I compared TJ Maxx locations in the suburbs and the city. The prices were the same, but the shopping experiences couldn't have been more different.

Gabbi ShawJan 15, 2024, 17:50 IST

TJ Maxx.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I visited two TJ Maxx locations in New York: one in the suburbs of Long Island and one in Manhattan.
I was expecting to prefer the suburban location, but I liked the selection better in Manhattan.

TJ Maxx is one of the most popular off-price (or discounted) retail chains in the US, with over 1,000 stores across the US and Canada.

The first two TJ Maxx locations opened in Massachusetts in 1977, according to the company's timeline. Since then, its parent company, TJX, has launched HomeGoods, TK Maxx (its European equivalent), and Homesense, and acquired Marshalls, Winners Apparel, Bob's Stores, and Sierra Trading Post.

Sometimes, a shopping experience will differ drastically between an urban location and a suburban location, from prices to products, and I wanted to see if the same could be said of TJ Maxx. I decided to visit a location in the suburbs of Long Island, New York, and compare it to a store in Manhattan.

Here's what I thought.

My first stop was a TJ Maxx in Massapequa on Long Island, New York. The hamlet is around 40 miles east of Manhattan.

TJ Maxx in Massapequa.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The first section I saw when I walked inside was the luggage area.

Suitcases at TJ Maxx.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Next to the luggage were bags and purses.

Purses and bags at TJ Maxx.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

In my experience, TJ Maxx is a mishmash of everything you could ever want. After I left the luggage section, I came across this display of reading glasses.

Glasses at TJ Maxx.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Tables spread throughout the Long Island location appeared to hold items that loosely fit into themes, like this table of $25 winter accessories.

Winter accessories.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

But the main event, of course, was the clothes. The store famously carries brand-name clothing for lower prices.

The clothing racks at TJ Maxx.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I had hoped the items would be organized by color or types of clothes, but that wasn't the case. To me, it just seemed a mess.

Clothing racks.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I swerved around the overwhelming clothing section. A table filled with hair accessories caught my eye.

The Single Shot.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

While I was pleased to find the Drybar blow-dryer brush, some of the other products I saw were in less-than-ideal condition.

A waver with some sort of goo.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

A spinning shelf nearby was filled with holiday soaps for under $10.

Holiday soaps.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The other biggest section in the store was the beauty section.

The beauty section.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The haircare section did not seem to have any sort of organizing principle.

The haircare section.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The makeup palettes were haphazardly stacked together.

Makeup palettes.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Some had even been opened and then put back.

An opened makeup palette.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I made my way over to the shoe section which, frankly, was paltry in my opinion.

The shoe section.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The middle of the store was dedicated to Christmas.

Christmas decorations.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

A nearby section was dedicated to decorative Christmas trees and gingerbread houses.

Gingerbread houses and Christmas trees.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Pets couldn't be left out of the holiday fun, of course, and I saw a wide selection of holiday sweaters for dogs.

Dog holiday sweaters.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

There was also a small Hanukkah section.

The Hanukkah section at TJ Maxx.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The cookware was nearby. If I was in need of any, I'd come to TJ Maxx first.

Pots and pans.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

There were water bottles and travel mugs scattered throughout the store.

Water bottles and travel mugs.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

There weren't any Stanley cups, but I saw rows of dupes by Hydrapeak.

HydraPeak dupes.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

As I walked around, I noticed that many of the displays were messy.

A mess.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

After a somewhat underwhelming experience in the suburbs, I visited TJ Maxx on 59th Street in Manhattan to see how the stores compared.

The 59th Street TJ Maxx.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Just like on Long Island, the first thing I saw was luggage.

Luggage section.Gabbi Shaw/Insider

Conveniently, luggage accessories were nearby.

Luggage accessories.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Next to the luggage was the bag section, which was perfectly color-coordinated.

The bag section.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I continued to explore the ground floor before going downstairs. Like the bags, the haircare section was way more organized in the city.

Haircare.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

It turned out that color coordination was a big thing in this store.

Bath and body.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The Manhattan location had the same blow-dryer brush for the same price, but this one was locked behind glass.

A blow-dryer brush behind glass.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

However, even though haircare was better organized in this store, the makeup was just as messy as it had been in the suburbs.

Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

After getting the blush dust off my hands, I headed downstairs.

