 Poster: A snowHead
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Are those RRP on the swing tags for real on the gear in TKMaxx?.
I`ve checked a few manufactuers web sites and I don`t think the RRP is quite as high as we are led to believe (please tell me if I`m wrong)
I know you can pay that sort of price on the main drag in Zermatt, but no sane person would buy ski gear in a ski resort (or would they)
I saw a pair of Marmot trousers in our local TKM, swing tag said, "last seasons" RRP £75 our price £20. Bargain I thought, but I found a Marmot shop selling the same last seasons trousers for £18.
IMO they sell a lot of overpriced run of the mill stuff that you can get the same quality, and lower price in a shop like Lidl or Sportsworld. they do have the odd gem lurking on the rails but it usually ranges in size from extra large to extra extra large.
I buy my ski gear in the summer eg, I bought a pair of quality Hestra heli ski gloves from a outdoor shop for £25 this August, normal price, £65. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I dont buy from there as a rule but the stuff is far better quality than what is on sale in lidl or sportsworld. Sure the rrp on some items is a bit inflated though. I run a school trip and advise kids to get their stuff from there and they always have good quality kit.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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If you know what you're looking for and are prepared to root through 95% of the tat, their are some genuine bargains to be had. I got some Scott gloves last year for £30 which were still on sale at S&R at £90, whats more they were not an impulse buy they matched my Scott jacket and I was looking for gloves. Also had some Columbia gear which was a right bargain.
They also do bargain goggles, which are fine for any beginer/intermediate, who doesn't need to spend £120 on the Oakleys S&R and the likes might sell you.
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bargainbill, They are certainly generally good value for what they sell.
But ignore the "Recommended Retail Price" or similar labels (as is generally the case with most shops TBH).
Most of what they sell is better quality than the Aldi/Lidl stuff, but little of it is anywhere near top end stuff.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| alex_heney wrote: |
bargainbill, They are certainly generally good value for what they sell.
But ignore the "Recommended Retail Price" or similar labels (as is generally the case with most shops TBH).
Most of what they sell is better quality than the Aldi/Lidl stuff, but little of it is anywhere near top end stuff. |
Believe some stores had Spyder gear in last year, but like I said 95% of the gear is tat.
Which is not to say that Spyder cannot do tat 
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I can't cope with TK Maxx. It's like a jumble sale and never seems to have much in the way of bigger sizes (by which I mean anything size 12 upwards). Can't say I've ever seen any ski gear in there but I tend to stay away.
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Like others have said mostly tat with some real hidden gems.
You have to go regularly and go to a few different stores. If you see something you really like but it's the wrong size there's a good chance they will have it in the right size in another store. All stores seem to get more or less the same stuff and so just the sizes or colour may vary from store to store. Same with trying to match up pieces, you might get one piece in one store and then find the other somewhere else. Obviously that's a lot of hassle unless it's a really good buy.
Another thing to try is to ask them to price check the item, this sometimes works. Basically they have stuff in for 3-4 weeks and then they reduce it and keep on reducing it til it's a silly price. If you know that a particular item has been in there for a while then it is worth asking them to check as they may have missed it when doing the price reductions. I have been lucky with this twice got a very nice little kids 2 piece for £10 and a kids jacket for a £10.
Silly prices tend to come at the end of the season which was quite early this year, they had more or less cleared out by round half term in most stores. But at that time I have had really cheap Smartwool and Patagonia base layers. And this year a pair of kids Spy Mini Targa goggles for £3 which are a real bargain.
Mostly they are good for kids stuff but last year was a bad one, most of the kids stuff was naff.
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I have got to say i am a big TKMAXX fan, there are some real bargains if you spend the time going through the gear, especially out of season clothes on the clearance rails.
That said some of the RRP's are crazy and completely unreal. Surley a matter for Trading standards?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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We've had some excellent ski gear from both our local TKM stores over the years, adults and childrens. My son has just grown out of a great Cross ski jacket which cost £25 IIRC, two years ago, and still looks like new (en route to Ebay now  ), and both boys had good quality salopettes last season, (can't remember the make and they are in the loft now!) at under £20 each. You do have to root a bit, but that depends on the shop and how well-managed it is - both ours are pretty good. My own salopettes are now 5 seasons old, and have always kept me warm and dry - cost £30 at TKM. However, I couldn't find a jacket there for myself last year despite trying on every one in my size, and went elsewhere.
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you do have to be feeling strong for TKM, and not be in a hurry. My best session there was when the garage nearby was fitting a new clutch in my car and I had to wait 3 hours. You need a lot of patience. The only things I buy there are ski gear and kitchen stuff - you get some good prices on things like cafetieres sometimes. For "ordinary" clothes there's never anything I want enough to endure looking for it in TKM. I'd rather go without.
