not based on 'he said, she said' but from someone in the chain of command...so I 'assumed' they knew what they were talking about.

Just found out this week that the fabric department in our local Wal-Mart (Hamburg, NY - outside of Buffalo) is closing. Now. We knew it would happen when the store moved, but figured that would be in late August - October.

But get this: the nice ladies who run the department surmised that something was amiss, when they started printing the bar-coded tickets on Monday night. The total was coming up wrong, as though some items had not made it onto the list. They then realized it was because the computer had been reprogrammed to apply the 25% clearance discount... and Tuesday it happened to more fabrics, and finally on Wednesday they received official communication to put up signs marking all fabric and ribbon 25% off.

Almost of the Walmart's in western Canada have also discontinued the fabric and notions departments. What little that they do carry is junk.

i work at walmart as the dept. manager of the fabric and craft dept. in Tifton,Georgia and within the next 2 weeks we will be closing our fabric dept. It is really hard to try and explain to the customers and friends what is going on when i don't understand myself .I do crafts and sew myself. Our community will be hit real hard without the fabric dept.

Welcome to the board, Candylady, from Missouri!

...and the fabric section is low profit department.
Speaking about our Wal-Mart, I can see how they would think that. They let the quality of the fabrics really go downhill. They have been buying cheap flimsy fabric, that once upon a time, would have been in the bargain bin, and putting it on the shelves with the better fabrics, which percentage wise, is much much less in quantity.
It's their own fault. They have to put lower prices on these fabrics, and many pass them over.
I'm not a fabric snob, I'm talking really questionable quality on these particular ones. My girls used to work for Wal mart but got fed up with the managements attitude toward the employees and the publc:
We have the most under one roof, for less (bc we don't pay employees their due, or pay overtime, or benefits)...most under one roof, and no matter what we put on shelves, ppl will buy it anyway, so who cares?
Happy for you, that you got the fab. dept. to stay, but will be surprised if it continues.

Saturday afternoon I was in the local Wal-mart, the one I really don't mind going into, and I got 10 or more cuts of fabric, with my favorite fabric cutter on "duty". I made a point of telling her thank you for the level of service she has given to me, and I'm sure all her other customers, in the years that I've known her. I made a point of telling her that the other two women in her store that have cut fabric for me recently have given me wonderful service as well. I did this because as horrible as the service is at the OTHER local Wal-Mart, I want her to know that I for one do see that she gives us her attention when we are in there. She did tell me that they will have fabric for quite some time yet, until the store is either remodelled or becomes a super store. Which won't be for quite some time!!! It's a fairly new store, so no plans for them in the near future.

With morale as bad as it is among Walmart employees, maybe we should all take a lesson from you and acknowledge good service. It maybe the only praise the employee ever gets and I'm sure you made her day. You are a good example to us all.