Our local Walmart in Chehalis tries to give good customer service but the fabric department is almost an afterthought. The fabric department and another department are lumped together for the employees working in them but the other department gets most of the attention and is in another part of the store. That means the fabric section is under-staffed. You're lucky if someone is there. You can count on at least a 5 minute wait if you need to page someone to cut fabric.
I still buy some odds and ends from the fabric department but I've kind of given up on Walmart for fabric just because so much of what ours sells is a cotton/poly blend. I do agree- Always check the end of the bolt.
We do have a couple good LQS's either here in Centralia or next door in Chehalis but I'm on a fixed income and really can't spend $10 and up a yard on a regular basis. Joann's is about 30 miles from me and Hancock's is closer to 60 so I don't get in them as often as I would like either and realistically the prices are similar unless you're shopping a good sale. I prefer to see fabrics in person so I can see the true color instead of relying on my computer monitor but I'll probably start buying more fabric online.
Rodney