The basement level.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

There weren't many holiday decorations in this store, but there were tables of gift sets and boxes.

Gift boxes.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

In fact, there was more Valentine's Day decor than Christmas decor.

Valentine's Day goodies.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I was immediately drawn to these heart-shaped dishes.

Heart-shaped dishes.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

I spotted the same Nespresso machine — for the same price — that I had seen on Long Island.

The Nespresso.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

But while this store was superior in many ways, I thought the clothing section was comparable — if not slightly worse — than Long Island's.

The clothing section.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

But the shoe section was much better. I spotted Hunter rain boots ...

Hunter rain boots.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

... Crocs snow boots ...

Crocs.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

... and Reebok sneakers.

Reeboks.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

The city location had a similar selection of water bottles and mugs.

Water bottles.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Overall, I found both TJ Maxx locations to be disorganized to varying degrees but filled with good deals. I preferred the city location for its inventory, but I'd shop at either one in the future.

TJ Maxx.Gabbi Shaw/Business Insider

Overall, I found both TJ Maxx locations to be disorganized to varying degrees but filled with good deals. I preferred the city location for its inventory, but I'd shop at either one in the future.

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I compared TJ Maxx locations in the suburbs and the city. The prices were the same, but the shopping experiences couldn't have been more different.

My first stop was a TJ Maxx in Massapequa on Long Island, New York. The hamlet is around 40 miles east of Manhattan.

The first section I saw when I walked inside was the luggage area.

Next to the luggage were bags and purses.

In my experience, TJ Maxx is a mishmash of everything you could ever want. After I left the luggage section, I came across this display of reading glasses.

Tables spread throughout the Long Island location appeared to hold items that loosely fit into themes, like this table of $25 winter accessories.

But the main event, of course, was the clothes. The store famously carries brand-name clothing for lower prices.

I had hoped the items would be organized by color or types of clothes, but that wasn't the case. To me, it just seemed a mess.

I swerved around the overwhelming clothing section. A table filled with hair accessories caught my eye.

While I was pleased to find the Drybar blow-dryer brush, some of the other products I saw were in less-than-ideal condition.

A spinning shelf nearby was filled with holiday soaps for under $10.

The other biggest section in the store was the beauty section.

The haircare section did not seem to have any sort of organizing principle.

The makeup palettes were haphazardly stacked together.

Some had even been opened and then put back.

I made my way over to the shoe section which, frankly, was paltry in my opinion.

The middle of the store was dedicated to Christmas.

A nearby section was dedicated to decorative Christmas trees and gingerbread houses.

Pets couldn't be left out of the holiday fun, of course, and I saw a wide selection of holiday sweaters for dogs.

There was also a small Hanukkah section.

The cookware was nearby. If I was in need of any, I'd come to TJ Maxx first.

There were water bottles and travel mugs scattered throughout the store.

There weren't any Stanley cups, but I saw rows of dupes by Hydrapeak.

As I walked around, I noticed that many of the displays were messy.

After a somewhat underwhelming experience in the suburbs, I visited TJ Maxx on 59th Street in Manhattan to see how the stores compared.

Just like on Long Island, the first thing I saw was luggage.

Conveniently, luggage accessories were nearby.

Next to the luggage was the bag section, which was perfectly color-coordinated.

I continued to explore the ground floor before going downstairs. Like the bags, the haircare section was way more organized in the city.

It turned out that color coordination was a big thing in this store.

The Manhattan location had the same blow-dryer brush for the same price, but this one was locked behind glass.

However, even though haircare was better organized in this store, the makeup was just as messy as it had been in the suburbs.

After getting the blush dust off my hands, I headed downstairs.

There weren't many holiday decorations in this store, but there were tables of gift sets and boxes.

In fact, there was more Valentine's Day decor than Christmas decor.

I was immediately drawn to these heart-shaped dishes.

I spotted the same Nespresso machine — for the same price — that I had seen on Long Island.

But while this store was superior in many ways, I thought the clothing section was comparable — if not slightly worse — than Long Island's.

But the shoe section was much better. I spotted Hunter rain boots ...

... Crocs snow boots ...

... and Reebok sneakers.

The city location had a similar selection of water bottles and mugs.

Overall, I found both TJ Maxx locations to be disorganized to varying degrees but filled with good deals. I preferred the city location for its inventory, but I'd shop at either one in the future.