TJ Maxx

TJ Maxx is operated by TJX Companies, which was founded in 1977 as an offshoot of Zayre Corporation and has grown into the largest off-price apparel and home fashion retailer in the world. The off-price retail model operates on a buying approach that is fundamentally different from conventional retail: rather than ordering seasonal inventory from a vendor catalog six to twelve months before the season begins, TJ Maxx buyers purchase opportunistically from department stores that overbought, manufacturers who produced more than they sold, and direct from brands who want to clear excess inventory outside their own channels. The result is an inventory that changes continuously and unpredictably, producing the treasure hunt experience that the brand’s most loyal customers visit repeatedly for.

The Georgetown store at 3222 M Street NW is notable for its address. TJ Maxx on M Street, in the same commercial block as Lululemon, Todd Snyder, and the other premium brands that populate the upper M Street corridor, is an unusual juxtaposition that Georgetown’s retail mix has accommodated. The store serves the Georgetown customer who wants the designer clothing deal alongside the Georgetown customer who is specifically visiting TJ Maxx, and both populations are significant in a neighborhood whose income demographics and value-consciousness coexist in ways that make off-price retail work even in affluent neighborhoods.

The Georgetown TJ Maxx inventory follows the same model as all TJ Maxx locations: clothing from the premium and designer labels that the buying team has acquired through the opportunistic purchase channels, alongside the home goods, beauty, and accessories categories that have become significant parts of the TJ Maxx business model since the company’s HomeGoods concept proved the home category viable for the off-price model. The clothing floor carries men’s, women’s, and in some locations children’s merchandise in the full range from basics to designer.

The specific inventory at any TJ Maxx on any given day is unknowable in advance, which is the point. For the Georgetown shopper who wants to know whether the store currently has a specific brand or category in stock, the only answer is to visit. Hours run from 9:30am most days through 9pm or 9:30pm on weekdays and Saturday, and 11am to 8pm Sunday. The homeware and gift section at the Georgetown TJ Maxx is among the more useful parts of the store for the Georgetown shopper who is looking for quality at off-price. The brand-name cookware, the designer picture frames, the candles and diffusers from premium brands, and the bedding and towels from better manufacturers are all part of the rotating inventory that the TJ Maxx home category assembles from the same opportunistic buying channels as the clothing. The beauty section, which has grown to be a significant part of many TJ Maxx locations, carries the brand-name skincare, fragrance, and cosmetics that the opportunistic buying model occasionally acquires at prices well below what the direct retail channel offers. The Georgetown store is at 3222 M Street and is open from 9:30am most days.