tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe

I got it at Ross!

I'm aware that I missed my "this is what i like" segment on Monday, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to do it now!
Ross! If you have never shopped in this "name brand goods at bargain basement prices" mecca, then you my friend are missing out! I love Ross! I make sure to visit it about every couple of weeks (it takes that amount of time for them to replenish their stock and for the "markdown team" to make it's way through the store). I have had a lot of less patient people ask me, "How do you find so much stuff there?" Well, I for one, am not your average Ross shopper. Having had the opportunity to work in management (and every other dept in the store) a few years ago, I know many secrets that make my shopping trips successful! Here's a quick rundown on my secrets to Ross.
1. During the Holidays they receive a shipment up to 5 days a week. This means the opportunity to find something great is doubled. I tend to shop at Ross for Christmas presents every week from the beginning of November through Christmas.
2. The "markdown team" runs all the way through the store about every 2 weeks. This means new stuff is on clearance (especially in Women's and Housewares) every couple of weeks. A few of the departments (like Men's or Shoes) get run through about once a month. The departments of course get scanned heavily at the end of seasons as well, so keep that in mind when clearance shopping!
3. Look through all the racks, not just in your size. Also, look at the tags of the clothing not just the hanger tags. It's amazing how little staff the company is willing to pay for, especially for the amount of items they carry. This means the racks don't get organized very often and things are put out on a rush. I just make sure take the time to look everywhere for exactly what I want.
4. Like sneakers? Look for them in all of the shoe departments. The backroom staff unboxes all the shoes, clips them together, and sizes them before putting them on the racks. So if the staff isn't very good at decoding their bar-code system (a lot of he staff isn't) then the shoes will just get sized by # and put out. Not necessarily noticing if they are in fact a Womens shoe and they are putting it in the Mens section. This is true, especially if you love Cons like I do! Cons are unisex sneakers that are sized in Mens sizes. If you wear a woman's eight, then you would wear a 6 in Cons. I look for them in the Kids size 6 shoe section, in the Mens size 6 shoe section, and in the Womens size 6 section and occasionally they actually get put in the Womens size 8 section (that's rare though!).
5. Do you shop at TJ Maxx too? I do of course, but I have found that with their clothes especially, you can usually get the exact same item at Ross for about 2 dollars cheaper! So keep that in mind!
How does Ross get their great stuff for so cheap? It's all seconds right? Nope. All though up to a third of their items can be seconds (not quite good enough for the label like a thread flaw or bad seam) most of the inventory is bought from large shipping containers for a discount. Leftovers from a past season, overstock from department stores or manufacturers. Ross buys these containers and warehouses them and divides them up among it's stores according to climate, dynamics and store sales. That's why you tend to get great stuff at newer Ross stores and busy stores.

tHiS iS wHaT i LiKe, try it! I'll bet you like it too! ;0)