and to each his own. TK Maxx tends to be for those who have more time than money and prefer to hunt for a bargain rather than just buy cheaper quality, and those who actually enjoying shopping and bargain-​hunting. Also, it’s more for patient types who don’t mind a bit of untidiness and chaos in store, who don’t expect or need much in the way of customer service, who know what they’re doing. And you will need some cash: while Diesel jeans maybe discounted to £30 here, discounted prices for Versace are still going to be a bit spiky!
There are other ways to go about discount shopping if TK Maxx is not your type of store. For example, wait for the sales in other shops! Shirts: for dress shirts I am planning to go for a multi-​buy discount or sale purchase from TM Lewin (I’ve visited stores in The Trafford Centre and Liverpool’s Met Quarter). Or Slaters: similarly packed racks of clothes, but more orderly, much more customer service oriented and free alterations on purchases. Suits: Next have a massive stock at various price points and should be able to kit you out within an hour or so. Cookware: Hub Retail is one good and more orderly alternative.
I would tend to visit TK Maxx during the week when it is a bit quieter, and if it is ‘rooting’ I’m doing, mainly focus on just one part of the store.

T. K Maxx is currently being promoted by Alexa Chung and Henry Holland on Channel Four’s second series of ‘Frock Me’. I would chip in here, ‘if it’s good enough for Alexa it’s good enough for me’ but I doubt that Alexa has ever set a Miu Miu clad foot in T. K Maxx in her entire life no matter how much she claims she’s a thrift shopper. However, T. K Maxx is a veritable treasure trove for those of you who genuinely enjoy the rummage for the prize.
I recently bought a nautical blue and white stripy Ralph Lauren summer dress which had been reduced from, wait for it, two hundred and ten pounds to… twenty-​two. How utterly fabulous to be able to afford something so luxurious at cheaper-​than-​Topshop-​prices! That’s the brilliant thing about T. K Maxx, it stocks desirable past season designer labels along with quirky foreign brands so you can really supplement your regular wardrobe with boutiquey finds from the like off Love Moschino, See by Chloe and Missoni.
And not only clothes, it basically stocks everything at discount prices from kitchen accessories to designer toiletries and huge bags of Lindt Lindor truffles. What’s not to love?!

Arrays of clothing all over the place with major brand tags on them. That, would be TK Maxx for you.
The Sportswear like Nike and Puma as incredibly cheap here and make good gym wear. There are loads of brands here for you but you have to be very very patient to wait for the right clothing to hit you. If you’re determined you could land up with something amazing for a dirt cheap price! One of my mates, landed up with a gucci sequinced jacket for just £25! And I was so shocked!!! I mean £25!!!
So that would be TK Maxx– Lots of patience and the will to go on!

I love it!!! I really do! TK Maxx is the best. Awesome brands, cheap as well. Most of my t-​shirts are from these guys. They usually have my size, they have awesome deals as well. The last item I bought from them, was a bag. It’s a quicksilver one, and it was just 12 quid. That’s a bargain that is. I bought few pairs of trainers, good quality I must say. I didn’t find jeans I’ afraid. Nothing at all, but I’m sure you can find something, even if you want trousers, skirts or evening dresses. It’s quite easy to navigate through the sizes. They are nicely arranged. Unfortunately the customer service is not ideal. They are friendly and nice but not too helpful when you ask them to find a product for you. It’s always busy, but that’s a good sign, means people love it and they come back all the time. Don’t hesitate to go to the underwear section. Nice calvin klein bras for like a fiver.

Awesome. Just awesome. Ever wonder where those armies of clothes that don’t get sold once the season is over go. Straight into here, TK max picks it up then reduces the cost and hands it over to you.
They have all sorts of crap in TK max that you can while away the hours with considering whether you need it or not. If your need a fancy dress head here, if you want alright branded clothing head here, basically if you want to save money but don’t want to dress in an old potato sack or something to that effect head here. The list of usual things I’ve picked up dirt cheap is ever lasting including flip flops, t-​shirts and trainers.

If I had to shop for clothes in only one store then TK Maxx would be it. At least if I was paying. I have bought the majority of my jeans from here including a Calvin Klein pair for £8 which I ruined a couple of weeks later by sitting on sticky green paint on a bench in Moscow. Grrr. That’s the bad thing about the shop — you’ll never see the same thing in there again, and if you do, then it won’t be in your size. Aside from jeans I’ve also picked up bargainous t-​shirts, hoodies, dresses, tracksuit bottoms, bags… yeah, pretty much everything. Often the clothes are still in the normal shops, for example my boyfriend picked up a pair of Crag Hoppers walking trousers and his friend bought identical ones for twice the price from the website of a walking shop.
My favourite section of TK Maxx is the shoe section. Here you can pick up brandname shoes for heavily discounted prices. I love my pair of Vans which I picked up here for about £15 a year ago — they would’ve cost me at least twice that in Schuh!
If you’re willing to dig through rails of often hideous blouses and cardigans to find what you’re looking for, then you’ll be sure to find something to suit your needs and taste.

