Yesterday I had to stop at my local Wal-Mart for some things. While I was there, I stopped at the fabric counter to pick up some basic WOW cottons. Well, as I came around the end of one aisle, the girl from the department comes barrelling around from the other side and nearly runs me and another customer over with her enormous cart. With a surly look on her face, she managed to give the other woman a look that could kill and the customer moved. She then went to re-stock shelves or something.

So I go up to the cutting counter, ring the bell and wait.

And wait.

And ring the bell again.

And wait.

And wait.

And wait some more.

And wait.

And ring the bell again ....

well, you get the picture. After nearly 7 minutes of this behavior, I pull out a scrap of paper from my purse and write a note. It said something to the effect of "This is typical. I have stood here for over 5 minutes, periodically ringing the bell, to have no one show up and wait on me. My time is valuable and I have no more time to waste today. It's a shame you don't find this department important enough to staff it adequately. It's clear that you don't care about your customers." I left it pinned to the top bolt of fabric I was considering purchasing.

What's really maddening is that in the next department over (menswear, across the aisle), there was a manager telling 2 employees to go and do a "good floor mopping" in another area of the store. They clearly saw me standing there, they heard the bell ringing. But none of them were apparently capable of helping someone in the fabric department.

Is this typical of your fabric department experiences in Wally World??? I'm so frustrated and incredibly dissapointed with my treatment. In hindsight I should have left my name and phone number on the note, but I was so exasperated at that point that I couldn't see straight, let alone think straight!

What are WOW fabrics?

My experiences in most WalMart stores have been good. Sometimes I have to get someone from another department to cut fabric, but they are usually pleasant.

They even stay pleasant when I go into my monolog/rant about my opinions about corporate removing the bolt fabrics from the stores.

I do think WM understaffs at times - and one person has to cover several departments - but it seems like JoAnn and Hancock stores also understaff.

I would have gottern on there PA system there is customer that need help in the department you all have forgotten.

I was in the only wally world here in town that still have fabric, it was about 10 pm one night during the week......I had 4 bolts that I wanted a couple of yards from each...and there was NO one to wait on me....I ended up at the service desk and they told me they dont staff that dept at night at all, and appears that no one else knew how to measure fabrics........so that was about $25.00 dollars or more that I didnt spend that night....

I was just at mine last night, the gal working was nice and helpful even though she was trying to unpack some freight. We found that the fabric I wanted had some pulled threads throughout the bolt and she went to help me find another fabric that would work for my project.
All of the other's that work there are very nice and helpful too.

They do close that dept at nine or ten depending on where you live. But there again if you ring the bell they are surpose to help

There's hardly ever anyone in the fabric department at the Walmart in my area. I think it's because they know they're getting rid of it so it's a low priority to staff. I have hunted down managers and fussed about not getting any help in the fabric department but it really doesn't help.

Yes this has happened to me many times . There's a dept manager in fabrics/crafts here that has the same hateful attitude as the one you talked about . Maybe they're sisters lol. I really don't like her attitude with the customers ! She yells at them and talks so snotty to us ! I see her I leave . I tried to get a job there but I guess it's a good thing I didn't get it . I couldn't get along with her at all . I was taught to be polite :thumbup: Annie

I thought you might have been at the same Walmaart I visited last week. We (another customer and I) rang that bell about 4 times. After about 10 minutes, the first gal walked away but another customer was waiting with me. then I walked away. I don't know what happened to the 3rd customer whether she ever got help but just in that time I think we three had over 100 worth of fabric. I then went to the jewelry counter to get some 'emergency' silver earrings and there were 5 people in line and 1 clerk helping a customer with their purchase. I gave up and walked out of the store with NOTHING!

Maybe thats why walmart says they do not make enough money on fabric cus no one can get anything cut. I mean if they had someone even in another dept trained for it then some people would not walk out.
I went to a walmart the other day and the lady saw me loading my cart I told her it would be a little while and said no problem ring the bell. When I was done I did and she showed up right away. But I noticed while I was shopping a lady picked up a bolt went to the cutting counter and then when I looked again the bolt was laying there. I should have told her to ring the bell.

our WM had decided to take the fabric manager and put her in lawn and garden(which she was not happy about at all) and have the stationery manager run the fabric dept and stationery. Before they did that there was always someone in fabric's now your lucky to find anybody there. I think they are trying to find excuses to get rid of fabric's, purposly cause sales to drop by not offering service.

Not at Walmart, but have at other stores. I'm onery. One time I got on their phone and called for help...over the INTERCOM!!! ROL! another time, in the old days when they had cash registers, I hit the enter button tha causes the cash drawer to open.....trust me, in both cases I got help FAST!

