HomeGoods is abruptly shutting down its online shopping site
- HomeGoods is shutting down its online store.
- In an email to customers Wednesday, HomeGoods said its e-commerce site would close after October 21.
HomeGoods is shutting down its online store.
The discount home decor chain, which is owned by TJX Companies, sent an email to customers Wednesday announcing that it would stop offering online shopping after October 21.
"We've made the decision to focus our resources on our brick-and-mortar stores," the email message said, while adding that it would be announcing "many new store openings."
HomeGoods sells off-price furniture, lamps, art, and other decor. It's well known for the treasure-hunt experience of its stores.
TJX reported in August that net sales from e-commerce were less than 2% of total sales in its most recent quarter.
"As to e-commerce, overall, it remains a very small percentage of our business," TJX chief financial officer John Joseph Klinger said in an August earnings call. "We continue to add new merchandise to our sites so that shoppers can see something new every time they visit."
The high cost to ship chairs and lamps to customers could have been part of the company's decision to shut down HomeGoods.com.
A TJX customer service representative confirmed the change and said it would only affect HomeGoods' site. After October 21, customers could use HomeGoods gift cards and merchandise credit at other TJX-owned stores and sites, the representative said. TJX also owns TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Home Sense, and Sierra.
TJX Companies did not respond to Insider's request for comment.
HomeGoods launched its long-awaited e-commerce site in September 2021. Part of the company's initial hesitation came from the business model — offering low prices and the bargain-hunting thrill that only comes from physical retail, RetailDive reported.
Klinger said in the August earnings call that TJX planned to open about 125 new stores in fiscal 2024. TJX's second quarter net sales were $12.8 billion, an 8% increase compared to the same quarter last year.
Some shoppers are taking to social media to share their disappointment over the HomeGoods website closing.
One X user posted, "@HomeGoods this is devastating. "
Another shopper posted to the brand's Facebook page: "I just received the email that you are shutting down online shopping later this week. I'm here to tell you that I'll be canceling my card and won't be traveling over 40 miles to your nearest store (which is small and picked over anyway)."If you are a HomeGoods or T.J. Maxx employee and would like to share your experience, please email this reporter at jortakales@insider.com or text (646) 768-4742 using the Signal app.