Cheap whores decide! Which discount store is the king of them all?

Where is Homegoods?

Homegoods is not in my poll because it doesn't have clothes.

Where’s the fucking Dollar Store, Dumb Cunt OP?????????

I get all my spangled football jerseys and hair extensions at TJ Maxx.

looks like fraus voted more than the whores.

r3 oh pls, mind as well unite lsa & dl though aliexpress and skimming the customer service pics for trashy thirdworld porn

i love nordstrom rack. i know its discount but some of the stuff in there is pricey

Dollar Store clothing is appropriate for gas station fights, trips to court, and a late nite booty call behind Chili’s!

OP sucks at threads and has child-aborting hips.

The Dollar Store is trash and doesn't belong in my poll, bitch.

Everyone is a leopard print catsuit away from Dollar Store clothing, you piece of trash OP

r9 washes infrequently with off-brand Camay soaked in urine scavenged from the Dollar Store's dumpster.

There is more class and character in the stretchmarks around my asshole than R10 will ever possess.

I like Ross because they don’t even try to hide its hood nature. They are always disorganized and chaotic. Many women with small children and babies wailing. So I have to be in the mood. The best was AJ Wright which was TJ Maxx ghetto. I got a pair of sneakers with Tupac’s face on them for $2 which I wore around the house. They were surprisingly comfortable.

I forgot about Filene's Basement in Boston. That's a pretty great discount store as well.

You queens aren’t even articulating the dollar stores correctly. Dollar General-mainly aimed at rural white folks; Family Dollar-mainly aimed at urban black and Latino communities Dollar Tree-everyone

R13 I thought all Filenes went out of business.

R1 Homegoods is now actually Marshall's, what dumb OP missed is actually Burlington.

I switch it up between Nordstrom Rack, Gabriel Brothers and Dillard's Outlet except they closed in my area.

[quote] Dollar General-mainly aimed at rural white folks

In the South rural black people shop there too.

Ross stores are always a mess, though I found one with nice goods in a better neighborhood. I'm guessing the business model relies on cheap real estate. Tuesday Morning stores are usually in fading strip centers. TJ Maxx stores are relatively upscale, better managed, better wares in my experience. And Dillards had a great outlet in Grand Prairie that I shopped during their holiday weekend, extra 25% off sales. People from Shreveport traveled over for those sales.

I agree about Ross being a mess. Burlington is better than Ross.

I'm the ultimate frugal shopper--although I don't need to be-- but at some point I said "never again" to Ross. It's just too messy and disorganized.

What about Raymart?

Kohl's is like a more upscale Ross, which is to say not overly depressing and decently priced

r9

It's usually close between Marshalls and TJ Maxx with Marshall's getting the nod. As a rule they have clothing - men's, anyway - that's a little more upscale than what TJ Maxx offers. Maybe it's different elsewhere, but a friend who's worked p/t at Marshalls since she was in high school said that the Boston-area stores are better than most because the parent company, TJX, is headquartered in Framingham, MA, the executives are in the local stores all the time, and that as a result a lot of the good merch goes there.

The last Filene's Basement store went out of business ten years ago. The real one, in Boston's Downtown Crossing, closed in 2010. Get out to shop much, OP? It's a Primark and a Roche Brothers supermarket now.

And Syms, once the best clothing discounter of all, is also gone for a decade after briefly owning Filene's Basement. I know Sy died, but what about Marcy?

I didn't realize that Ross was messy, in general. I thought it was just my local Ross. Still, I'd say Ross was the best as far as selection. Caveat: I'm mostly looking for home stuff, like sheets (not clothing so much).

I think TJ Maxx is supposed to be more higher end than Mashalls or more clothing friendly, but I like Marshalls better.

I was in Burlington last week and it was filthy. There’s also a Nordstrom ‘last call’ or something, w whatever doesn’t sell from the rack

And there’s a dillards clearance store. Where I live anyway. That’s a good one for sure

Fun fact: TJMaxx is called TKMaxx in the UK. And the Marshall's of Canada is WINNERS.

