My friends and I spend lots of our free time and money trolling the clearance racks at places like Marshalls and TJMaxx and any place with a great sale. There's nothing more thrilling or therapeutic than to find a designer item for dirt cheap.

Sometimes, though, I find things that just don't look right to me. For example, the stitching might look funny or the labels aren't positioned in places they usually are on other items from the same brand. I remember a vivid shopping expedition at Nordstrom's Rack once and being heavily intoxicated over a pair of Jimmy Choo black satin peep toe platform slingbacks. Upon closer inspection, they looked "odd" to say the least. The labels weren't in the same places as they were on my other Choo's, the signature smooth leather bottoms were missing and replaced with a plastic sole and the shoe's stitching looked down right cheap. At $250, they were a steal but I was convinced they were fake. No one believed me. Other times, I'd commiserate about these oddities with my friends but again, no one seemed to listen.

Well, now it seems that I have been on to something. I nearly spit out my vegan sugar free cookie when I read that Burberry has sued TJX (owner of TJMaxx and Marshalls) for the sale of counterfeit items!

We all know the signature nova check pattern. It's been everywhere and admittedly, it is quite nauseating in some instances. Though, there are other authentic Burberry items that incite some drooling.

On March 3, Burberry filed suit in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York alleging that TJX kept selling counterfeit Burberry items despite being asked to cease and desist. Some of the items were clothing, scarves, picture frames and leather goods.

A TJX representative went on record and stated that the store was "disappointed" by the claims but that it was not trying to "fool" anyone that they were buying authentic Burberry products.

Aweful. Disgusting. I'm horrified.

Though I do love TJ Maxx and Marshall's, I will never trust the labels again and instead I will analyze the item first before I spend my well-earned money on anything.