I went holiday shopping at both Kohl's and T.J. Maxx. Despite its higher prices, one department store is a very clear winner.

Danielle Bauter compared her shopping experiences at Kohl's and T.J. Maxx.Danielle Bauter

• T.J. Maxx and Kohl's are popular department stores with great prices.
• Danielle Bauter decided to shop at both stores in Upland, California and compare the experience.

Where I live in Southern California, both Kohl's and T.J. Maxx are popular stores that offer savings on clothing, accessories, housewares, and holiday items.

A side-by-side view of Upland's T.J. Maxx and Kohl's.      Danielle Bauter

Kohl's has around 1,100 nationwide stores and T.J. Maxx has nearly 1,300 stores across the US.

Pedestrians walk past a T.J. Maxx store in Boston.      Reuters

Source: Kohl's, T.J. Maxx

As inflation forces shoppers to spend less, Kohl's reported a 7% decrease in Q3 net sales, while T.J. Maxx and its sister companies Marshalls and Sierra saw a 3% growth.

A screenshot of the third quarter earnings report from Kohl's.      Kohl's

Source: T.J. Maxx, Kohl's, Insider

I was curious to see how these factors would affect my shopping experience. So with my favorite shopping partner, my mom, I embarked on a retail journey at both stores.

Danielle Bauter's mom shopping at Kohl's.      Danielle Bauter

The first store we visited was Kohl's in Upland, California, on a Monday afternoon around 2 p.m. Upland is a suburb about 40 miles east of Los Angeles.

The outside of Bauter's local Kohl's in Upland, CA.      Danielle Bauter

Located near the entrance was a selection of toys aimed at holiday shoppers. My mom quickly made a friend.

Bauter's mom posing next to a jumbo-sized fox plush at Kohl's.      Danielle Bauter

Kohl's also had an extraordinary selection of games and puzzles.

The games and puzzle section at Kohl's.      Danielle Bauter

Name brands like Adidas, displayed in the sportswear section, immediately caught my eye.

The Adidas display inside Kohl's.      Danielle Bauter

At Kohl's, almost everything was on sale, Adidas included. I appreciated how prices were clearly marked and that similar items were displayed together.

Adidas clothing was marked down, along with other name brands like Nike.      Danielle Bauter

I was also drawn to the Levi's display, and I appreciated that the jeans were folded neatly, making it easier to find the right size.

Levi's jeans stacked neatly in rows inside Kohl's.      Danielle Bauter

The one exception to the store's organization was the clearance sections in each department. In the shoe department, shoes were spilling onto the floor with no real semblance of order.

Kohl's messy clearance shoes section.      Danielle Bauter

Kohl's also had a large selection of luggage, with prices marked down to 50% off for American Tourister.

Luggage was marked down by at least 50%.      Danielle Bauter

The housewares department at Kohl's also featured name brands like Ninja and Keurig, but the discounts didn't seem that great — the Ninja coffee maker only had a $20 markdown.

Ninja coffee makers were also on sale.      Danielle Bauter

It seemed the word "sale" was ever-present around the store, with Food Network cookware also featured.

Kohl's home and kitchen items on display.      Danielle Bauter

But once again, the clearance section was a mess.

Household items on clearance at Kohl’s.      Danielle Bauter

There was quite a selection of comforter sets that were marked down to 40% or 50% off.

Madison Park comforter sets on sale at Kohl's.      Danielle Bauter

The home decor section also featured merchandise at 60% off, with some items under $10.

Marked down home decor items at Kohl's.      Danielle Bauter

Surprisingly, I found Lands' End coats at Kohl's. I thought Lands' End clothing was only available online, so I made a mental note of this.

Lands' End coats on display at Kohl's.      Danielle Bauter

There was also a selection of stylish purses by Simply Vera Vera Wang. The renowned designer started the collection for Kohl's in 2007. I loved how they were neatly displayed and organized.

The Simply Vera Vera Wang collection is carried exclusively at Kohl's.      Danielle Bauter

Source: Kohl's

At the back of the store was a whole wall of Lego merchandise, with games for all ages.

Lego lovers will find many treasures at Kohl’s.      Danielle Bauter

Former reality TV star and lifestyle maven Lauren Conrad also has a line at Kohl's.

LC Lauren Conrad clothing is available at Kohl's.      Danielle Bauter

The jewelry department boasted sales up to 60% off, and watches by such brands as Bulova and Seiko.