[quote] The last Filene's Basement store went out of business ten years ago. The real one, in Boston's Downtown Crossing, closed in 2010. Get out to shop much, OP?

I live in Texas now. I loved Filene's Basement when I lived up there.

Tuesday Morning. It has FLAVAH.

SteinMart used to be a lot more upscale, but they shut down permanently during the pandemic last year.

Family Dollar

TK Maxx in the UK always has actual designer clothes and usually carries Le Creuset cookware (albeit mainly either in teal or Valentine's day heart shapes year round)

Desert Hills Outlets, Cabazon - premiums at cheap price.

I only shop Phipps.

TJ Maxx & Marshalls have the same ownership--there doesn't seem to be much difference between them.

Caldor for the win!

Caldors is long gone.

[quote] In the South rural black people shop there too.

People, especially outside of the South, seem to forget that there are a lot of rural black people. They aren't all urban. There are a large number of rural counties in the South that are black majority. Basically if you look at a county-by-county Presidential election map, all the rural areas in the South that are blue, are black majority counties.

Ross is truly amazing. Where else can I go to find fancy French hand soap,a disorganized assortment of 1995 era Tommy Hilfiger shirts ,and a giant ass box of Twinings decaffeinated tea?

My Ross isn't disorganized, in fact it is absurdly neat and sterile looking with a small inventory in a large building. I prefer TJ Maxx.

The king was Filene's Basement. And 1990s/early 2000s-era TJ Maxx/Marshall's - depending 0n the city.

But, it's all gone to shit. You need consistent mid and upper tier department stores, plus retailers like The Gap selling good to excellent clothes, home wares, etc. to make the discount arena viable. There was a time when the stuff found at Marshall's really was leftovers from department stores. Now hardly at all.

And today, even if there is "overstock" sent down from better department stores, those stores now have gone WAY down in quality. There might still be a find here or there, but IMO there's no discount store that is reliably consistent anymore. It's mostly junk - especially the clothes.

Gurl I cant do Ross anymore. I get a headache going through racks of clothes and too many hoodrats. Tj Maxx and Marshalls occasionally.

Nordstrom Rack is good and I hope it never goes the way of Ross

Vivian Vance Dress Shop

Didi’s Discounts is hoodrat Mecca. Dress Barn is frau paradise.

Filene's Automatic Bargain Basement was indeed tops. The fun was the way the price of each item automatically kept going down till it was sold. Buy now or wait? Oh, the agony.

Burlington had a very good and well-designed online outlet with some real bargains but it's become a Covid victim.

[quote]Vivian Vance Dress Shop

Would that be LucyEth's or Ethelu's?

Ross is a flea market, but I always find cheap art supplies and garden stuff.

I'd like to pour one out in remembrance of Value City.

Supply chain management has gotten better, and long before the higher end stores began to close, these off-price places were getting made for them merchandise. A large fraction of Nordstrom's Rack has been that way for a long time.

Value City was owned by a liquidator and had some remarkable buys in its day. It also trained people, so that quite a few people on the floor (esp. in the department manager slots) knew the merchandise. A relative of mine worked for them for awhile. Ultimately, there weren't as many closeouts to go around and they really weren't the same anymore.

like coco peru, i hope at thrift stores

I liked Nordstrom Rack until I went to one of them and a regular Nordstrom in the same day and found the same item for less at Nordstrom than at the Rack.

Off Fifth is trash.

It is, R55, but there's one near me where the shoplifters show up in the police arrest reports a couple of times a week. Why steal dreck?

When I read them, I'm always reminded of the scene in "Arthur" where Gielgud details the dress code by telling Liza Minnelli to "Steal something casual" at Bergdorfs.

John’s Bargain Store

[quote] Supply chain management has gotten better, and long before the higher end stores began to close, these off-price places were getting made for them merchandise. A large fraction of Nordstrom's Rack has been that way for a long time.

This is especially true of handbags. You have to be really careful at Nordstrom Rack if you're buying a bag.

H&M, bebbeez!

WalMart for hunting clothes and novelty t-shirts.

What a bizarre commercial for Tuesday Morning with Lauren Bacall. I wonder how much she got paid to film 5 seconds from her car?

