A TJ Maxx dumpster diver showed off a gluttonous haul she was able to score in the summer and fall, highlighting just how much inventory retailers get rid of, despite their quality.
In a recent video, popular TikTok creator Ella (@glamourddive) shows off her haul. Her video has been viewed more than 413,000 times and received more than 24,000 likes.
“My TJ Maxx does not have a crusher, which is why I can access the dumpster,” Ella, who has over 1.4 million followers, says in the video. “They don’t usually destroy it. But who knows? It could be an employee trying to steal, and I just beat them to the stash.”
In the video, Ella first shows a haul from just after the summertime. She was able to procure boys and girls’ slides and flip-flops, water toys, and beach gear. Some of the items were name-brand like Tommy Bahama and Rae Dunn. She also found a heap of new baby clothes.
When it came to the fall season, she was able to hit a jackpot of fall decor.
“In total, I found about 30 to 40 pillows,” Ella says in a voiceover.
The Daily Dot reached out to Ella via Instagram direct message and to TJ Maxx via email for comment on this story.
Later in the video, she shows a small diamond necklace she found. She says she believes the necklace retails for about $160.
In a previous video, Ella shows off another haul featuring goodies she also found in a dumpster behind TJ Maxx. The haul was so good—it included a Coach purse with its $275 price tag attached—that viewers accused her of staging it. However, Ella defended herself in the latest video, saying, “I wouldn’t be able to afford buying/faking all this.”
Dumpster diving as a phenomenon
Dumpster diving has become a phenomenon on TikTok, according to the New York Times, with many creators shaming mega-retailers for their waste.
“The simplest and most expediate way for a retailer to dispose of something, typically of low value, is to mark it out of its stock and dump it,” Mark Cohen, the director of retail studies at Columbia Business School, told the Times.
@glamourddive Replying to @Miss T Another insane SCORE while dumpster diving.. #dumpster #dumpsterdiving #tjmaxx #insane #glamourddive ♬ Glamorous – Fergie
Employees weigh in
Commenters on Ella’s post who said they were former TJ Maxx employees confirmed that the retailer is known to throw out items in mass.
“Ex TJ Maxx employee here. We would ALWAYS throw things like this away. I hated it so I never destroyed,” user @julie.vardega said.
“I wish they could donate these items to a shelter at least,” user @_belanda commented.
According to Boston University’s School of Public Health, the U.S. throws out more than 34 billion pounds of used textiles in a year, which is more than a 100 pounds of textile waste per person each year.
