Originally Posted by Favorite Fabrics
Happens all the time, sadly.
JoAnn Fabrics bolts are usually about 1/8 yard short.
The other manufacturers, well, it varies. But we find that we come up short by 3/4 yard on nearly every bolt we sell. Some of it is due to "generous cuts" but not all.
Discouraging, isn't it?
Do you have any recourse at all? I mean if you had the time and manpower would it be worth it to measure every bolt as you receive it and then claim the shortages to the manufacturer or distiributor before any cuts were made? I am assuming if a bolt says 10 yards you are charged 10 yards. I am appalled that it seems to be an industry standard to short you on average 3/4 yard! Even if wholesale it is only five or six dollars that adds up quick with all the bolts you go through.
Eons ago I worked for a carpet distributor. If a roll of carpet ended up measuring short more than a few feet we would contact the mill and get credit. Our inventory system kept track of the cut yardage so we knew on every roll how many cuts were made. We would usually only give about 2" extra when cutting carpet so we knew when we were truly shorted yet charged for it. Most mills did right by us and gave us credit.