I was just at a Macy’s backstage today and it was awful. I think I’m just a Dillard’s (clearance) person now.

Macy's Backstage is the Ross of department store clearance stores.

Ross is hoodrat central.

My husband and I feel that Marshall's and TJ Maxx are having too much stuff made for them (like the Rae Dunn stuff). I was told that about Rack, that they have different buyers than regular Nordstrom so different stuff. I like to find real bargain stuff, like the time Marge Simpson found a Chanel suit at an outlet.

I don’t know about best discount stores as a whole, but Marshall’s is definitely best for pet treats and supplies.

I miss Daffy’s. Anyone remember that place?

I am embarrassed to admit this, but it wasn't until this year, from DL, that I learned that outlet stores and places like Marshalls have merchandise made especially for them. I totally believed that this stuff was overstocks, mistakes, and returns.

Didn't the internet kill off or seriously damage all those stores?

There was a place called Daffys in New York that people seemed to like. They ran funny ads when I was in high school.

But given that you can find all these discounted clothes online now, giving everyone an equal shot at high end bargains, I can't see how these stores stay in business.

M. E. Moses! Woolworth's!

R59, yes, I mentioned Daffys. I loved it.

These stores stayed in business because women like to shop. Online shopping is an addiction for some, but many I know indulge in “retail therapy”, which means roaming around a physical store with a cart, putting things in it. Judging from the random items left all over the place, they change their minds a lot. Then when they purchase something, they look at the price tag and tell themselves they saved money because it’s cheaper at Marshall’s. They return a lot, too.

My sister is one of these women, so I know. She used to give her returns and had me do the cash returns using my ID. If you return too many items (and you have to show your ID for cash returns), they blacklist you.

So yeah, they’re not going out of business, because women shop as a hobby.

Target, of course

Outlet stores haven't been a good deal since the 90s. Most of them have been selling made for outlet merchandise for ages. Either that or they moved starter brands into the outlet like Brooks Bros with "Brooksgate".

On the rare occasions Off Fifth yields a gem, it's a major fucking gem. But it doesn't happen often in my experience.

Whether they were specifically made for Marshall's/TJ Maxx or not, I bought a lot of basic Ralph Lauren polo shirts from those stores that fit great and looked good. These were the 100% cotton pique polos - sturdier, more texture. They were still fairly expensive for these stores - $34.99 or $39.99 when not on clearance.

Anyway, they were great for me over the years. Now I hardly see them. All the Ralph Lauren shirts are now some combo of that awful slick, slightly shiny knits (jersey knit?); hybrid fabrics instead of 100 cotton, sometimes stretchy material. They're awful. Maybe the ones I used to get weren't great for everyone, but they sure worked for me.

It's telling of who posts on DL that a thread like this could hit 75 posts with no one mentioning Barney's Warehouse or Gilt.com.

You could have just mentioned them and your thoughts about them. Gilt.com isn't a store.

Barney's Warehouse? Didn't they all shut down?

The few times i have been to Macy's Backstage it was total crap. Last time i was there the two sales people were deep in conversation and looked at me like i was bothering them.

Macy's is crap when it's new in store, isn't it?

Chillax R77-- one of the refreshingly unique things about DL is that despite being a site for gay men interested in "pointless bitchery" the prevailing aesthetic is decidedly middle class and Flyoverstani-- fashion threads revolve around Men's Warehouse and JC Penney, not Nieman and Bergdorf, where to find a "nice pair of khakis" not where to find $3K leather vests.

And yes, R78, it did shut down along with the parent store. The site now redirects to Saks Rack or whatever the Saks discount store is called.

R64 stank heifertitis!

R73 If you live near a Dillard's Outlet location it is the best because unlike the other ones it is still an actual outlet for the chain, filled with overstock and out of season merchandise from their regular stores, instead of special "outlet only" merchandise.

Kohl's

Dillard's sells old guy clothes and isn't much of a pedigree and the outlets are filled with grim looking stuff they can't sell in their slowly dying stores..