I don't look at the RRP much - it's irrelevant really. But the quality of stuff does vary enormously. I spotted, on a very crowded rail of tat, a pair of trousers which looked rather good at a glance. I tried them on, and they were fantastic - looked good, and felt good. However, they were £90, and given that I already had several perfectly serviceable pairs of trousers I couldn't justify buying them. They were clearly a very good make - can't remember what the original RRP was, but it was a lot, and I could well believe it.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Another vote for rolling up your sleeves and having a regular root around in the massed ranks of mixed tat in Tatmaxx, there are frequent real jewels to be found particularly if you're a bit over  size or skinny
Aldi and Lidl kit is ok and some stuff is great, I've been wearing their solftshell ski pants for two seasons, warm comfortable with a stretch waist and have turned out to be very tough and all for . . . £15. Keep an eye on Tchibo as well, their stuff is very nice it has to meet German consumer quality standards and you know how fussy them boogers can be. And don't forget www.skiwear4less.com limited range of usually last year's remainders but prices seem good and their roadshows may appear to be a jumble sale but are worth a morning's rooting around for bargains.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I'm a big fan of TXMAXX I just wish there was one more accessible to me - they shut the one in Basildon town centre that I used to visit. 
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Agree about the RRP. My sallopettes were £30 supposedly reduced from £130. I don't believe for a minute they were ever sold for £130 but were well worth £30.
Tis also true it's a bit like a jumble sale with much tat but it can be worth the effort going through it. There's also more of them around than ski shops. I have 2 within a few miles but nearest ski shop is several miles away.
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You know it makes sense.
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I've found some well priced Reusch ski gloves and also bought running gear at good prices. Our local TK at Silverburn is quite well organised so easier to find stuff.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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TKMAXX is a gold mine, you just need to know what you're looking for, and if you're a funny size you should be able to find some bargins!!
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Poster: A snowHead
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Last year I bought an excellent pair of gore windproof gloves for myself, about £12 I think and a pair of Helly Hanson goretex equivalent trousers in XS ladies for my daughter (about £30 I think). I'm wearing a Nike jacket I got from there which has done about 10 weeks now. I love hunting through the stuff there. Unfortunately Peterborough doesn't have one.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Colin B, yes - a great place for cheap and decent gloves.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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All my own gloves have come from TXMAXX, and I have never had cold hands.
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Its all about the hunting, i've had Eider, Rossignol and Scott ski stuff from there at a fraction of the price i'd expect to pay, plus John Partridge riding gear and dont even get me started on the handbags and shoes. Yesterday no less i picked up a pair of beautiful Steve Madden shoes and an Osprey handbag. In the past i have had Lulu Guiness, Furla, Pucci and Dechamps and those are just the bits i can remember lol. I have seen Valentino evening gowns in the store in Nottingham on more than one occassion (always teeny tiny sizes unfortunatley). I treat it like a treasure hunt.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| snobunni wrote: |
| Its all about the hunting......... |
Exactly and thats the issue. Real men don't shop let alone spend ages in a shop in the hope of finding a bargain. Mrsfatcontroller loves to hunt around in TKMaxx, personally I would prefer to slide down a banister covered in razor blades that go shopping let alone in TKMaxx. Happy hunting ladies.
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I always bought my shoes there, but again it was about the hunt. A great pair of Scarpa walking shoes that I've seen and nearly bought at £70 retail were found in the Maxx at £30 and a pair of beautiful tan dress brogues by van Bommel with a London retail of £150+ were had for £49.00 . . . proper bargains for proper kit.
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I managed to get some spy blizzard goggles from there for £40 dunno what they retail for normally (or did do) but they are the best goggles ive ever had. Never have any fogging problems.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I heart Tkmaxx....
Have had quite a few bargains from there. Can't wait until my local one gets some winter stuff in there.
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Had some good ski socks from them including X socks & Lange/Nordica branded stuff & saw decent Marmot jackets and Dynastar luggage last year . I suspect a lot of their branded stuff is special make up i.e. made specifically for discount sales channels however looking at the finish on some of the Quiksilver stuff (& possibly Helly Hansen). Clearly their business model revolves around slipping enough of their own brand or pound shop stuff into the mix.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Caveat Emptor - Buyer Beware!
TKM do sell some good stuff at very good prices but they also have lots of stuff that isn't that good.
In the last few seasons I have bought good base layers and socks from TKM. Last year I bought a good technical shell jacket and thin fleeces from them and a few years ago a fantastic pair of soft leather gloves which I'm still using plus a proper "Scott branded" off piste back pack cheap.
The secret is to visit them regularly through thr autumn because they get new stuff through the autumn. You still have to be selective.
So far the stuff they have in stock appears to be the leftovers from last year.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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yeah you probably only find 1 or 2 good items a year in there...the other year they had a goretex packlite for 50 quid that i had bought from s+R for 140 notes the year before..got some ACG goretex salopets for 60 quid aswell. But last year didn't seem to be that hot, though later int he season they got som egood marmot stuff in.
The RRP they display seems to be the dollar value in most cases and they just put a pound sign on it, probably as they have bought up previous seasons unsold stock on bulk from the US. Its worth a look but you can pick up far better gear for cheap often in the end of season sales and decent shops
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