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Eddie 11-14-2009 11:50 AM

I know the Wal-Mart topics here have been done to death, so I apologize ahead of time for those who groan when they see these. But I was in our local Wal-Mart last night about 10:00pm looking for something in their fabric department and noticed that they had rearranged the department. Hmmm, interesting! The fabric cutting counter which had been at the back of the department near the outside wall has been moved to the front of the department so that it fronts the main aisle through that section of the store. It seems like they were wanting to give higher visibility to the "action" in the department, i.e., someone just walking along that main aisle will now see employees measuring and cutting fabric for customers, etc. Brilliant, I thought. Their racks of fabric were rearranged to move them towards the back of the department where the cutting counters had been. Not a major reno or rearrangement, but it was a pretty significant one, I thought.

And also, when I was in there at 10:00pm, there was an employee there cutting fabric for customers, while 2 others waited to have fabric cut, and several others will milling about the department looking at stuff. Pretty active for that time of night.

Shemjo 11-14-2009 11:51 AM

Lucky you still have fabric!

dglvr 11-14-2009 11:57 AM

Well them there cutting that late is a great opportunity for those who work odd hours. Hope they keep it up. There are 4 Walmarts at the closest
city to me and 2 of those have fabric still. The Walmart the other direction from me still have a small fabric department too. The closest Walmart is 50 miles so I am glad some still have fabric. I've gotten alot my doggie fabrics from there that nowhere else would have them.

cutebuns 11-14-2009 12:14 PM

The last walmart that I was in that had fabric, didn't have anyone to cut, they are so short staffed that they can't get anyone to work evenings and from the sound if it weekends were not much better,

The other one that I know that has fabric still has the table in the middle of the dept but that could have changed as it has been a bit since I have been there.

Mousie 11-14-2009 02:58 PM

why do you think they are making it more visible, if they are going to discontinue fabrics in six weeks?

Eddie 11-14-2009 03:04 PM


Originally Posted by quiltncrazy
why do you think they are making it more visible, if they are going to discontinue fabrics in six weeks?

Kind of made me think if they're making that kind of effort in this store, then perhaps they have no intention of doing away with the department in this store.

amma 11-14-2009 03:11 PM

Our local WalMart just did a major renovation and moved the cutting table closer to the main aisle too... However, they narrowed the fabric area and we are now down to a wall of fabric bolts and 3 shorter aisles :( BUT, the biggest percentage of their fabrics are quilting cottons and they still have a nice selection of fleece, batting, stabilizers and such :D

CrystalKicks 11-14-2009 03:30 PM

Funny you post this today, I tried to get some at my local only to stand there for 10 mins and no help :roll: I would have waited but a two year old and three year old cant!! :(

marsye 11-14-2009 03:36 PM


Originally Posted by CrystalKicks
Funny you post this today, I tried to get some at my local only to stand there for 10 mins and no help :roll: I would have waited but a two year old and three year old cant!! :(


I have learned that if nobody is around to cut fabric or anywhere else to pick up the phone, hit 0 and tell whoever answers that customers need fabric cut and someone comes in no time. :lol:

charismah 11-14-2009 03:42 PM

I wonder if we will be getting rid of our fabric department? We only have one major store in town....which is wal-mart ( small town) so I can't imagine that they would ..but who knows maybe they don't make alot of profit??

marty_mo 11-14-2009 04:25 PM

There are still two fabric departments in my area, one 20 miles away and the other about 40 miles away. Both stores were renovated a couple of years ago and the end result was a smaller fabric department but it is also down the main isle and more visible and accessible ~ supposedly they are there to stay.

Mousie 11-14-2009 04:51 PM


Originally Posted by marsye

Originally Posted by CrystalKicks
Funny you post this today, I tried to get some at my local only to stand there for 10 mins and no help :roll: I would have waited but a two year old and three year old cant!! :(


I have learned that if nobody is around to cut fabric or anywhere else to pick up the phone, hit 0 and tell whoever answers that customers need fabric cut and someone comes in no time. :lol:

great idea :wink:

Pickles 11-14-2009 06:13 PM

My thinking is maybe they moved it closer to the center
aisle , so they can draw attention to it so they can sell
out all the fabric they have, instead of taking a lose on what they have instock, just a thought..

zennia 11-14-2009 07:15 PM

Hi, i was just at a Wal-Marts today and noticed the same change with the cutting table. At this store they took out the cheap $2.oo a yard fabric and have a very nice fabric selection and a nice fabric wall. Hope they keep it. Stocked up on Warm and Natural for $5.+change. Hope they keep this department.

june6995 11-14-2009 07:40 PM

Sounds like some of the stores are going to keep their fabric departments. If that is true, there will be happy customers.

In one Super Center, I was told that the persons assigned to the fabric department have been reassigned to other departments.
The clerk told me that she had worked there for 9 years, and has been told not to go there and cut fabric. How do they expect to sell what they have in stock?

In another smaller Wal-Mart, nothing has changed except there is no one available to cut fabric. I went to Electronics to ask them to page someone and was told they were trained to cut the fabric, but would not go to the fabric dept if they had customers.

If Wal-mart wants to make everything self0service, I can cut fabric as well as anyone, so next time I will c.ut my own, write down the price and yardage and figure out the cost and take it to the cash register. Maybe I can get some attention, from the manager.

We will all be waiting to see what happens when the remodel happens. that is when the fabric departments are to close.


