In my area, there are 3 quilting stores, 2 WalMarts, one Joanne's and one Hancock store within 20 miles. Only ONE of the quilt stores has courteous staff (and the owners work at all of them, so no excuses). At WalMart and Joanne's, the service is of uneven quality, depending on who is working. They are high turnover low-pay jobs, and folks cannot keep pretending to be happy when they work 40 hours and can't feed the kids or pay for car or health insurance.
Hancock's has gone from a similar situation to a sheer joy since new management took over last year. It is rare that I am not greeted and asked about my new projects. Granted, they have seen me bring things in to match, and I stock up when I am working. They never have any job openings (and I ask) because people are making a living wage and have realistic expectations.