R95 They sell plenty of nice brands, Polo and Ralph by Ralph Lauren, Southern Tide, Ariat, Bugatchi, Cole Hann, The North Face, True Religion, Lacoste, and many others. Also, they have a very nice Cremieux brand which is exclusive to them in the USA.

Filene's Basement in town Boston was the Mother and Daddy of them all. You would see everyone there from Boston Brahmins to the Beacon Hill ladies who lunch to office workers, business execs, mothers shopping for their kids, white collar lawyers, blue collar laborers, students, just about everyone. However, once the upscale department store Filene's which occupied the eight-story building at the corner of Washing and Summer Street above closed, the Basement store couldn't continue. Very sad. Filene's was an institution in Boston since 1881. It closed in 2006. Filene's Basement opened in 1908 and closed in 2011.

There was always talk that the Filene's Basement store might come back, but that was never to be. The building, or most of it was torn down (some of it was saved to serve as the foundation of the new tower). The basement area becomes a Roach Brothers supermarket right next to the subway, which has been there forever. Above the supermarket is a now Millennium Tower is a 60-story, 684-foot-tall (208 m) residential skyscraper.

[quote] The basement area becomes a Roach Brothers supermarket right next to the subway, which has been there forever.

I'm sorry but that is a HORRIBLE fucking name for a grocery store.

It was Le Mouton à Cinq Pattes in Paris. A zillion years ago. When we were young and beautiful and starving for fashion.

Not so horrible, actually: it's Roche Brothers.

There's a Primark there, too.

I saw a store in a very small Midwestern town called "Burkes." What is this? Has anyone ever seen or been in one? I looked it up and it's supposed to be an outlet/ closeout store like Biglots, I think.

R91 If it is still pronounced as Roach would be, I still wouldn't use it for a food store.

R92 Burke's Outlet? It is owned by Beall's of Florida and is more like TJ Maxx or Ross, than Big Lots. They also operate as Beall's Outlet. They couldn't use the Beall's name in many places because of the unconnected Beall's department store of Texas, which was part of the Stage Stores family of department stores that liquidated last year. Beall's of Florida has bought the rights to the Stage names, so who knows if they will continue to use the Burke's name or not.

Thanks, r94. I thought I had game when it came to discount shopping. I obviously do not.

R86: They are heavily weighted toward dowdy house brand stuff. If I want Northface, I'll go to REI or one of Northface's store., which have broader selections. Back in the day when Timberland was still popular, they had a token selection while giving most of the floor space to their crap house brand. They do the same thing now with "name brands".

Dullard's gutted customer service as they took over chains and centralized buying, which is why the merchandise is so unattractive and the service is non-existent. The Dillard family controls the chain and uses it as a piggy bank----despite falling sales and profits, the company buys back its own stock and, in the process, inflates the dividends paid to the Dillard family. It will eventually be sold to private equity when the family decides they've sucked enough cash out of it. I've been to their outlets---they are filled with junk.

I liked Ollies

The secret of "having in the ceiling about 500 cameras" is that to some extent, it's security theater. Not all of them are active or being recorded. Which ones? You decide.

I'll vote for Dollar Tree as my favorite discount store, even though the dollar lemon pound cake loaf is long gone.

Railroad Salvage! It is gone, along with Zayre's and Ames.

Nordstrom Rack isn’t quite the same level of store as Ross or TJ Maxx. The Rack carries far higher end brands than the real discount outlets.

But, it’s true that the Rack isn’t necessarily cheaper than regular Nordies. A sales clerk at Nordstrom told me that an item reduced 75% at Nordstrom might actually go UP in price when it moves to the Rack where it starts the reduction cycle over again.

R96 Bitch did you get fired from Dillards? Just sit down. I look good in all their nice things. I get them at the clearance. You can go to Rue 21 you old bitch.

I like DD's or as we call it, Down & Dirty. I also like Cotton On.

R101: No, I'm just a discerning customer. Im guessing your some taste-free old queen who lives in a sunbelt sprawlburg. That seems to be their demographic.

Domseys in 1990 or so.