All I ever find at WM is a little sign that says "I'm in the crafts dept.". Ummm, the crafts dept is only 2 aisles wide and the fabric takes up one. No bell to ring, I finally found a lady and asked if she could help, she told me no, but I can get someone to help you. I was very surprised that a gentleman came out of nowhere and cut my fabric for me.

I had the same experience. I finally went to another department and asked for help. They paged overhead for help in fabrics. Another wait and finally I left.
We don't have a fabric department now. We got a new super store without fabric, just a few notions and some battig.

We still have fabric in our store. Most of the time I have to pick up the phone in fabric and punch the service desk button and say, "I need some help in fabric, please." They get on the intercom and then someone will usually come and cut for me.

I think that our store will be on its way out next year when they remodel. We will then have no place in town to pick up fabric. Sad.

When that happens I usually lay on that button to be as annoying as possible. Someone will then show up. :)

And this is WHY we all do so much on line now....duh

I have Walmart's phone number in my cell phone and when no one comes to the fabric department after I have waited, I call them and tell the person who answers that I have been waiting to have fabric cut and and rang the bell and no one comes, PLEASE send someone back there. If no one comes, I call back and ask for the manager and tell him how long I have been standing back there. I usually don't have to stand very long. Works every time.

When we had a fabric department they were great. So helpful. But now it's gone. So sad.

I've watched them cut enough fabric that I know how to use their scan guns. So needless to say, I've done my own :):) And I've shown the guy who mops the floor how to use the scan gun. We sometimes have to be resourceful.

My favorite walmart cutting table story is:
In North Carolina we were visiting our kids, and I needed some fabric. We went into the local Walmart and found out the person who manned the gun counter also cut the fabric. I waited while she sold a man a basket of bullets. They locked up the baby formula and razors but the bullets weren't locked up. Didn't even crack a joke with the fabric lady and was very polite. Wasn't sure if it was a scan gun or a loaded gun in her apron. Was pretty sure she didn't have any trouble with smart a**es :) That store rocked!!! I wanted her job. And I sorta still do. Bet she sleeps good at night.

LOL reminds me of the time I rang the bell and rang the bell nothing... so I picked up the phone and started calling numbers off the list taped to the phone :shock: Oh My there were not amused :roll: But I finally got my fabric cut :thumbup:

But in all fairness that is the exception, usually I have very good luck there :lol:

rofl

I so want to take you to lunch. I think we'd get along fine.

Cut it yourself and leave it on the table. When you come back it will be wrapped and tagged and tossed in the remnant bin.

LOL! You guys are on a roll tonight!

You are soooo right LOL...our store still has fabric, but the 2 little ladies (bless their hearts) cutting fabric can hardly hold the scissors, much less cut at the speed needed to keep customers happy...and the gun NEVER works. I feel bad for them, so I try to be as patient as I can be.

If they don't make enough money at the fabrics then they will wait you for a while. In my opinion 7 minutes is not very long. Where I live sometimes you have to wait longer. If I don't have any more patient I go find a clerk by myself.
I also have family in Greece, there you have to wait sometimes even longer, it depends on the store you are in.

But I totally agree that waiting in a store is very annoying. I don't want to spend my money there and also waiting before I can spend it.

Doglover, I love it that you call them by phone! :))

I have a voice that REALLY carries and I've embarrassed my DD to death by standing in the fabric department and yelling, "I'm a customer and I need help in fabric." I wait a few minutes and then yell, "I'm still waiting, I need fabric cut." A few minutes later I yell, "I'm going to cut the fabric myself." I actually did cut my own one day before the woman got there. She had to measure everything and wasn't real happy with me but I told her that I had waited too long and couldn't wait any longer for some help.

I seem to be lucky. Knowing there's no one there after 10:00pm.
I went in looking for some much needed fabric to finish my project. There was three gals in another department just around the corner.
Now it is not the measuring and cutting that is difficult. It's the pricing. that throws them off. Any way this one she should the other two how to price the material. And they were very pleasant. In fact we joked and carried on for quite a few mintues while each took a turn at measuring the fabric.
Again I guess I was lucky.

