With vaccination rates going up, and infection rates declining in many parts of the country, shoppers are once again hitting their local malls and shopping centers. While some are backing away from retail, discount clothing stores like Ross and T.J. Maxx are welcoming shoppers back in person. These stores, along with others like them, have steadily increased the number of brick-and-mortar locations. They are betting that after a year at home, shoppers will enjoy the lost art of browsing the aisles. The graphic below, from AGS reseller Sites USA, shows the increase in store locations since 2013.

Using AGS’ MRI variables, we mapped those that stated that price is more important to them than brand name. It is mainly middle and upper middle incomes nationwide where price is deemed important. This is stated behavior and may not reflect actual patterns. Looking at the Atlanta metro area, we see the areas that care more about price, which may also reflect those that prefer to shop at discount stores.

We also wanted to look at store preference by Panorama segment. Ross has a much sharper demographic profile than T.J. Maxx. Even though both are technically discount stores, the two are very different. Location also matters here, as Ross has more stores on the west coast than other discount retailers.

For more information on the success of these brands, check out the following article: Discount retailers like TJ Maxx and dollar stores are opening new locations in 2021, bucking the retail apocalypse trend (msn.com)