OK, hands up, God’s honest truth. I have no idea why everyone bums TK Maxx. I can honestly, truly say that I have never ever found anything good in TK Maxx. Every time I go in, wide eyed and excited about bargains, I am hugely disappointed, and leave empty handed.
And it’s not like I’m inexperienced when it comes to bargain-​hunting. I once found a pair of braced trousers for £5 in the Topshop sale. Hell, my favourite dress was marked down from £225 to £20 in the Urban Outfitters sale. I am frickin excellent at finding bargains. So why can I not find a thing in TK Maxx?
I have a theory.
My theory is that there are in actual fact no more than 10 decent items in any TK Maxx store at any given time, which are placed in hidden but easy-​to-​find areas, thusly fooling the consumer into thinking they have found a magical hidden gem, which they then tell their friends about. This explains why the boyf found a super-​cool Incredible Hulk tshirt within 5 minutes of entering the shop, but why my lengthy visits to the womenswear section have thrown up nothing whatsoever of interest.
Apart from these so-​called hidden magical gems (which as we have discussed are all part of some Machiavellian evil plan) al TK Maxx seems to sell is hideous ball gownery. As the erstwhile inhabitant of a tiny Northern town, I attended many school functions where approximately half of the female contingent would be robed in TK Maxx’s satiny creations. Not me though, I have taste.
If TK Maxx had delivered unto me but one miraculous find, I’d be more than happy to give it another million chances, but this shop, to me, is just a slightly quicker way to vacate the Arndale from the bottom floor.

I never really understood what TK Maxx was until recently. It sounds like a sports shop, and it was only when I was wandering around trying to find a green shirt the other day that I discovered it is, in reality, a discount store.
‘Oh!’ I cried aloud in alarm, startling a nearby tramp into a frightened and impromptu jig, «So that’s what it was!» Turning to briefly dance with the hobo, I then entered to survey the interior.
Inside it was like my own personal vision of hell; hundreds and hundreds of women tussling over clothes and bargains, tearing at each others throats in their desperate bid for the perfect dress. Scattered around were the bodies of the fallen, to be swiftly removed by the attentive staff. At the side were shell-​shocked fathers and sons, clutching each other tightly in a pitiful attempt to somehow escape the horrors before them. I had seen enough.
Having said that, it is a great place to find a bargain if you can be bothered spending the time combing through the hundreds and hundreds of racks. I guess that’s some peoples idea of fun.

I don’t know where they get their stock from but TK Maxx specialise in designer fashion and homeware for great discount prices. We’re talking cashmere jumpers, wool coats, skinny jeans, silk dresses, work and evening shirts, tunic tops, blazers, handbags and accessories at half the RRP. Some of the stock is clearly marked Last Season, others are from European or American boutique or high street labels.
New stock arrives daily and the fact everything is colour coded and split into sizes rather than labels means it’s easy to navigate your way around the store. Weekdays and evenings are usually quite quiet but be prepared to grab and keep hold of anything you like at weekends. Chances are if you wander round and go back for a second look, someone else will have snapped it up!
Baking queens and kings should also note — they have a fab selection of pans, muffin trays and kitchen accesories in the basement.

TK Maxx. Oh how we love you.
This shop has saved me many times. If you’ve never been in, you need to know what to expect: This shop is a glorified jumble sale. Except it’s slightly less organised.
This may sound like I’m criticising the place, I’m really not!
TK Maxx gets new deliveries every day, they don’t know what to expect and they don’t have stockrooms so everything heads straight out onto the shop floor. Mental.
Everything is at a reduced price, I mean everything. But not stupidly reduced like Primark where you get jeans for £8 (which shrink in the first wash), I mean appropriately reduced to about £30-£40 for Diesel jeans.
It kind of seems like one of those seconds stores where they sell ex-​catalogue clothes that people have sent back because they don’t fit.
It’s a bargain hunter’s dream place, you can find some absolutely fantastic things in here but it’s not the place you’d head for something different. Chances are you will see somebody else in the same dress you’re wearing on a night out. Which is never a good thing, especially if they look better than you in it.