10 Things You Didn’t Know About Marshalls & Why Its Prices Are So Low
Marshalls is a one-stop-shop for a range of lifestyle categories, making it one of the nation’s top off-price retailers. Over the years, the brand has established itself as a go-to store for budget-friendly clothing, footwear, home goods and more.
As an off-price retailer, Marshalls offers department store-worthy pieces—many of them name-brand—at low prices, which typically vary from 20-60% off their original retail price. As an establishment, it’s lasted for 65 years, cementing its position as a leader in the off-price market. However, there’s a variety of information that many don’t know when stepping into a Marshalls store, including how its stores are stocked and why the products are priced so low.
Below, from the meaning behind its logo to how merchandise is sourced, discover these unique facts you didn’t know about Marshalls.
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1. Marshalls doesn’t use coupons.
As an off-price retailer, Marshalls aims for its prices to reflect the lowest available cost for items—so coupons aren’t seen as necessary. The brand doesn’t “generally do” promotions, sales, or coupons in its stores, according to the brand’s website.
2. There’s a deeper meaning behind Marshalls’ logo.
Marshalls debuted its first logo, the Question Heart, in 2016. The symbol features a question mark shape with a heart replacing the standard circle, which is essential to the brand. It’s meant to express the curiosity of shopping and loving pieces you find by surprise, according to the Marshalls website.
3. Marshalls launched its first website in 2019.
Though many off-price retailers have both a physical and digital presence, Marshalls didn’t hop on the bandwagon until late 2019. The brand is the latest in the TJX Companies family to launch a shopping website, in addition to TJ Maxx, Sierra and HomeGoods.
4. Marshalls isn’t a discount store.
Don’t call it a discount store. Like its sister brand TJ Maxx, Marshalls is an off-price retailer. This means that most of its stock comes from merchandisers and brands’ excess inventory. According to the Marshalls website, its stock comes from sources like “department store cancellations, a manufacturer making up too much product, or a closeout deal when a vendor wants to clear merchandise at the end of a season.” Some of the brands’ merchandise is also created or designed specifically for Marshalls, sourced from international artisans in countries like India, Italy, Australia and the United Kingdom. Contrastingly, discount stores buy merchandise in bulk at original wholesale prices and sell them at lower prices.
5. Stores don’t carry the same merchandise.
If you’ve ever wondered why Marshalls stores don’t carry the exact same items, there’s a reason: they aren’t meant to. According to experts, the brand usually launches products in select stores to see their performance potential, which determines if they’ll be distributed more widely. Marshalls also aims for items to be sold within three weeks, and restocks its shelves three days per week—so timing is everything.
6. There are over 1,000 Marshalls stores around the world.
As of January 2021, Marshalls has 1,131 stores located internationally. There are also 102 stores based in Canada. The brand is just one rung below TJ Maxx—which has 1,271 stores as of January 2021—as the most widespread TJX Companies brand.
7. Weekday mornings are the best times to shop.
Weekdays are the best times for consumers to shop at Marshalls. Specifically: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings, as stores are freshly stocked from overnight shipments and their merchandise is clean and organized. One of the best days to shop, according to experts, is actually Friday mornings, when Marshalls is heavily stocked for the weekend.
8. Marshalls stores don’t carry backstock.
When shopping, don’t ask anyone to check in the back for an item: Marshalls doesn’t hold replenishment stock in its back rooms. According to the brand’s website, its store managers usually don’t know what will be sent to each store until they unload their delivery trucks.
9. Marshalls was founded in the 1950s.
More specifically, the brand was founded in 1956 by businessman Alfred Marshall in Beverly, Mass. By 1966, it became the leading off-price store across the United States. The original location even had a soda fountain and grill called the A&M Luncheonette, named after proprietors Alice and Mickey Masters.
10. There’s a system behind Marshalls’ colorful stickers.
Marshalls has a range of colorful stickers on its merchandise—but not all are the same. Yellow stickers indicate the final clearance prices for merchandise, A.K.A. the lowest prices. Before this are red stickers, which indicate clearance prices—they aren’t the lowest, but do reflect a price markdown. The items closest to their original price will feature white tags, sans stickers.
