I seem to be racking up quite a list of places that are, in my opinion, unethical to shop at.  They’re namely big box stores – Target, Wal-Mart* – and trendy chains – Urban Outfitters, American Apparel.  The biggest complaint I get is this:

So if I can’t shop there…where the hell do I shop?

If you’re in an area with a dearth of indie designers, or can’t seem to make the commitment to online shopping, or just need to keep it simple and shop at a big box store for your clothing addiction, go to TJ Maxx or Marshalls.

What happens if these fall fashions don’t get sold?  TJX will donate them!

TJX, the company that owns TJ Maxx and Marshalls, recently sent me to Boston as a representative for Broke & Beautiful. I’d expected to act as a bit of a rogue blogger, a spy: I was going to go in, sit down, and bombard them with questions about fashion ethics.  I was going to get myself the inside scoop.  I was going to figure out what underhanded stuff they had to do to offer those ridiculous prices.

But it seems that TJX is on the up and up.  They even go above and beyond the call of retail duty.

• TJ Maxx and Marshalls donate their unsold clothes to Goodwill.
• For over 25 years, TJ Maxx has worked with Save the Children to provide literacy, nutrition and physical fitness programs to children in the poorest rural communities in the US.  So far they’ve donated $14 million.
• Marshalls has been running its Shop ‘Til It Stops program for 15 years to help prevent domestic violence. For two weeks during the month of October, Domestic Violence Awareness month, Marshalls Shop ‘Til it Stops program donates $1 for every shoe sold (up to $150,000) to organizations that work toward the prevention of domestic violence, as well as provide support for those affected. Since the programs inception, more than $1 million has been donated to this important cause.
• TJ Maxx also partners with Autism Speaks and Joslin Diabetes Center, and Marshalls partners with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Thank you, TJX, for doing it right.

For more on TJ Maxx and Marshalls, including a fall fashion preview, check out Broke & Beautiful.com.

*This Wal-Mart article is not mine, but if you didn’t already know Wal-Mart is a piece of crap, you don’t have the internet and may be hallucinating this entire experience.

Tags: Charitable Designers, designer clothing, discount stores, donations, fall fashion, marshalls, off-price, retail, tj maxx, unsold clothing