Fabulous shopportunities

A few weeks ago, TJX (the awesome people behind TJ Maxx and Marshalls), invited a handful of their favorite style editors out on a 24-hour trip to their Boston-area headquarters. On the agenda: Shopping, learning about shopping, discussing shopping, lunch, and then more shopping.

I had a blast (and came home with so many goodies I almost had a problem getting through airline security), but somehow never wrote about it! It wasn’t until last night, when watching TV and seeing the brilliant new Marshalls commercial pass across my screen that I giant “duh” found itself on my own forehead.

In case anyone has thus far missed the commercial, it essentially points out that the current crummy economy is, in fact, our fabulous “shopportunity”. How so? Off-price retailers, such as T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, sell clothing and accessories from major-label brands at a significant discount. These companies take advantage of overruns, canceled orders, and forecasting mistakes made by their counter-parts in the full-price retail sector. This happens even more when the economy is in shambles, which leads to unbelievably huge designers appearing in the stores at liquidated prices.

You’ve all seen the fab commercials, so you know the scoop: When a major designer produces more clothing than it can sell through specialty retailers or department stores, or a store can’t move all of the items in a particular line, the excess inventory is sold at a 20%-60% discount to an off-price retailer. The company passes these savings onto consumers, marking up goods by a lower percentage than full-price stores and instead building their operating margins by moving a high volume of inventory quickly, at rock-bottom prices.

Here’s some of the awesome people that participated:

• Nichelle Gainer from 55 Secret Street
• Stephanie Rahlfs from Adventures in the Stiletto Jungle
• Lindsay Ginn from Broke and Beautiful
• Angela Shultis from Budget Fashionista
• Diana Baros from The Budget Babe
• Adriana Nova from The Fashion Bomb
• ME (hehe)
• Stacy DeBroff from Mom Central
• Ike Onyewuenyi from My Fashion Life
• Wendy Lam from Nitrolicious
• Lauren Dimet Waters from Second City Style
• Anna Basham from Shoe Smitten
• Katja Burnett from Style Hive
• Angie and Greg Cox from You Look Fab

And here’s a scoop even I did not know. TJ Maxx also sells beauty items! Whether it’s the biggest salon hair products or department-store cosmetics…and those too are liquidated!

As the season of giving is upon us – and I have done more shopping than I can even begin to validate – I am passing the savings on to one of you. ONE reader will receive a $50 gift card, good at Marshalls or TJ Maxx. Deadline is December 24.

One reader will be chosen at random from all who answer the following two questions: What are three contests I have held in the last two weeks? And what were some of your most successful shopportunities?

Photo credit: Youlookfab.com (My fabulous new friends and myself get a sneak peek at the new seasonal fashions at TJ Maxx and Marshalls.)