I dont know, but I sure would like too!

It probably depends on the size of the store, rent & all other overhead.
I know that I used to cringe at the prices at the LQS really close to me and off I would head to the larger, lower price store. Know what happened? One day I got an email that they were closing and I feel bad whenever I drive by where it was to think that maybe if I had just shopped alittle more often there it would still be open. They did have fabric that was so much nicer!
Hindsight is 20/20....

A well known quilt store near me gives their employees a 40% discount and they still make a profit. I wish I lived closer. If I worked there I wound have oodles of "insulation" for the winter months. :wink:

piney

I've never owned a business so I don't know anything about it but I do have common sense. One small fabric shop here had very high prices. Nothing was selling because the shop owner was buying from a fabric rep and had to price the fabric high in order to make a living wage. I asked her why didn't she buy fabric online when it was marked down to clearance prices and sell it to make $1 profit per yard for customers who couldn't afford the high price fabric. Why not go to Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Joanns, Hancock Fabrics when the notions were 50% off and buy the maximium allowed and sell them for 25% profit? Why not order from Marshall's Dry Goods wholesale for sewers who wanted less expensive fabric for projects and utility quilts. Some customers bought the high price fabric but not enough for the shop to stay in business.

I get that, but wholesale is generally 50% of retail even when buying from sellers other than a distributor (the next step up on the food chain, if you will). Those retailers are not selling goods at cost to their wholesale buyers I'd be willing to bet, so their markup has to be greater than 100% to make any money at all off the transaction.

My LQS has purchased two gammills and make more profit on the computerized LAQ they do, compared to the profit they make on the high priced fabric. This is not a negative comment. It is the way the owner explained it to me in a conversation we had one day.

Maybe we should ALL tape this in a note to our foreheads to remind each other. Support other quilters.
Jan in VA

That's why I try (when I can manage)to support the, LQS. Their product is the best around and the selection is excellent. They are higher than most other places around, but quality, selection and customer service are wonderful. I should add that, from what I have read on another message board regarding pricing, what they charge is still quite reasonable in relation to countrywide and worldwide pricing. I try to buy less but better.

Have dealt with fabric on a very limited non/QS situation, and MU was more than 100 percent, Imagine dealing with the mills are like other wholesale buisness, if you buy X amount it's this price, if you buy XXXX amount the cost drops.
Keep in mind price are only a small part of picture, overhead, insurance, interest, wages, all add into makeing anything profitable.
Too bad LQS can't co-op with others to increase their buys, and get the price down. Say 10 or 15 stores, making less frequent buys, to make the orders bigger thus helping get a better price break.

Know of some other buisnesses did this and purchased from the manufacturers then did their own distribution helped a lot to increase margin.

Can figure the longer it sits on the shelf the more expensive it gets if adding on the cost of interest each month.

Isn't this more than you wanted to know LOL :)