june6995

Hey Patrice, you are going to have to get a 2nd job so you can afford all those wonderful things you want. There are so many wonderful machines and fun things anymore. Go girl! Enjoy every one.

patricej

i found i can actually afford things sooner once i broke my addiction to credit cards and went back to the system my parents taught me: if you can't pay cash, you probably don't need it.

without those monthly payments to make, i can actually save up for things faster. i might have to wait for something instead of just running out to get it, but (1) it forces me to remember the difference between "want" and "need"; and (2) a $200 item only costs $200 instead of $200 plus months and months of interest.

one of these days i'll have practiced my way to having the skills it takes to make quilts i can sell for big bucks with a clear conscience. then i'll really go out of control. LOL

june6995

Have you ever noticed that we do not fully understand or appreciate what our parents were trying to tell us.............until we get to be their age? My goodness, the lessons we have to learn in this life would be so much simpler if we would take our elder's advice. They knew that what methods they used really did work, but being young, and sometimes beligerant (is there another nice word for this?) we want to do things our own way.

Well, it is only part of the growing, maturing process and we each learn at our own pace. Thank heaven we do figure it out in time and can see that paying charge card bills is not the way to go.

Peace to you sister, and enjoy everything you work for.

Oh yes, make some wonderful quilts that will take the market by storm. WE will all be there encouraging you.

patricej

:D

Nina

The lady in the fabric department in at one Wal Mart told me that the Walton family sold the company and that we could expect a lot of changes. My assumption is that the folks who purchased it might not be as service oriented as the Waltons were.

I've never had a problem iwth Wal Mart fabrics - but then, I check the labels to be sure it is cotton and not the "undetermined fiber content" some of their material has.

I also noticed in my area that Hancock Fabrics have been going in some of the shopping centers owned by Wal Mart. That could be a reason for discontinuing it, also. I used to do property leasing, and some companies require exclusive sales of some products.

june6995

Nina, do you suppose there are so many rumors about Wal-Mart that choosing what is fact or fiction is a tough job? I asked the question in a Wal-Mart Febric Dept today. She said that since employees are stock holders, she doubted they could do this without voting on this situation. I tend to agree with her.

I was trying to search for information on the web and found this very interesting site. However, how much of that is true? Just someone's opinion. http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2004/3103waltons.html

I was told that the new Super store would get to keep it's fabrics dept, but the smaller store where I was shopping for fabric for a quilt, would not. I told her the mgr at the Super store said they were NOT keeping fabrics and then told her that he own Mgr. told me they would continue to seel fabrics for at least a year. So where does the confusion lie? To date the numbers who have signed the petition are 26054. It keeps growing.

I think all we can do is wait and see. Stock up in the meantime.

julie

scanned the article before I leave to fabric shop. really scary. Walmart has destroyed small towns and the small town feeling across America, all for the almighty dollar. Unfortunately, the government will never step in to control the situation, neither federal, state, or local because of greed and corruption. Obviously, the results of the mid-term elections are being ignored and we have another do nothing Congress. What happened to the anti-monopoly laws. And I don't even want to think about the negative effects big box stores have had on the environment. O.K., off my soapbox. Thank goodness for quilting to ease my mind. Ladies and gentlemen, keep signing that petition and get your friends and family to sign too. If they want to see you happy and quilting, they should sign.
Julie

june6995

I RECOMMEND that each one of you who are concerned about Wal-Mart do a Google search. there are lots of opportunities and information.
Open to the public. What is true and what is not?
One has this title:
Sam Walton is the ANTI-CHRIST! Here's the Proof!

There is a lot of venom as we well know. Read and decide for yourself, any and all of the subjects listed.

patricej

i've always had mixed feelings about the super store vs. "mom & pop" debate. i live in a small town. the only 2 businesses that have closed as a direct result of competition from WM were the KMart and the WinnDixie. The KMart shot themselves in the foot by providing no customer service to speak of. At first, their prices were competitive and there were things i could get there and no place else. I just got sick of standing in line forever, never being able to find somebody to answer a question, and watching prices go up while quality went down. The BigKs surviving their bankruptcy reorganization are now just big junk shops. The Winn Dixie was always the most expensive grocery store in town. i can count on one hand the number of times i shopped there, anyway, in the 25 years they were here. the prices at the other 2 - big chains, by the way - have also always been too high. i hate to think what their prices would be now without WM to compete with.
Our local lumber yards are still thriving in the face of Lowe's. the only Mom & Pop shops to close over the years closed because Son & Daughter didn't want to keep the business when the parents retired. The WM superstore shopping center actually attracted several new businesses, while other new businesses filled up their old shopping center. overall, they've added to our economy without much damage. and they've made HUGE donations to several causes that support soldiers and their families.
the problem now is that WalMart isn't WalMart any more. Sam was hardly cold in his grave before the kids sold out to a bigger corporate conglomeration. I feel now like I'm back in KMart. they piss us off at their own peril. we made 'em. we can break 'em. :evil:
found out yesterday our fabric department is on the chopping block, too. i'll make the calls and send the emails. in the meantime, i'll also be looking for new sources. went to hancock's today. their sale prices at least offer some opportunity to get decent stuff at decent prices. all i got was discouraged. (lots and lots of not-what-i-was looking for. LOL) most of the fabrics thin and flimsy - even at $9 per yard. all good quality, i'm sure. and hand-quilting would be a breeze. i just like my fabrics to have more body during the piecing phase. guess i'll have to start investing in liquid starch for pretreating.

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

june6995

Are we dealing with another problem, that perhaps quality fabrics are no longer being made in this country? I have not done a survey, but I do wonder where the other stores, such as Hobby Lobby, get their fabrics. I visted their fabric dept once...and did not appreciate their prices.

I had an experience in K-Mart on Thursday that left me cold. I told the one and only employee that I could find that I would go to Radio Shack and buy a battery for my cordless phone. At least I would get service there. And paying a few dollars more to get the proper battery, was worth it to me.

My Hancock visit on Friday was uneventful. I never saw so many bolts of flannel prints. Wait, I take that back. I was in JoAnn;s Thursday and they had rows and rows of bolts of flannel, $2. a yard, if I recall properly. I did not need flannet and did not want to make a flannel quilt. Perhaps I should.
I have not gotten a flyer in some time. I signed up for it again, and still am not getting one. Did anyone else get one recently???