I got a flyer from JoAnn's sometime in the last couple weeks, I think, not much in it for me. I was there today. I, too, thought there was alot of flannel, an odd item to have this time of year. Kind of made the rounds of fabrics shops today. Got a good chance to compare. Of course, I had to go to the big city 25 miles away. The privately owned shop was nice, but the fabric was very expensive for me, so I didn't buy much. While there, a regular customer came in, and the clerk was very helpful, had even set back some fabric she thought the customer would like. I live too far away to be a regular customer. JoAnn's and Hancock's both were very busy, but I thought Hancock's had a better selection to choose from. It's strange that the busiest departments are the fabric aisles, but the biggest departments are the home decorating, in both stores. Go figure. I also stopped at a WM superstore just to check it out, their fabric department is much bigger than our local one. This WM is right on the edge of the city, close to a large Amish community, so they may be keeping this one. I didn't have the opportunity to ask a clerk. The thing is, if our local WM gets rid of the fabric, I will no longer shop there, not because of a protest, but because the fabric is what draws me there in the first place. I usually buy other stuff in other departments, but with no fabric, no need to go. I can and do buy groceries, etc. at locally owned stores. Prices may be a little higher, but they give so much back to the community, donating food and other things to local events. When our local Explorer Scout troop wanted to have a fundraiser at the WM a few years back, they had to jump through hoops to get the o.k.
The bottom line, some of us like WM, some of us don't. We should all do what we're comfortable with, buy where we're treated right, and maybe agree to disagree.
Julie