The planners at TJ Maxx look quite wise for the move after a remarkable grand opening on the Sunday after the ASU home opener.  Relatively few grand opening incentives were offered by TJ Maxx, but the reputation of the chain apparently was enough that some 400+ shoppers—a vast majority of the crowd were women—were lined up from the front door of the new store, wrapping around the back side of Boone Mall to the front door of Belk at the 10am opening.  The 300 shopping bags to the first 300 shoppers were gone in under 10 minutes and before the initial line of shoppers was completely inside.  Just as there was a line to get in, there were instantly lines for dressing rooms and check-outs, with the few chairs inside occupied by a rotation of men, waiting for the women they were with to get through the various lines.

The reaction to the store, the selection, and the prices was decidedly favorable with a number of comments heard on the pricing issue by patrons, and that was backed up by the numbers at the check-outs, as shoppers took bags and bags of goods away from the grand opening event.