Woman Sees $25 Athleta Jacket At T.J. Maxx. Then She Sees The Original Price: ‘They’re Scamming Us’

It’s not hard to find a good deal at T.J. Maxx—at least, that’s how it seems on the surface. One shopper found a Athleta jacket at T.J. Maxx for just $24.99. The jacket’s price tag was once $189.

When walking around T.J. Maxx, it’s easy to be dazzled by the many apparent deals on offer. While other stores may offer 10% or 20% off list price for an item, it’s not uncommon to see designer goods at discounts so hefty you’ll think they’re unreal.

So, what’s going on here? Is the original listed price actually what it was being sold for? And if so, how is T.J. Maxx able to sell the item at such a significant discount?

One TikTok user is asking that same question after finding a jacket at an alleged 87% discount.

How Much Does The Athleta Rise Anorak Jacket Cost?

In a video with over 1.1 million views, TikTok user Bri (@brimichwil) shows a jacket for sale at T.J. Maxx. The jacket appears to be a Rise Anorak from Athleta, an athletic-wear brand owned by Gap. The listed retail price for the jacket is $189.

“Someone explain how tj maxx can do this,” Bri writes in the video’s overlay text.

From here, Bri digs into the jacket and fishes out the T.J. Maxx price tag. The item is being sold for just $24.99, with the tag encouraging the buyer to “compare at $32.”

If both tags are correct, that means someone buying the jacket would get it at a $164 discount—or about 87% off.

But is this really what’s happening here?

How Does T.J. Maxx’s Pricing Work?

According to T.J. Maxx itself, the company gets its stock from a variety of sources. For example, the company says that department store cancellations—where a retailer makes a big order from a company and then backs out—is one source of product.
Another source is over-production; when a company makes too much of an item, T.J. Maxx swoops in to bulk buy the excess at a heavy discount.

Finally, a further T.J. Maxx source is just picking up merchandise that retailers or manufacturers want to clear at the end of a season. Rather than letting items sit on shelves unsold for months or years past their release, companies will simply sell it to T.J. Maxx in bulk and let them stock it. This keeps brands appearing fresh while also allowing them to get rid of massive stocks of merchandise.

It should also be noted that some merchandise is made directly for T.J. Maxx—though that doesn’t appear to be what happened here.

Is That $189 Price Real?

Charting the history of this specific jacket actually provides a pretty good insight into T.J. Maxx’s pricing strategy.

To start, it seems like Athleta really did originally list this jacket at $189. A version of the Athleta website archived on Jan. 16, 2025, shows the jacket for sale new at that price.

In the months since, however, the price has steadily decreased. Listings from third-party sellers in May 2025 put the price at just $59.95 for the new item. Today, one can find the item from third-party sellers new with tags for around $35. Alternatively, they may be able to find it from their local T.J. Maxx for an even lower price.

While we can’t be sure of exactly what happened here, it is possible that Athleta listed the item, quickly put it on clearance, and then sold it at a hefty discount to T.J. Maxx. From there, T.J. Maxx began to resell it.

As for why it says to “compare at $32,” T.J. Maxx’s comparison policy is that they use “references to regular retail prices of the same or similar items at full-price department or specialty retailers.” When such prices are not available, the chain compares “products of a similar type, quality and style.”

How Are The Low Prices At T.J. Maxx Possible?

In the comments section, users offered theories about how such lower prices were possible.

“Because it’s extremely overpriced to begin with,” wrote a user.

“Bc they’re made up numbers the brand came up with but ultimately got left with unsold goods and had no choice but to liquidate,” offered another.

“It’s authentic, but they usually buy the left over stocks from these brand stores and it’s a lot cheaper,” echoed a third. “You have to remember those prices aren’t the manufacture price. So they still make a profit.”

Some viewers would rather not complain. “Idk but I got a $400 north face jacket for $120 so I’m good with that,” one said.

“I don’t know how they do it, but they need to keep doing it lol,” another wrote.

@brimichwil

♬ Saxophones getting louder – Sped Up – AntonioVivald

Futbol Chronicle reached out to Bri via TikTok direct message and comment and T.J. Maxx via email.