We have a store here called 1/2 of 1/2. It’s in a part of town I don’t go to often, but I’ve found some good stuff. I have to be in the mood to DIG, because a lot of the clothes are gross. One time they had just gotten a shipment of RL Polo button downs and I bought 4. It’s in the same area as a pretty decent Burlington and a very good Marshall’s. I haven’t shopped anywhere other than a grocery store in the last year, so not sure if any of them are still in business.

[quote]No, I'm just a discerning customer.

But are you an educated consumer?

[quote] You can go to Rue 21 you old bitch.

MARY!

[quote] Im guessing your some taste-free old queen who lives in a sunbelt sprawlburg. That seems to be their demographic.

MARY!

MARY!

R19, I remember that Dillard’s store in Grand Prairie. I bought a set of dishes there.

They don’t have clothes, but Big Lots is great for kitchen items, some food, pet stuff, even decent furniture.

As a woman, I like the purse selection at both Ross and TJ Max. Can get great cosmetics there, too. The clothes are hit and miss, with the men’s section so ridiculously tiny.

R100, I bought a Versace bikini bottom at a TJ Maxx last summer. For real.

This thread is perfect for me. I live abroad and always travel with a few extra suitcases when visiting my family in the US. EVERYTHING is cheaper for me in the US including name brands. Not even close. I spend about 50% of my vacation time shopping

R110 I always comes come with a suitcase filled with sneakers, shoes, and clothes. In the old days when Lufthansa and Swiss were kind with very permissive weight limits. I would fly home with 2 suitcases filled with products of all kind bought at American prices.

R109 I've found Lily Pulitzer swim trunks, Hartmann luggage, a $950 Beretta parka for $99, Waterford (and not the shit non-Irish stuff) crystal, Zimmerli underwear, Ray-Ban Wayfarers, Tod's driving shoes, and Hermes ties over the years for ridiculously low prices at Marshall's and TJ Maxx.

They both used to have consistently better stuff for the reasons detailed above, but you can still find deals. You've always had to love poking through a lot of crap before finding something that's really good and the pickings seem slimmer every year, but it still happens occasionally.

There is non-Irish Waterford? Well, I never in all my life!

I’m in Cremieux jeggings as we speak, sistahs!

R113 Wait till you find out that Wedgwood is made in Jakarta.

Big Lots -- I bought a full set of luggage there for $40.

I bought a dinette at the Flea Market Montgomery

R117: It looks like the junk that "credit furniture stores" used sell--places that "kept their own accounts" and sent out bill collectors every week for payment, but at least he has fun selling it. Except for schlocky used car dealers, DC doesn't have much in the way of cheesey local ads anymore.

Whatever happened to Loehmann's?

Neiman’s always has my look...

Do you have luck at Last Call, r120?

Great luck, r121. My favorite buys are those rarified times when the clearance racks are bursting with inventory, and the salesperson discreetly tells me that it’s 50% off the lowest price.

Nordstrom Rack always has an impressive inventory of shoes with great prices. As someone above said, it's truly hit or miss though (but aren't all these stores?). TJ Maxx seems to be better with home goods lately. They always have fun seasonal/holiday items. COVID has really impacted the inventory of Marshall's/TJ Maxx but you can always find some fun t-shirts and grooming products. You can't beat a three pack of name-brand reading glasses for $9.99.

Actually, R123, you can: five pairs with the blue blocker tint for $10 on Amazon. Name brand, schmame brand: they’re all made in China.

This should go in the "worst thing ever said to me" thread, but after my sister in law rubbished Ross to me, I once said, "I'm really into fashion," and she replied, "Wow, I never knew that." Breathtaking put down or just typical frau social ineptness?

[quote] Big Lots -- I bought a full set of luggage there for $40.

Big Lots sometimes has random interesting international foods. The Last Call in Katy (Houston) closed not too long ago... I really think Neiman Marcus is on its last legs.

Went to TJ Maxx and Ross today for the first time in years. What a change. Almost no men's clothes apart from rows of t-shirts being flogged at $10. Lack of bustle in both stores. That same heading-downhill feeling Sears and KMart gave off for years.