Off Brand
Why TJ Maxx Doesn’t Need E-Commerce to Survive the Pandemic
Forget contagion, bargain shoppers want the thrill of the in-person treasure hunt
The retail reckoning that’s been turbocharged by the Covid-19 pandemic shows little sign of letting up: Marquee department stores like J.C. Penney and Lord & Taylor and mall stalwarts like J. Crew have declared bankruptcy; titans like Macy’s and Gap are looking wan. Even with lockdowns (mostly) ended, foot traffic is often at a whisper.
But in certain, perhaps less flashy, corners of the retail world, there’s a different picture: determined bargain-hunters combing through the ever-changing merch mix at a discounter like T.J. Maxx, dead set on tracking down, say, a Calphalon skillet or a pair of Lucky jeans for 40% off.
For off-price retailers, shopping is a real-world experience that has as much to do with the hunt as the kill — and the hunt happens in the physical world. This flies in the face of the savvy conventional wisdom, embraced by the likes of Nike and Lululemon — even Starbucks — that surviving the pandemic requires pivoting toward an ever-heavier emphasis on e-commerce.
Like all retailers, the off-price chains took a major hit during the…
