a friend of mine came over last evening to work on her quilt.
i showed her wally and the two shop fabs. i asked her to pick out wally. she picked the most expensive of the two shop fabs. :lol:
we've been talking about the closing departments for as long as i can remember. three years? longer? some stores lost the whole department. some got downsized. i think i remember reading one report that one department survived the remodel and remained the full size.
using "mine" as an example, it seems strange that they'd be introducing whole new lines of fabrics (on the bolt) from new sources if they are determined to wipe out fabric completely in all walmarts everywhere. ours has introduced precuts but that section is very small. the new lines aren't even sold at the highest prices. they're just under $3 per yard.
there's no way i can prove or disprove my "suspicion" but i think the survival of fabric departments must depend almost entirely on whether or not the store manager fights to keep it. if that's the case, then she would have to be able to point to proof that her department is a moneymaker in that community.
so, here's my suggestion. if you still have wally fabs in your area and want them to stay, i'm not sure it's going to help much to send individual letters and email to corporate headquarters. their nationwide market share is so huge that even a few hundred thousand complaints is insignificant at that level. instead, you might be better off focusing your efforts at local and district level.
a store manager will need to hear more than a few individual complaints about a threatened or pending closure. you'll need to find and band together with other wally fab customers and fight as a group. you'll need to support the department by purchasing regularly to help them maintain their income stream.
i don't buy as many wally fabs as i used to because the selection got so small i ended up owning nearly everything mine carries that interests me. still, i cruise the department a few times a month in search of something to buy. i think others in my community must do the same.
i'm very lucky and i know it. i have many other options besides wally fabs. but i know there are others who are not so fortunate. i will always do what i can to help keep ours alive for the sake of those in my area who are totally dependent on walmart for their sewing supplies.
ok ... walmart is a huge congomerate run by people we think are heartless boobs. still, the fabric departments are ours. they are, for many of us, the closest we'll ever get to having an LQS. the employees are our friends and neighbors. if you had a local LQS, and it provided good service at reasonable prices, you'd do the same for them, wouldn't you?