Last week, eagle-eyed Glossier fans noticed something unusual. Suddenly, a variety of the brand’s products (Balm Dotcom, Cloud Paint, Lip Gloss) were available for deeply discounted prices at TJ Maxx stores across the U.S. and Winners in Canada.
Since Glossier’s launch in 2014, the brand has only sold on its site and from its five physical stores (save for a short-lived pop-up at Nordstrom in 2019). The brand committed to DTC much longer than its competitors did — with beauty brands like Tower28 and Merit moving into Sephora shortly after launch.
It’s unclear exactly how Glossier ended up at TJ Maxx. All Glossier has said on the subject is that its products would be sold there for a limited time. But conspiracies are brewing. Some suspect, for instance, that this is a sign of looming bankruptcy or other financial turmoil at Glossier. But evidence (sort of) supports a standard-discount-retailer pipeline. One Winners shopper said they spotted Glossier products from 2014, confirming product age via batch codes. This, of course, is fairly normal practice — it isn’t uncommon to find an Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina Palette or Ole Henriksen or Clinique at your local Marshalls or TJ Maxx.
In any case, inventory is scarce. Stores in New York City are apparently tapped (though someone did find a few things in the Bronx). People are seemingly having better luck in suburban and rural spots (one Missouri redditor scored two Generation G Lipsticks, two Balm Dotcoms, and a clear Lip Gloss; someone shopping in Niles, Ohio, found a Balm Dotcom and a Gen G.) But the discounts are significant — redditors are reporting 50 percent off or more in some cases. Glossier Lip Gloss, for instance, is being sold for $7, more than half off of its usual price of $15.
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