ButtercreamCakeArtist 11-14-2009 08:16 PM

I was at WM last night at around 10:30 and was AMAZED that someone was there to cut fabric for me...not only was someone there to cut fabric, but there were two girls there that cut at the same time! That has never happened. Our fabric is right across from sporting goods, and sometimes someone can cut it from right across the aisle behding the SG counter, but not always....
I was happy to come home with new Christmas fabrics to start on new Tube Quilt blocks! :D YAY!

What was confusing to me was that some of the $4.44 fabrics were very cheap and any white (snowmen) was very see-through! It didn't have a good quality feel to it, either....BUT I got some of the $2.44/yard fabrics that I like and some of them have a really good satiny feel to them! :D

Eddie 11-14-2009 08:33 PM

Hi Miranda,

For white from Wal-Mart, I like to use their drapery lining. It is heavier than most of those other thin whites you see there, and it also is in 54" width instead of 44".

hsquiltingmom 11-17-2009 07:49 AM

I usually go to a few stores, Hancock, Walmart, JoAnn's and my local quilt shops. I have found much the same as everyone else here has. I usually shop sales. I have had good luck with Wal-mart. My biggest issue is I was looking for some embroidery floss, and they have quit carry that. Our stores here have remodeled, and so we are down to not a ton of fabric, but I am still finding cute things there. I agree with what someone else has said, to look for what you can afford.


TexasGurl 11-17-2009 07:56 AM

We have 3 WalMarts in my area (large suburb of Houston) One is a SuperCenter and 2 have JUST finished remodeling. NONE have fabric anymore. My closest store only has yarn and a few fat quarters. They still had patterns a few weeks ago but that may disappear soon too. The sewing notions etc have been reduced by 2/3 - now imostly kids stuff and scrapbook. Even the quilt magazines have become very scarce! :(

The JoAnn's here is not much better, the staff is nice but the selection is poor and their fabrics keep getting more EXPENSIVE. It's an older store and most of it is crafts and junk now. :(
Fortunately we have some good quilt shops, but that's not the answer for everyone either ...

stephy 11-17-2009 09:01 AM

Hello, I am new but thought I would comment...Eddie I noticed you are in AR...I am to ..South Central and I have noticed the same thing here! 2 of our Wal Marts stopped selling recently and the 2 left that do have fabric, also did a remodel..Still have little help at the counters at one but I to am glad they still sell and hope they will continue in the future![/b]

dizzy 11-17-2009 09:38 PM

I know that the manager in are little town is trying to keep are fabric
department.Because the only other place to get material here is a local little quilt store that aint as big as my living room an kitchen together.An my living room &kitchen together is about 16x30 an the girl that has it now got rid of a bunch of fabric after her mom passed away back in Febuary an I didn't know it but she was my cousins Stepgrandmother.Two
years ago i bought a singer serger for five dollars at the storage rental place.an i took it by to her to see if she could get me a cord an bless her heart she had to order thre or four diffrent ones before she got the right one .any time I have any problems i'll go back to them to see if she can help as well as her mother did.which i'm sure she will.
WELL HAPPY STITCHING PS I JUST LOVE THE PICTURE OF YOU AN YOUR WIFE .

mom2krc 11-18-2009 05:35 AM

Our fabric dept is in the back corner of our store, next to automotive and tire shop. Guess who cuts fabric.... Yep the automotive clerk when the only 2 employees aren't there. It's kind of fun to tutor about measuring, lining up, etc. I AM GRATEFUL for their help and consider it a blessing we still have fabs. 2 years ago we were slated to have the dept. cut completely. Hope I helped someone giggle today.

shirleysonshine 11-18-2009 05:53 PM

My thought was initially the same as pickles. High profile for a big sales day to close out..

dizzy 11-18-2009 10:01 PM

STEPHY WERE YOU AT I'M JUST SOUTH OF LITTLE ROCK ABOUT 30 MILES .

Aileen 11-18-2009 10:07 PM

HA HA! I like that idea. We don't have a fabric dept at our here at our locol store, but if I go 30 miles down the road I can get a very limited selection. It is only one short wall of fabric. I have found some cute fabric there, which has really surprised me.
I don't know about the rest of you ladies, but my friends and I are finding that even Joann's is starting to carry some really low grade fabric. I guess everyone is trying to keep their profit margin up and hoping the customers don't notice it. We sure are here!

mjsylvstr 11-19-2009 03:16 AM

Our two Walmarts that are close to me here in Jersey.....keep getting smaller and smaller in their fabric departments.

Being a snowbird who heads to Florida for the winter, the Walmart in our town last spring, had all their fabric at 25% off........for the eventual closing out of that department.

The store in the next town over told me at that time (last spring) that their store would be selling fabric for at least another 3 1/2 years. A promise that was made to the store earlier that year.

One just has to check out each store on each visit.....I would like to go there and get needed batting when other stores were closed. In Florida, most stores remain open 24/7.

Good for insomnia !!!!!!! mj

quiltwoman 11-19-2009 03:31 AM

I live in between 2 Wal-Marts--one has completely done away with EVERYTHING, including thread!
The other one still has 1 rack of fabric. They carry thread too :wink:

dizzy 11-19-2009 05:37 AM

my store still has it's material in it.An I hope we still have itafter christmas.girls iffit sems i'mjust blabbing I just might be i've taken
all of my meds an they have a tunuallyfunny feelin.well i' not all self
beacuse of stuff th
at tet have











wll ey go


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