If you don’t know what a TJ Maxx “dunner” is, you’re not alone.
As TikToker Hannah (@hannahghafary) explains in a viral video, “dunners” are extremely avid fans of ceramics created by an artist named Rae Dunn. These ceramics are sold at TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, and Marshall’s. Using the green-screen effect, the TikToker shows her audiences examples and explains that most people have probably seen the “cheugy cups and things … that have the same generic font … that’s supposed to look hand-written.”
Hannah says she was having her groceries rung up at Trader Joe’s and making small talk with the check-out cashier. The cashier, Hannah says, told Hannah she used to work at TJ Maxx and that it was a great job—except for the “dunners.”
Hannah says the ex-TJ Maxx employee proceeded to tell her that “the dunners are essentially out of control groups of middle-aged women who rampage through TJ Maxx and HomeGoods locations across the nation, trying to take all of the Rae Dunn stuff.”
@hannahghafary @T.J.Maxx @HomeGoods do you care to make a statement? 😂 #TJMaxx #homegoodsfinds #homegoodsshopping #tjmaxxinista #raedunncraziness #rossshopping #facebookmomsbelike #storytime ♬ original sound – Hannah ♡
The woman, Hannah recalls, also told Hannah the group was so unmanageable “that, at the TJ Maxx location where she worked, there were multiple physical altercations, … where the police had to be called because literally grown-ass, middle aged women were fighting over a cup that said ‘flour’ on it.” Things allegedly got so bad that the employees tried to hide the merchandise in the back of the store, but the “dunners” started to accuse TJ Maxx employees of stealing the Rae Dunn items for themselves.
“But wait, it gets worse,” Hannah says. The worker, Hannah says, informed her that “the “dunners” have Facebook groups where they organize and plot on how to ransack these stores. She proceeds to throw up a couple of examples of the Facebook groups on her green screen, one of which is called, “Rae Dunn / I’ll Never Be Dunn.”
The video amassed over 1.3 million views, and a number of people hopped in the comments section to share their own thoughts on the “dunners” terrorizing TJ Maxx stores.
A number of people who claimed they used to work for TJ Maxx confirmed that the worker wasn’t exaggerating when describing the behavior of the “dunners.”
“I worked at a TJ Maxx and we had a lady try to run over someone in the parking lot cause they had bought a Rae Dunn item she wanted,” one said, to which Hannah responded, “I am laughing out loud this [is] by far the worst Dunner encounter I’ve seen in the comments.”
Another person said when she worked at TJ Maxx and Marshall’s, “people would sneak in the back room to try and find more Rae Dunn.”
Other shoppers also recounted instances when they had unexpectedly run into “dunners” in their everyday lives.
“I went to an in-laws house once and literally everything in the kitchen was Rae Dunn. Mugs. Bowls. Signs. It was like a horror movie,” said one person.
“Is THIS WHY the literal SWAT team ran into my local TJ Max?!” asked one incredulous viewer, to which Hannah responded, “NO STOP.”
A few commenters also explained that many shoppers resell items they buy at stores like TJ Maxx and Marshalls and that a number of the Rae Dunn ceramics simply reappear on the secondary market, where “dunners” can command higher prices. “They buy it all to create ‘demand’ for it, and sell it on eBay or Etsy for a markup,” said one person.
“My mom flips all of this stuff to the dunners for double the price. I remember once there was a birdhouse that sold on eBay for $200,” another said. Some rare Rae Dunn pieces do command higher prices than others, but currently, a 2-pack of birdhouses is available at HomeGoods for $5, discounted from the original retail price of $29.99.
The Daily Dot reached out to Hannah via Instagram direct message and to TJ Maxx via email.
