HomeGoods is my hands-down favorite place to shop. I never know what I’m going to find when I walk through the door but often enough it’s something amazing that keeps me coming back for more. And while I’m sure that many of you share my HomeGoods love, I’m also sure that some of you feel like you never find anything good at HomeGoods. While bad shopping mojo may be partly to blame, it might also be that you’re just not shopping HomeGoods “right”. What’s the right way to shop HomeGoods? I’ve put together some tips that will turn you into a HomeGoods power shopper in no time:
Take Your Blinders Off
Being focused is usually a good thing but not when shopping HomeGoods. If you go on a mission to find one very specific thing, be prepared to leave disappointed. While walking to the back of the store to look for the 30″ round distressed white mirror you want for over your fireplace, you might have just walked by the perfect lamp for your empty entry table but unfortunately you had blinders on and didn’t see it. Most of my favorite HomeGoods buys were unplanned ones. Like the beautiful wood bowl I’ve been using as a dining room centerpiece – I went to HomeGoods looking for spring pillows but shopped the whole store and came across this gorgeous wood bowl in the kitchen section. I brought it home not knowing exactly how I’d use but when I started decorating my dining room for summer, it fit right in:
Update! I’ve had so many people ask about this bowl after seeing it in my house and I finally tracked it down!! I’ve linked my sources and inspiration images for using it in your home {here}.
Shop on the Best Days
While you may luck into an awesome HomeGoods find any day of the week, I’ve found that the best days to shop HomeGoods are definitely weekdays. On the weekends, stores are often packed and can get a bit picked-over with no new shipments coming in. From what I’ve seen, the bulk of the restocking takes place during the quietest store times which tend to be weekday evenings so it makes sense that I’ve had my best success shopping HomeGoods on Tuesday through Friday mornings.
Shop the “Good” HomeGoods Stores
It’s true that not all HomeGoods are created equal. Some just consistently have better stuff than others. So if you have several HomeGoods stores within easy driving distance, don’t always just go to the one closest to you. Visit them all a few times and it will soon become clear which ones are better than the others. Can you believe that I have 19 HomeGoods stores within a 30 mile radius of where I live? I rarely go to the two closest to me because I almost always strike out at them – a few more minutes of driving is worth it to get to one of the “good” ones.
Look Outside of the Art Section for the Best Art
In the years I’ve shopped HomeGoods, I can only think of two pieces of art I’ve bought in the art section. I simply don’t have much luck there. But I’ve found several great pieces in other parts of the store. For example, our gallery wall has a lion head door knocker that I found in the accessories aisle and a tree slice that I found in the breadboard aisle:
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Buy Now, Decide Later
If you find something at HomeGoods that might work in your home but you’re not 100% sure about it, don’t even think about leaving it on the shelf! Merchandise moves fast and your it-might-work find that you see on Monday probably won’t be there when you go back for it on Tuesday. HomeGoods has a good return policy so it’s always safest to buy it, try it out in your home, and return it if it doesn’t work.
Get a Little Creative
Can’t find a tablecloth in the colors you’re looking for? Check out the drapery aisle for washable cotton drapery panels that can work just as well. No luck finding a pillow that matches the colors in your room? See if you can find some pretty fabric napkins that can be sewn into your pillow or even a flat rug or table runner, which is what I used to make the large end pillows on the couch in the family room in our old house:
I hope my tips help you guys score some great finds on your next HomeGoods trip! And for those of you who were already HomeGoods power shoppers, do you any other tips to add to the list?
Be sure and visit Driven by Decor’s “Shop” page {here} to check out my favorite stylish home and fashion finds!
Ashley says
I too am a big HomeGoods fan. My secret, which I’m almost reluctant to share, is Raise.com. The site sells discounted gift cards. And since HomeGoods is a sister store with Marshalls and TJ Maxx, you can compare all three stores to see which one has the best deal on its gift cards. I usually get a gift card for about 20% off its worth—meaning I buy a $200 gift card for $160. That is just plain free money, people! Raise.com has gift cards for all kinds of stores and restaurants. It is AWESOME. Some are electronic gift cards that you can buy while standing there in the store with your full cart. You just show the code to the cashier at check-out. My husband does this at Lowe’s EVERY time. Unfortunately, the HomeGoods/Marshalls/TJ Maxx cards are all physical cards, so you have to buy them in advance and have them mailed to you. So I just try to keep one on hand at all times, ’cause like you were saying, you never know when you’ll find something awesome there!
Kris Jarrett says
Ashley that’s brilliant! Why have I never heard of this before? Thanks so much for sharing – I’m going to try it out!
Anonymous says
Great tips! I’m so jealous..we don’t have a single homegoods within a 30 mile radius 🙁
Kris Jarrett says
Man, that’s rough! So crazy how there are so many in some areas and none in others!
Angela says
Great tips ! I’ve also found that when looking for planters , baskets bowls etc , to look for the shape and size I can use and disregard color . I bought an interesting metal planter in the clearance section that was mustard yellow . A couple quick coats of spray paint was all it needed to be beautiful .
Kris Jarrett says
That’s an awesome tip Angela – thanks for sharing it!
Laura says
Where do you live that you are lucky enough to have 19 HomeGoods stores near you? I live near Cedar Rapids Iowa and we FINALLY got our first one a little over a year ago now… We have had a TJ MAXX which as you probably know is an affiliate store for several years and I love shopping their home area at the back of the store but HomeGoods is like a TJ MAXX on steroids! I’m like a kid in a candy shop when I go in HomeGoods! Like you said though, you have to go in there with an open mind, if you’re looking for something in particular you’re not going to have much luck and if you see something you like, you’d better buy it then and there cause chances are someone else will like it too!
