Janaome's are at wal-mart
 

Stopped in Wal-Mart to day to grab a few essentials....imagine my surprise when I saw not 1 or 2 but 3 different Janome sewing machines in the fabric/sewing section! Prices were from $149.99 to $499.99. That was pretty comparable to what the local Janome dealer has them priced for.

I think they started selling them at Joann's recently too.

Well that is a surprise to me too. I would have thought they might just be selling them online.

and the question is, should a person buy one there? or not? Mine is in the shop getting it's annual check up. I think like my old singers.

Why not? It's not like they are inferior machines. I bought my Brother SQ9000 from Wal Mart about 4 years ago and it is still running like it came right out of the box.

I love my Janome but I believe they buy cheaper versions for WalMart the same as the Brothers they carry. I have both of these brands, bought from dealers and they are better built than the WalMart versions. What do you do when they break! I'm sure no one at WalMart fixes or cleans them!

as with all brands sold in the big-box stores, you will find only a manufacturer's least expensive models.
that is not the same as "cheaper versions."

if you buy model xyz from big-box, it will be exactly the same as model xyz from a dealer.
if the price at big-box is lower it's because they have the volume advantage and the leverage to negotiate lower wholesale prices.

My janome dealer will only give lessons and repair machines bought at her store. We have a place other then her to get them cleaned and repaired but what about lessons if you buy it at Wal-Mart? I would not be afraid of buying it at Wal-mart. I wish I had known Sears sold Janome before I spent twice as many $$$ buying from a dealer.
I don't believe Janome would make a "cheaper" machine to sell at wal-mart. That would be bad for their reputation/name brand.

Since Janome made the final Kenmores, I was hoping that perhaps they would be sold at Sears. I do miss going into Sears for my sewing supplies...some stores still carry some of the notions but nothing like in the past. TOO bad!

Zennia....I too bought my Janome (Harmony) from Sears so many years ago that I have forgotten how old she is. Paid over $400 back then and that was on sale. She still runs great, but have been considering a new one from a dealer. One with less decorative stitches that I never use and a larger throat space. I may have to check out Walmart just for grins.