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.