Over the weekend, big-box stores T.J. Maxx and Marshall’s lured a group of bloggers to their HQ in Framingham, Massachusetts, to chat. The stores revealed that they basically have buyers all over the world working around the clock to nab cheap designer duds, including in-season stuff! Fashionista reports:
“Over 40 weeks out of the year, buyers are on the road brokering last minute deals with over 12,000 vendors in more than 60 countries. They can buy surplus when a vendor has over-produced, or buy returns when a major department store has backed out of an order. And while department stores return merch to the vendors when they don’t sell it, T.J. Maxx and Marshalls buy their merchandise for keeps so they can get goods at a much better price. They also have the power to buy in varying quantities since they can place goods in all stores, or just select stores.
So if you take these stores at their word, an endless staff scurrying for deals via surplus duds and/or last-minute back-outs explains why a cheap in-season Marc Jacobs dress could end up on the floor of a Marshall’s for a lot less money than it costs when displayed in a boutique. The more you know …
Inside the World of Off-Price Retail [Fashionista]
