All of the discounters -- Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Loehman's and Nordstrom Rack sell merchandise made exclusively for them (direct to discount) as well as merchandise that has been passed down rom better dept. stores. Also, they will sell imperfects and past season merchandise directly from brands. It is a time consuming art to distinguish the merchandise. It is easy to end up with junk from these stores. But with practice you get good at it and it becomes part of the fun.

Just wanted to chime in and say that this is an old thread from several months ago that got resurrected...

I did find the tip from Jonesy very useful about the Rack being online and have found a lot of great deals there. I did try Ross once but came up empty handed (didn't seem like they had a whole lot there that was my style), and bought a couple pairs of shoes at DSW on sale, but mostly I don't have time to shop in-store so the Rack online is my go-to discount place. But I think I'm done shopping for a while unfortunately...

I don't do tons of discount store shopping, but here are my takes:

Kohl's: I don't buy clothes there all that often, but when I *do* find something, it's usually a great deal. Plus they have some cute jewelry sometimes.

Ross: Hate it. The ones near me are always so messy and disorganized that I usually give up in about 10 minutes and head to the mall. Plus, it seems like they just don't carry clothes in my size (0P or 00P).

Marshall's: I have the same feelings about this one that I do Ross. The stores I've visited are a little more organized though.

JC Penney: I don't really shop there for clothes.

Old Navy: Hate it. The quality is almost universally awful and their sizes run super big on me. I DO have one pair of jeans from there; they were too long when I got them, and now, after repeated washings, they are pretty short. bad quality.

Target: Personally, I love their juniors Mossimo jeans. They fit me great for some reason. I also like them for things like basic tanks. Their juniors department also sells some very cute tops. Occasionally they have decent sweaters, too.

DSW: I LOVE DSW. The ones near me are large, organized, and have GREAT prices on name brand shoes. I also like Off Broadway shoes.

Payless: I hate this store. Their shoes all run super wide for me (although they might be okay if you have wide feet). I find their quality lacking as well.

I also like to shop at Goodwill. Not that I find much, but when I do find things, they're super cheap! And if you find a quality item that doesn't fit the way you like, you'll have money left over to take it to the tailor.

Kohls: Never shop there because there isn't one near me.

JC Penney: Don't really go into this store although I bought a swimsuit once about 20 years ago.

TJ Maxx: I like there accessories, some bags, jewelry, and the occasional shoe, but never wander in the clothes department.

Target: The store in DC is a zoo and always picked over that I would have to go to the suburbs to shop. Rarely find anything I want anyway, maybe the occasional shoe.

Ross: The store near my mom is scary messy and picked over but sometimes you get lucky with inexpensive shoes.

Marshalls: It's hit or miss when it comes to shoes. That's all i really shop for when I go into these discount places.

Express: don't like the quality of the fabric they use on their pants, but they have some cute items. I rarely shop there.

Old Navy: good for basics, sportswear, but mostly bad quality items, and never find jeans my size.

DSW: I always manage to find something in this shoe store at a discount. I think I get lucky in this store.

Natalie: DSW is an absolute yes for you -- fits your style, lots of selection, good price. As for the others, part of your success is based on how well you know the store. I, for example, have good luck at Kohls and JC Penney these days. There "vanity" sizing works for me, as I often find things to short at H&M and Loft and too small at places like Zara (size 12, 5'6"). I know Kohls in and out by now, so I can make a quick "reconnaissance" sweep of the floor and immediately zero in on new stock. I know that in Apt. 9 I will always take a large, that I size down in Sonoma and up in Lauren Conrad's line. Because my mom is an excellent seamstress and taught me some of her tricks, I can quickly handle and garment and make a good guess as to how it will launder and wear. I buy most of my intimates here, and know that 30% off at Kohls is not a serious sale (never buy full price there), but 40% with an extra 30% coupon is time to pounce! Yes, I shop often, but I can work very quickly in the stores I know well, which helps. I will close by saying, however, that I would dress myself with an from Nordies, Banana Republic, JCrew, Talbots and Ann Taylor if I could afford it! I also prefer my Marshall's to TJ Maxx and Loehmann's to Nordstrom Rack.

This thread has really made me think about *yield*, and whether it makes sense for me to keep visiting stores that give me such low returns. OTOH, I have been looking for a dress for the past year and haven't found a flattering dress that I would wear in the past decade, and finally found one at Ross a few weeks ago. I guess this is after trying on maybe only three or four dozen at various places. . .

I haven't quite figured out why certain stores (BR, JCrew, AT, Loft, H&M, Target) don't give me the fit that others seem to find, but part of the reason may be that bricks'n'mortar in my area don't seem to stock much in the way of Petites and so maybe I just haven't tried enough on.

Time vs. low/no yield is a good point. NR is fabulous for high end bras and sometimes good for other stuff depending on the NR; TJ Maxx/Ross/Target can be good for scarves; TJ Maxx & Target for hosiery; sometimes get lucky at Ross when I'm killing time. . .but it is too easy for me to get seduced by the price alone. . . .