You ladies got me hooked on Marshalls!!!

[anna lisa]

I have never been to Marshall's before and all I can say is "You ladies have created a shopping monster in me!! :)"

Today I went straight to the children's department and within 10 minutes ran around trying to locate a shopping cart!!

The had tons of Sandra Boynton books. They are adorable!!! They were $4.99 and $3.99 each. I got:

Barnyard Dance
Pajama Time
The Bedtime Book

They had a very badly damaged copy of Moo Baa La La. I was a little mad I couldn't find another copy since the book was so cute.

I also got the Lamaze Sea Fun Bath Set and Lamaze Soft Stacking Rings.

I picked up a copy of What to Expect the Toddler Years for $9.99.

The houseware section was amazing. I must have been there for 30 mins. I got two really nice framed art pictures for my kitchen nook for $14 each.

I'm also dragging DH back this weekend so I can pick up a cute bench for my entrance hall. :)

I didn't care too much for their layette clothing. Not too much to choose from. I also was expecting to find some strollers there and there was none. I've read that people have purchased Martinelli strollers there for 50% off (not that I need one, just to browse at).

Just wanted to say thanks. If it wasn't for you moms, I never would have gone and I also would have never discovered Sandra Boynton.

Thanks!!

[egoldber]

LOL! I love Marshall's. Do you have TJ Maxx near you as well? They also have the Boynton books (and others). Sometimes they have the same thing as Marshalls and sometimes they have different things. I have also never really found any clothes there that were such great deal. But the toys and books are great!

[anna lisa]

I usually stop in TJ Maxx once a week. It's part of my Target, Babies R Us, BJ's, Supermarket run - all in the same stripmall. DH wonder's why it takes me an entire day to go supermarket shopping :)

I just told my Mom what fun I had and she said it's all due to the neighborhoods. The Marshall's closest to my mom is in a low income area and does not have a nice selection. So, I'm guessing that's why I never find anything nice at the TJ Maxx I go to (not far from Shea Stadium in Queens). I usually just pick up DH a box of biscotti :)

This Marshall's was in NJ and was really laid out nicely. All the books were neatly stacked, no messes. I was really impressed. My TJ Maxx is a danger zone 90% of the time.

But I will check out TJ Maxx's children's books next time I'm there.

Thanks for all the great advise Beth!

[atlmom]

I love Marshalls and TJ Maxx. It seems each one has different things though. We have them together in a strip center near our house and they usually have lots of Ralph Lauren and Hilfiger. Last week they had some Jacadi and another French brand. I get almost all of ds clothes there. My mother's Marshalls never has any of these lines.

I also bought my whole set of Briggs & Riley luggage there, which I could never afford in a luggage store.

Absolutely love it.

Ashley
mom to Spencer 4.9.02

[jojo2324]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE TJ Maxx. The nearest Marshalls is about an hour away from us. I used to go straight to the shoe section; now I head right over to the kids' department. :)

I have gotten a lot of Baby Einstein and Eric Carle books there. They have a good selection of toys as well.

They also typically carry Jacadi, Catamini, Little Me, Carter's, and Absorba. Other times I have even seen some other boutique-y brands, like Sucre D'orge, Les Bebes du Paradis and Miniman. And for CHEAP!! Things that would retail for $80 retail priced at $15!

I also picked up a Carter's Emu cribset for $39.99!!! That was my best bargain find yet! And then when I went to BRU a week later, they had the same set on "clearance" for $159.99. I have also gotten some cute bibs (a Bumkins one for $3.99) and a couple of splat mats ($3.00). They also usually have infant headrests, photo albums, everything really.

DH does not share my love...:D

[JMarie]

I am also a Marshalls/TJMAxx addict, and I concur with DH not sharing in the addiction. He thinks it's a glorified garage sale. However, where we live (Chicago suburbs), there are at least a dozen stores within a 20 mile radius! Okay, maybe a bit farther, but I don't think they're more than 45 minutes away. The stores downtown are just massive and DH never lets me go in them (let alone Filene's Basement...). Pre-pregnancy, I would also head straight for the shoe section or the purses (some stores around here get boatloads of Coach bags). I got a Boppy there for $15, tons of books for $7-$10, and the Classic Pooh comforter for $15 (bought the crib skirt and bumpers off EBay for $20). In fact I think almost all the Classic Pooh knick-knacks I have are from those two stores, except for the Lenox items my parents got for me. I know Pooh is SO overdone in nurseries, but I just love that bear...

JMarie
Mom to Aidan Christopher 01/28/03

[Melanie]

I love TJ Maxx & Marshall's! Our TJ just closed though. =(

I've also never seen a stroller at Marshall's, but they are SO hit & miss...you never know what you will find!



Mommy to Jonah

[LD92599]

Anna Lisa:

Not sure which Marshalls you went to, but from other posts I see that you shop in Target, Hackensack....if you went to the Marshall's in Bergen Mall, I hope you checked out the other stores (or on your next Target trip)...Children's Place Outlet, Gap Outlet and of course Value City!

Laura
mom to William 3.5.2003

[Jen841]

Homegoods is a division of TJMaxx/Marshalls with just household items. They have great stuff for baby's room. I actually need to get there to check for a rug for baby's room. (In the Chicago area there is on in the strip mall by Nordstom Rack by Woodfield and up on Dempster west of Milwaukee I believe.)

