FYI - Walmart
06-23-2010, 09:08 PM
#91
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 88
Our Wal Mart remodeled last year. the fabric dept has been cut drasticly. there have been many complaint because there is no fabric store in our area. I live in Clearlake, Ca. We have to travel 50 miles or more for fabric yarn and any craft items. what a shame. shame on WalMart.
06-24-2010, 01:13 AM
#92
Administrator
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Southeast Georgia, USA
Posts: 9,135
a friend of mine came over last evening to work on her quilt.
i showed her wally and the two shop fabs. i asked her to pick out wally. she picked the most expensive of the two shop fabs. :lol:
we've been talking about the closing departments for as long as i can remember. three years? longer? some stores lost the whole department. some got downsized. i think i remember reading one report that one department survived the remodel and remained the full size.
using "mine" as an example, it seems strange that they'd be introducing whole new lines of fabrics (on the bolt) from new sources if they are determined to wipe out fabric completely in all walmarts everywhere. ours has introduced precuts but that section is very small. the new lines aren't even sold at the highest prices. they're just under $3 per yard.
there's no way i can prove or disprove my "suspicion" but i think the survival of fabric departments must depend almost entirely on whether or not the store manager fights to keep it. if that's the case, then she would have to be able to point to proof that her department is a moneymaker in that community.
so, here's my suggestion. if you still have wally fabs in your area and want them to stay, i'm not sure it's going to help much to send individual letters and email to corporate headquarters. their nationwide market share is so huge that even a few hundred thousand complaints is insignificant at that level. instead, you might be better off focusing your efforts at local and district level.
a store manager will need to hear more than a few individual complaints about a threatened or pending closure. you'll need to find and band together with other wally fab customers and fight as a group. you'll need to support the department by purchasing regularly to help them maintain their income stream.
i don't buy as many wally fabs as i used to because the selection got so small i ended up owning nearly everything mine carries that interests me. still, i cruise the department a few times a month in search of something to buy. i think others in my community must do the same.
i'm very lucky and i know it. i have many other options besides wally fabs. but i know there are others who are not so fortunate. i will always do what i can to help keep ours alive for the sake of those in my area who are totally dependent on walmart for their sewing supplies.
ok ... walmart is a huge congomerate run by people we think are heartless boobs. still, the fabric departments are ours. they are, for many of us, the closest we'll ever get to having an LQS. the employees are our friends and neighbors. if you had a local LQS, and it provided good service at reasonable prices, you'd do the same for them, wouldn't you?
i showed her wally and the two shop fabs. i asked her to pick out wally. she picked the most expensive of the two shop fabs. :lol:
we've been talking about the closing departments for as long as i can remember. three years? longer? some stores lost the whole department. some got downsized. i think i remember reading one report that one department survived the remodel and remained the full size.
using "mine" as an example, it seems strange that they'd be introducing whole new lines of fabrics (on the bolt) from new sources if they are determined to wipe out fabric completely in all walmarts everywhere. ours has introduced precuts but that section is very small. the new lines aren't even sold at the highest prices. they're just under $3 per yard.
there's no way i can prove or disprove my "suspicion" but i think the survival of fabric departments must depend almost entirely on whether or not the store manager fights to keep it. if that's the case, then she would have to be able to point to proof that her department is a moneymaker in that community.
so, here's my suggestion. if you still have wally fabs in your area and want them to stay, i'm not sure it's going to help much to send individual letters and email to corporate headquarters. their nationwide market share is so huge that even a few hundred thousand complaints is insignificant at that level. instead, you might be better off focusing your efforts at local and district level.
a store manager will need to hear more than a few individual complaints about a threatened or pending closure. you'll need to find and band together with other wally fab customers and fight as a group. you'll need to support the department by purchasing regularly to help them maintain their income stream.
i don't buy as many wally fabs as i used to because the selection got so small i ended up owning nearly everything mine carries that interests me. still, i cruise the department a few times a month in search of something to buy. i think others in my community must do the same.
i'm very lucky and i know it. i have many other options besides wally fabs. but i know there are others who are not so fortunate. i will always do what i can to help keep ours alive for the sake of those in my area who are totally dependent on walmart for their sewing supplies.
ok ... walmart is a huge congomerate run by people we think are heartless boobs. still, the fabric departments are ours. they are, for many of us, the closest we'll ever get to having an LQS. the employees are our friends and neighbors. if you had a local LQS, and it provided good service at reasonable prices, you'd do the same for them, wouldn't you?
06-24-2010, 02:56 AM
#93
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,646
The (male) store manager of the Dade City, Florida WalMart said he begged and pleaded to keep the fabric department there. He said he and his wife would both buy bolts of fabric to support their hobby.
The best his pleadings did was to get a stay-of-execution. The fabric department was closed in January 2010.
Anyway, that's what he told me when I wanted to speak to a manager about why the fabric department was taken away.
I also called 1-800-WALMART about four times to register my dismay.
The best his pleadings did was to get a stay-of-execution. The fabric department was closed in January 2010.
Anyway, that's what he told me when I wanted to speak to a manager about why the fabric department was taken away.
I also called 1-800-WALMART about four times to register my dismay.
06-24-2010, 03:38 AM
#94
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Cleveland, TN
Posts: 1,005
The Dayton, TN Wal-Mart is going through the remodeling. The pre-cut fabrics have replaced the bolts. Some of these fabrics were cute and had a good feel to them. Obviously, would rather have bolts, but at least we have some fabric. Also, some sewing notions remained. A lot of Wal-Marts have just about nothing in this line, so I was happy to see a few items.
06-24-2010, 08:35 PM
#95
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: in shouthern ohio, under a quilt-sewing!!
Posts: 26
there are two walmarts about 30 minutes away from my house (different directions) one has a fabric department with the bolts of material, and the other walmart did away with their fabric department. go figure!
06-25-2010, 12:55 AM
#96
Administrator
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Southeast Georgia, USA
Posts: 9,135
the decisions to keep, shrink or elimiate fab departments do seem to made randomly, don't they? but there must be at least one reason common to all the departments that survived.
if we could figure out what that reason is, the customers in "threatened" communities would have a better idea whether or not there'd be any way to save theirs.
if we could figure out what that reason is, the customers in "threatened" communities would have a better idea whether or not there'd be any way to save theirs.
06-25-2010, 04:14 AM
#97
Super Member
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Orchard Park, NY (near Buffalo, which is near Niagara Falls)
Posts: 3,884
Originally Posted by PatriceJ
...still, i cruise the department a few times a month in search of something to buy. i think others in my community must do the same.
The only time I go, now, is to stock up on "boring" things like paper products and cat food.
06-26-2010, 05:31 PM
#99
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Halls Cross Roads, TN
Posts: 987
Yes, enjoy it. And hope a super center is not in ur future. Ours was great too but the new one down the road from this one opens in Sept. But the quilters around here were getting buggy loads when it went half price. Since I'm not really a quilter, I dittle lol, I only got some stuff for greatgrands and for a couple of grommet purses.
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