hmmmm ... this is very interesting. i wonder what i'll find when i hit my local wallyworld today.

for me as an individual, the precuts could be both a "glass half empty" and a "glass half full". unless i buy the extra-wide fabs made especially for backing, i always piece mine anyway. i usually buy either 4 or 6 yards, depending on the finished size of the quilt. so the 2-yard precuts would work for me if they have something i like. a 5-yard precut is a bit wierd so i'd probably pass on those (although that might be just the right amount for a quilt that uses that fab on both back and front).

also, i don't mind having fabric left over from a project. i nearly always find a use for it.

if my store starts to carry the precuts, whether or not i buy any will depend on two things: (1) do they have something i like; and (2) is that material worth $3.50 per yard. some are. some aren't.

since the walmart prices keep creeping up, it's now possible for me to find name brand snooty fabs online at clearance prices that are lower than the highest prices at walmart. i've decided that their corporate boobs actually did me a favor when they forced me to search for alternatives to the local department. (we still have one but the selection is not so hot anymore.)

the AE Nathan Quilt of the Month fabs will be a different story altogether. i haven't found a solution to that yet. it's nearly impossible to find alternate fabs at those prices - let alone the bonus of being able to buy snooty fabs instead. so, for eliminating those in most of their stores they still get a loud, long raspberry. (we need an emoticon that says THHHHHHHHHHHHHPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!) :hunf: :lol:

my WM just remodeled, took out the fabric and added larger craft aisle...I don't see that moving at all!!!! off to Hobby Lobby these days for fabric. Haven't checked the prices yet but I am sure they will rise also.

the WM near me ,PI maine has a samller fabric dept.butyou can't buy a button in the whole store! .they used to carry pillow forms and they don't anylonger.I'm not pleased with what they have done with most of their depts. so my shopping there isn't as good as it used to be. I would wish for a fabric store to open in the area that would work with people that like to craft either clothing , quilting or even uphosltery.

I work for Wal-Mart and yes, that is the way they are going to be selling fabric. I am just as upset as everyone else is that they are getting rid of the fabric departments, but I am glad to know that they will be having "some".

I emailed Wal-Mart's headquarters (customer service will give you their email address) a few months back and let them know what I thought about them removing the fabric out of our store. Mind you, I live in a small town, Wal-Mart is the only store in town (and they act that way, too) and the closest fabric store is 20 miles away. Anyway, I got a reply from the manager that oversee's that department, fabric/crafts. In a nut shell, she told me that the fabric and quilting was a thing of the past, a dying art, so to speak, and the trend is moving towards family celebrations. Therefore, the fabric will be removed from all the stores within two years and the craft/celebration dept will their replacement.
I wrote her back and let her know that she did not know what she was talking about regarding the dying art of quilting. If she did her research, she would know that quilting is MORE popular now that it ever was. I also informed her that I would NOT be shopping or using anything out of their NEW family celebration department. My last words in my email to her was: It's a real shame that Wal-Mart is more concerned with bottom line profits, than giving their customers what they want.
I am not sure it more emails/letters to them would do any good, but, I sure felt better when I hit the send button.

ok ... we're starting to drift off-topic here.

we do not want this topic to turn into yet another rant about the closing of walmart fab departments. we already know that our fellow WalMartians give a unanimous :thumbdown: to that development. there are other topics about that which you can search out and add comments to.

the subject of this topic is the precuts appearing in some walmarts. will they be a useful substitute for a full-blown fabric department? are the prices of the precuts in keeping with the actual value of the fabrics? are they better than no department at all?

and now, back to our regularly scheduled program ...

go into any walmart and they will tell you, as the store gets re-modeled, the fabric will be gone!! so when i find a store with it, I BUY!!!!!!

Our Walmart moved and became a SuperWalmart. They have almost nothing in the carft aisle and NO fabric at all.
HOWEVER, we are lucky in that the local Mardens moved into the old Walmart building and has TONS of fabric, notions etc., including FQs. I bought packages aof FQs there (12 to a package) for $9.95. Some where beautiful lightweight flannel and some were excellent quality cotton.

My best buys, however,are still online.

We have the prepackaged fabric also, some of it is for baby things, some for scrubs, but everything is in two yard packages so if you need 2 1/2 half yards you have to purchase 4 which is 14.00 plus tax . I won't do it ,I'll travel 60 miles to Jackson or Nashville for fabric.

Wal-Mart in Vancouver,Wa and in the Portland, Or and other small towns have done away with the fabric dept. I was sorry to see that. I wish they would do what the other posters said and get hanging 2 yds, FQS and etc.