Last time I was there they had SUPER cute items for a children's bathroom and some great soft toys.

TJMaxx and More is a MEGA TJMaxx with a ton of household items in addition to clothing.

I have been an addict for years, and now my husband is catching on.

You can not beat their prices!

[alkagift]

Marshall's is the best for bags! I go there for handbags and this weekend I went in and got a small Kenneth Cole diaper bag for short trips to the store (looks JUST like my handbags!) and a small, heavily pocketed backpack from Calvin Klein that I'm going to use as a diaper bag--all the backpack diaper bags were just too heavy and too large--this is a real backpack, just has more pockets, which is what I wanted. YAY!!

Allison
Expecting #1 5/27/03

[anna lisa]

Laura,

I did go to the Marshall's in the Bergen Mall. I very rarely go into the Mall itself (I prefer the Garden State Mall). But I do run into Value City here and there. Next time I'm out there I will go in and check out the outlets, I wasn't aware of them before. Thanks!

[twinsmommy627]

Annalisa,

Are you in Queens or NJ? I saw you wrote about the TJ Maxx in Whitestone. I can point you to some other ones if you're in the Queens area.

I keep hearing about Value City - anyone know if there are any in NY?

Thanks!

[anna lisa]

I'm in NYC, but shop in NJ, Queens and on Long Island. We live close to the bridges so it's usually 20 mins in either direction.

The only Value City in our area is the one in the Bergen Mall on Rt 4 in NJ. It's an interesting store. I've been there only a few times. I don't care for their clothing or shoe departments. I think the baby's dept and housewares are great. The housewares is huge at Value City, much more so than at any TJ Maxx, Marshalls, type place.

[AngelaS]

I found great stuff too!

I got dd a Breyer horse set for $11 ($25 other places), a $10 Playmobil set for $4 and some big floor puzzles for our church nursery for $6 and $7! :D

I had to drive right past the Marshalls tho, without stopping---it was lunchtime and the girls were melting down on me. Sniff.... Next trip I'll go there for sure! :D

[twinsmommy627]

Annalisa,

I've heard a lot about Value City. Is GWB closer to it? Can you give me directions from GWB? Thanks.

Have you been to the TJ Maxx in New Hyde Park? They have good stuff, as does the one in Carle Place (near Roosevelt Field). And of course I love the TJ Maxx on 6th and 18th streets!!!

[lynnk]

I live in the Chicagoland area and work at a high volume Marshalls. Just to let you know we don't carry strollers (I can only speak for my store). But about 2 years ago we did get the Martinelli strollers in and have never gotten any strollers since. Our store sometimes gets some Eddie Bauer baby gear, where you carry the baby on your back. Because they are so big our store sometimes puts them with the luggage instead of in the childrens department, so check both places in the stores near you.

Also a FYI Marshalls, TJ Maxx and Homegoods are all owned by the company Marmaxx. So if we don't have what a customer wants, I tell them to try TJ Maxx or Homegoods. Another tip, we get trucks 3 days a week and we never know what will be on them, so don't bother asking an associate when they will be getting a specific item in. Your best bet is to come in once or twice a week, and trust me, our regular customers do. In the middle of March most stores(not all stores participate in ads) had a Gymboree ad, so check your stores for Gymboree merchandise. Our store doesn't have much of it left. We don't have sales either. Either the merchandise is the regular price, or it is on clearance.

I'm glad you like the store and appreciate the bargains that you are getting. I'm due in August and have been stocking up myself.

[addiemae]

I live in North Central Massachusetts, I work an hour from home and have 4 or 5 stores I can hit on my way home (or just a little out of the way). The Martinelli strollers were in the Fitchburg MA store in Dec/Jan, the clerk told me they had 10.... when I got there they had 2 left on clearance for 50 bucks. I see lots of Eddie Bauer stuff too, and just got a Baby Bjorn diaper bag on clearance for 50 bucks. I have seen those in a few stores.
My favorite is Marshalls, but I wouldn't drive by a TJ'S or Homegoods
without a quick run in.
Happy Shopping!
Emily's mommy,
Annie

[anna lisa]

I take the GWB to Route 4 - Paramus. Stay on Route 4 for a while. (I'm bad with mileage, but say 15 mins). As you approach Kohls (on your right), your'll see a sign for the "Bergen Mall". The mall is on the left, you need to go over a ramp to get across the street to it. Your'll see Macy's, Marshall's, Off of Fifth... Value City is to the far right. It's an anchor store with it's own entrance.

I've been to the TJ Maxx in New Hyde Park once. Wasn't too crazy about it. I've also been to the one on Glen Cove Road, too. I really prefer Marshall's over TJ Maxx. They opened a Marshall's in the Home Depot shopping center in Elmont that I found nice stuff at.

I also discovered the Home Goods store in Paramus on Route 17. That store was amazing! I could stay in there all day.

[C99]

Lynn,

Which high-volume store?

[twinsmommy627]

Annalisa - Thanks for the info - I appreciate it. I'll have to trek out there some day soon with the babies. My mom has a nice Home Goods store not too far from her in NJ. She loves it and spends lots of time there. I haven't been in one yet, and I probably should stay out!