The jewelry display case at Kohl's.      Danielle Bauter

At around 4:30 p.m., when I was done shopping at Kohl's, I went straight to the T.J. Maxx also located in Upland. T.J. Maxx was about half the size of Kohl's and much more crowded with shoppers.

Danielle Bauter standing outside of her local T.J. Maxx store in Upland, CA.      Danielle Bauter

At Kohl's I saw about 15 people in the store, while T.J. Maxx had at least three times that many. This may have been because it was a little later in the day.

The outside of Bauter's local T.J. Maxx in Upland, CA.      Danielle Bauter

Unlike Kohl's, The T.J. Maxx accessories department was right near the front of the store, which included a selection of handbags, scarves, hats, and neck pillows.

Handbags on display at T.J. Maxx.      Danielle Bauter

I immediately noticed how cluttered the store was, with merchandise that seemed to be shoved into every available space.

The accessories section at T.J. Maxx was cluttered and slightly overwhelming.      Danielle Bauter

The luggage section was perhaps the most organized in the store, even though it was right next to the accessories.

The luggage was organized in neat rows at T.J. Maxx.      Danielle Bauter

The jewelry department also had no semblance of order, and prices were not clearly marked.

Miscellaneous jewelry were grouped together at T.J. Maxx.      Danielle Bauter

Even though T.J. Maxx had a large selection of handbags and wallets, I just couldn't get over the clutter enough to want to browse through it.

The massive selection of purses and handbags at T.J. Maxx.      Danielle Bauter

The bath and body display was similarly cluttered, with no separation by particular brands. Prices were marked individually and most seemed to be marked down by about 30%.

T.J. Maxx has an unorganized section filled with lotions, soaps, and other body care items.      Danielle Bauter

The shoe section made me kind of sad. Organized by size, some pairs of shoes looked like they'd already been worn.

The shoe selection at T.J. Maxx left much to be desired.      Danielle Bauter

Women's lingerie was confined to one long row of racks, making the quest to find your size almost like locating a needle in a haystack.

Trying to find a size in the women's lingerie section at T.J. Maxx was difficult.      Danielle Bauter

T.J. Maxx's clearance section was a bit more organized than similar sections at Kohl's. I was actually surprised by this, given the chaos in the other sections — it made me want to browse the clearance items.

Some T.J. Maxx's home decor items were on clearance and better organized than other departments.      Danielle Bauter

Not surprisingly, my mom was drawn to the holiday items. I'm not sure whether it was the life-size elf or the vast assortment of nutcrackers that made her so happy.

Bauter's mom posing next to a holiday elf inside T.J. Maxx.      Danielle Bauter

I also had no idea that decorative pumpkins came in so many different sizes and colors.

There was a wide selection of decorative pumpkins at T.J. Maxx.      Danielle Bauter

A mishmash of bedding items was also there for the taking. Unfortunately, most looked like they'd already been opened and used.

Some of the T.J. Maxx bedding seemed to have already been opened or used.      Danielle Bauter

T.J. Maxx had a small selection of furniture, something that Kohl's lacked. I did see a couple of things that I liked there.

The small furniture selection at T.J. Maxx.      Danielle Bauter

Overall, the T.J. Maxx displays weren't appealing to me. While it was likely organized to make the most of the available floor space, I wasn't that tempted to browse the racks.

Endless racks of clothes at T.J. Maxx.      Danielle Bauter

Plaid shirts hung next to sweaters and silk blouses. Each item was individually tagged and you have to sort through each item to know its price, unlike Kohl's.

Haphazard displays of clothes at T.J. Maxx.      Danielle Bauter

Men's fragrances were also on display, with brands like Calvin Klein and Tommy Bahama.

Men's fragrances at T.J. Maxx.      Danielle Bauter

On the way to the cash register, I was met with some easy grab and go gifts, like cell phone cases, earbuds, and phone chargers.

T.J. Maxx displays tech accessories like phone cases and earbuds on the way to checkout.      Danielle Bauter

While Kohl's had mostly 30% off sales, T.J. Maxx had sales for 20% to 60% off. Still, I preferred the less-cluttered environment at Kohl's and its clearly-marked prices.

Kohl's was less cluttered and prices were clearly on display.      Danielle Bauter

The stores had a couple of similarities, but I'd much rather shop at a store like Kohl's that emphasizes deals without sacrificing the time spent to find them.

Danielle Bauter preferred shopping at Kohl's over T.J. Maxx.      Danielle Bauter