Thanks for the good advice though! I look forward to reading your blog!
Laura says
Haha, guess I should have read through the comments before I posted. Looks like I have a fellow Iowan here with me… She’s either near Cedar Rapids or Des Moines! Hard to believe we only have two in the whole state! I feel like we’re living in the dark ages here sometimes (but there are so many other great things about living in Iowa that I won’t complain too much!). And then you already touched on TJ MAXX also… Haha! Great minds think alike!
I love to shop their clearance isles also… Sometime they have things that are slightly damaged or only one left. A lot of times I don’t let a scratch bother me because I may like item but not the color so I’ll plan on painting it anyway. I have picked up some really great items that way at an even better price than they already offer!
Denise Carnahan says
I love our Homegoods store, I went last week and found a Nicole Miller table lamp that’s just perfect for my bedroom, unfortunately they only had one lamp and I need two. Do you have any suggestions on the best way to track a second lamp down? Iowa only has 2 Homegoods stores in the entire state. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Denise
Kris Jarrett says
Hi Denise! I’ve been in that situation a number of times and the only thing I know you can do is to call around to other HomeGoods stores and they will do a shelf check for you. You might also want to check TJ Maxx stores if you have any of those close to you – they have the same parent company as HomeGoods and often carry some of the same things. Good luck!
Sarah says
Do you use the Shopkick app when shopping at Home Goods? I use it all the time! It gives you kicks (which are like points) when you walk into the store and when you purchase items with a credit card that you link to the app. You can then turn in your kicks for gift cards. I’ve gotten $35 in target gift cards so far. It makes shopping at Home Goods that much better!!!!
Kris Jarrett says
I don’t use the Shopkick app but apparently I need to! I had no idea that HomeGoods had any association with it. Thanks so much for the tip!
Mary @ 120 Spring Street says
I’m an addicted Home Goods shopper, too, and go nearly every weekday 😉 Thanks for the info on shopping mornings, I’ll start doing that. I agree, you need to shop the whole store with an open mind, put things in your cart. I sort out things I really love before arriving at the register and put back the rest.
I was chatting with the check-out person the other day and asked if she recognized me because I’m in there so often. She didn’t 🙂 but said she recognizes the interior designers who are in there every day and often several times a day. The professionals know, now we know too! Thanks for the great info.
Mary
Kris Jarrett says
It’s kinda crazy when you go in early mornings because the interior designers know it’s the best time to shop and I often see a bunch of them there with carts loaded up! I am the returns queen so try to maintain a low profile at my HomeGoods – ha!
Andrea says
Great Tips! Oh my gawsh… I love Home Goods. The one near me is great.its in the same parking lot as TJ Maxx, Tuesday Morning, Trader Joe’s and DSW… I’m covered… I love the kitchen gadget-y aisle at Home Goods and when their rugs go on clearance… Holy schmoley…
Kris Jarrett says
Andrea, you crack me up – I can tell from your comment that you’re as passionate about HomeGoods as I am 🙂 And how awesome is that to have a little shopping mecca like that with everything in one place?!
Susan says
I consider myself a professional homegoods shopper. Going often pays off and adding if there are rugs, or whatever you want, in back ready to come out.
Completely agree not all are equal.
Happy shopping
Kris Jarrett says
That’s a great tip to ask in the back about items Susan!
Farren says
My best tip….if shopping later in the day and can’t find anew item on the floor that was there the previous day….ask a cashier if that item has been returned. You have a 50% chance of it being on the return rack behind the counter waiting to go back on the floor 😉
Lin says
Yeah you never know when that will happen. Not HomeGoods but one time went to Kirklands to see if I could get a second table light as the first one I found in another state. They only had the floor model which I would have bought but when I went to the front desk, it was funny some woman was at the counter taking one back. How crazy the timing of that was
Cara says
Great tips, especially to take your blinders off and have an open mind and open eyes. And to buy then return if it doesn’t work out–definitely!
Laurie Orlando says
You are so right Kris! I have found some of my favorite pieces at Home Goods for a steal (like my wine barrel lid) when I was looking for something else – or “just looking”.
Susan says
The closest Home Goods to me is 2 hours away, but every time I visit my sister we always go by there because she lives 2-3 miles from it. We always have to go on a Sat. Or Sun. Because that’s when we’re there, but I have found some nice things. I sure wish I had one closer!!!! Jealous of all off you who have one nearby.
Thia says
I love your ideas!! I love Homegoods the store near me gets shipments everyday,needless to say the employees know my name
cindy hattersley says
Now that wood bowl has to be the all time home goods find. Great tips. My closest home goods is 45 minutes away so I basically never go!
Kris Jarrett says
Dang – 45 minutes away? You are deprived! Come visit me and we can do my HomeGoods five store in one hour circuit 🙂
Rebecca Davis says
One of mine and my sisters best tips for shopping at home goods is if you think you may want to buy it put it in your cart. Decide when your done shopping what to buy and what to put back. If you don’t, it might not be there when you go back to get it.
Sandi/ LV says
I love Home Goods, once years ago did a local commercial for them, for our design firm (since closed)
Kris Jarrett says
That’s so awesome – HG is the best!