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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Entertainment
Julia Banim & Rachel Pugh & Ben Hurst

TK Maxx worker reveals secret code which tells if you're really getting a bargain

A secret code tells TK Maxx customers if what they’re looking at is a real bargain, or something which was never in reality sold at the higher price.

A man who once worked at the superstore revealed you should look for the number ‘2’ on labels. Daniel Baker, who worked as a senior merchandiser for the cut-price retailer revealed the hack on TV show TK Maxx: How do they do it? Daniel is someone who knows all the tricks of the trade when shopping at the popular store - and advises anyone to check labels first reports the MEN.

In the show, TK Maxx former workers were interviewed to give their versions of what happened behind the closed doors of the hugely popular shop. Speaking on the show Daniel said: “On any label, you can see a number. The number that is really exciting to a customer is number two because that means it’s genuine stock that was sold at a higher price somewhere else. It’s excess stock or something like that.”

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“On any label, you can see a number. The number that is really exciting to a customer is number two because that means it’s genuine stock that was sold at a higher price somewhere else. It’s excess stock or something like that, that’s normally when you’re getting the bargains.”

Daniel Baker revealed exactly where to spot the secret codes (Channel 5)

According to Daniel, the numbers usually go from one up to nine, but “quite a few of them” aren’t used, and some are more significant to buyers than others. The number two is said to be particularly useful to shoppers looking for a bargain.

Daniel added: “The main three codes you’ll see are one, two, and seven. One means produced for TK Maxx, two means it is a ‘close out buy’, so it’s stock that they’ve got at a deal, that is unsold from another brand. Seven is ‘packaway’ which means it’s been packed for a previous year, like Christmas crackers bought in January for the following year.

“You can get good value for money on a type one. It could be that just the sheer volume they are producing means they can price it cheaper. For the real bargains you are looking for are a two and a seven for sure. That’s also part of the treasure hunt when I got into a store as I’m constantly going ‘oh that’s a type two, that’s a real bargain there.”

The documentary explains that the code is normally found on the right-hand side of the label, and is a single number without a zero in front of it. The show also provides an insight into the special deals with companies including Calvin Klein and Le Creuset, and just how much stock is actually made to order for TK Maxx.

TK Maxx: How they do it? aired on Sunday on Channel 5. You can catch up on My5.

For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea

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