1. The thrill of the hunt amplified by viral content

Gen Z thrives on novelty and community. TJMaxx’s ever-changing inventory, delivered with the “treasure-hunt” vibe, pairs perfectly with TikTok narratives. A quick search of #tjmaxxfinds reveals hundreds of millions of views. One creator recently posted, “I just went in for a candle and left with $110 worth of self-care.” Sound familiar?

Another TikTok creator joked, “Shopping at TJMaxx is like gambling, except I always win and leave with five serums I didn’t need.”

2. Major buzz from the Yellow Tag Sale

In July, TJMaxx and its sister stores launched their biggest clearance event of the year: the Yellow Tag Sale, offering up to 90% off. Beauty and skincare aisles were swarmed. Videos from the event quickly went viral.

As The Sun reported: “TJMaxx's Yellow Tag Sale kicked off with designer brands and cult products heavily marked down, and Gen Z came out in force.”

3. Value = Identity, not just price

Gen Z doesn’t just want low prices, they want perceived value. That means finding a $6 trending lip oil from a viral brand or scoring a $160 designer dress for $30 and telling the world about it.

TJX CEO Ernie Herrman put it best in a recent Business Insider interview: “We want you to find something on the rack that almost feels too cheap. That’s when we know we’ve won you over.”

4. Off-price resilience & trend-readiness

In May, TJX Companies beat Q1 revenue expectations, reporting over $13B in net sales. While other retailers treaded carefully, TJX leaned into the moment and won. With agile sourcing and a wide supplier network, they’re better equipped than most to handle tariff volatility and still deliver trend-forward goods.

As Reuters recently noted: “TJX's model and curated inventory helped it outperform traditional retailers, especially in beauty and apparel.”

5. Brands are leaning in strategically

Smart brands are realizing that TJMaxx isn’t just where excess inventory goes to disappear. It’s where products can break through.

They’re asking: What should we want to put in TJMaxx? When should we drop it? How can we align it with our brand voice?

And they’re realizing: off-price doesn’t mean off-brand.

Why this matters for brand founders and operators:

• An entirely new way of driving brand awareness through scarcity and surprise

• Lean into social-first merchandising moments

• Treat TJX, Marshalls, and Burlington as viable top-of-funnel tools

• Understand that discovery is no longer happening just online, it’s happening in-store too

At Common Shelf, we’re helping brands do all of this—and more. We treat off-price retail not as a last resort, but as a launchpad. And it’s working.