Rapture you can tell we are both gutsy Illinois girls ! I was born and raised there . I moved to Va in 1982 and people here just have that wait till I get there thing going on . The older I get the more impatient I get . Oops told on myself ! Walmart has tried my patience so many times , I don't want to count them . Annie

A few years ago ( when ours still had fabric)
another woman and I stood for over 20 minutes waiting ang ringing while in the next dept over well within eyesight of us, the manager held one of their prep talk,yeh,yeh go walmart meetings!
My husband was really po'ed and complained very loadly at the service desk and sent a complaint to corporate.
But this is why they don't have fabric don't want to pay to staff certain areas(no fish in pets, no one to mix paint etc)
but they will staff with 3 people at all times in electronics!!!

And the older I get the worse I get. :lol: I'm at the point now where I just don't get too excited/upset over much of anything. It takes a LOT to push these old buttons. If they don't want to wait on me? That's okay, I'll do it myself. My mother was very outspoken and when I do something like that my brothers just shake their heads and say, "You've got too much mom in you."

Years ago we had a Zayre's store. In the fall they advertized that their flat fold Christmas fabrics were $1 a yard. Mom went in to get some and the woman told her it was a misprint, that they were $3 a yard. Mom argued with the woman and finally the woman picked up one piece (ugly) and said, "I'll sell you this one for $1 a yard, how much do you want?" Mom bought three yds and left. Dad was furious! He asked her why she let them treat her that way. She answered that she wasn't done with them. When she got home she called me at work, told me what happened and said, "Go get me some fabric." I did. I started laying stack after stack of fabric on the cutting table. The woman said, "Did you know that the ad was a misprint?" I said, "I'd heard that but since it's not posted anywhere in the store you have to sell me what I want at the listed price." We argued, she called the manager, we argued, I threatened to call my attorney, I got my way. I was there for HOURS picking out fabrics, taking my time making decisions, changing my mind, making her cut fabric. 219 yds later I said to the woman, "I'm going to buy this fabric but I don't really want it. There was an older woman here earlier today that you waited on. You picked out this piece of ugly red fabric and told her it was the only one she could buy. Well, I came in here just to let you know that NO ONE treats my momma like that and gets by with it. You should be ashamed of yourself for being so hateful." I kept some of it, gave well over half of it to mom. Years later when mom passed away my sisters and I split up her "Christmas stash". Try as she might, she never got around to using all of it. :lol: :lol:
Yes, Illinois grows some gutsy girls.

jacee kay wrote: "I had the same experience. I finally went to another department and asked for help. They paged overhead for help in fabrics. Another wait and finally I left."
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That has happened to me twice in the past month.

My biggest peeve with them is the long lineups with 1 or 2 cashiers working. One cashier told me that the reason for the lineups is that WM is only giving so many hours to each worker.

Rapture that was so funny lol. I have showed myself in Walmart so many times . It's a wonder they don't ban me from the store .

You should go for a job interview and see how they treat you ! I was treated like dirt . Afterwords I had a few choice words to say . They just look at me like I'm from Mars ! Annie

poor or nonexistent customer service is fast becoming the norm no matter where we shop.

our local wallyworld also makes the fabric ladies work in other departments at the same time. i've learned where to look for them. :lol:

if nobody is there, i'll look until i start to feel too inconvenienced. the number of minutes varies according to my mood. if i find them, i get the fabs. if i don't i just leave.

i don't get upset about it. i know that the ladies would rather be available. i know that when they are there, or i can find them quickly, i'm going to get extremely good and friendly service. i just tell myself it's a sign that either (1) i shouldn't spend money on fabs that day, anyway; or (2) i'm going to find something better at a lower price the next time i shop-surf online.

i don't think this makes me a paragon of patience. trust me - i relate totally to the frustration the underserved posters have expressed. it's motivated purely by self-preservation. i'd rather leave feeling good about keeping my $$$ in pocket than with a cranky headache. :lol:

You know, I have never been treated like that at my Walmart in the fabric department. If I were, I would be inclined to go to Customer Service on my way out and have a manager paged, and vent. If that didn't help I would have another manager paged. They want to waste my time I can waste theirs too and they would still loose the sale.

I have had that same experience. I just left my bolts on the table. Maybe they will get a hint!

Call the STORE manager today and see if the DEPARTMENT manager received your note.

I'm sure the store manager would be interested. If not, then get his regional manager.

I like the idea of using my cell phone to call the store - numerous times, if necessary. AND I like the idea of continuous ringing of the bell if necessary.... both after waiting a reasonable amount of time - maybe 2 - 3 minutes after ringing the bell ONE time... I'm sure they are just trying to discourage customers in the fabric dept so they have an excuse to close them down... they've lost me as a customer altogether because of it... oh well... plenty more I guess.

"Gutsy Girls from Illinois" - I Love It!

I also think it's life's 'negative' experiences that toughen us up.