Marshalls Review

Monday, December 2nd

2024 Handbag Store Reviews

Marshalls

• Prices from $9.99 to $1,799
• 1,043 items in stock for handbags
• Premium and low-cost options
• Clothing and handbags
• 40-day returns

Marshalls, a part of the TJX Companies, is an American chain of discount department stores with a wide online and physical presence in the United States. They operate in 49 states and Puerto Rico and have had a presence in Canada since their expansion in March 2011. Marshalls, along with its sister company TJ Maxx, is among the major off-price retailers in the United States, which means they are known for offering tons of merchandise at discounted prices.

Wide array of bags

Marshalls is a kind of catch-all store. You can find clothing, accessories, luggage, and cosmetics all in one place. And, you'll be able to find tons of name-brand items. Ranging from premium brands like Valentina or Kipling to more generic brands, you can find handbags with varying styles. There are 1,043 different handbags available on the Marshalls website, providing a vast selection to browse through to find your perfect bag.

Focus on affordability

You can find pieces as low as $9.99 for an Anne Klein bag or up to $1,799 for an Alaia Italian leather bag. So, you'll find both affordable and premium options here, though there are fewer of the luxury brands available than in the more affordable inventory. There are only 6 items in stock from $500 to $1,000, whereas most of the inventory shows up in the $25 to $50 category or the $50 to $100 category.

Missing brand-specific filters

The site is pretty solid for a discount store. It's got a white cream and blue color scheme that is easy to read and stands out a bit from the luxury brands we've been looking at across this evaluation. One area, though, where Marshalls doesn't quite stack up is the filters. You can only narrow your options by color, size, and price. Despite having a wide range of different designer bags and luxury brands, you can't narrow down your search by brand specifically. If you're looking for a particular item, you'll have to use the search. But keep in mind, you still might be disappointed. For example, we searched for "coach” and found zero results for that brand. So, customers who are brand fanatics or are looking for a specific bag may be disappointed by their experience with Marshalls.

Pay more for shipping the more you buy

Marshalls has a more complex shipping calculation than other sites on our list. Instead of doing a flat-rate or free shipping threshold, Marshalls calculates its shipping based on how much you spend. If you buy anything between $0 to $89 you'll be paying a standard $9.99 for shipping. If you buy more than $89 worth, you'll pay an additional $1 for shipping. It's a bit odd to penalize customers for spending more money, so many customers used to free shipping options might not be happy with Marshalls.

40-day returns don't include shipping

Marshalls offers a flexible return policy that allows customers to return online purchases to any Marshalls store within 40 days. Marshalls' return policies may be influenced by local, state, and federal regulations. And, oversized items may incur an additional shipping surcharge cost in addition to standard delivery and processing fees. Unfortunately, shipping and handling expenses, along with these surcharges, are non-refundable.

Mixed reviews despite solid ratings

According to our research, despite some of the concerns, many customers who shop with Marshalls are generally happy with their purchases. Across different review sites with verified third-party reviews, the average rating for Marshalls was 3.4 out of 5. However, it appears this might be changing. Most of the recent reviews (as of the six-month period leading up to this review) show just 1 star and include a range of complaints. These include worries about items never arriving, complaints about "sales” being only $0.01 cheaper, and extremely slow delivery. While the company holds a slightly lower "B-'' score from the Better Business Bureau, it's clear that if you're looking for some sales, Marshalls could be a solid stop but if you need quick shipping, you might want to keep on browsing.

Overall experience is lackluster

While Marshalls is a good place to shop if you need low-cost handbags, it just doesn't live up to the other companies on our list in terms of its user experience. With missing filters, missing brands, and only a handful of luxury items, many customers looking for particular handbags may be left out. Plus, with no support for return shipping costs and expensive shipping, Marshalls just doesn't stand out of the pack. And generally, other more reliable stores are doing it better.