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Originally Posted by Windwalker
I made my first stop in the Joannes last week. There was ONE employee to cut material and work the cash register. There was a line waiting for fabric to be cut. Finally after 20 plus minutes another employee appeared to check out. So the original cashier came to cut fabric. By the time I got to the cashier, the line was really long. The register didn't want to recognize the coupons some of the customers were using.
I was so disappointed. But there isn't any other fabric store close by since WalMart did away with fabric. The next closest store is 30 minutes away. If I ever win the big money from the lottery, I'm going to quit my job and I want to open a full blown fabric store. The one bad experience I had with a lady cutting fabric was when there was a long line...it must have been a big sale or around Christmas time....and when she finished the customer she was waiting I went to her to cut the fabric and she told me to get back in line. She was working on remnants and not waiting on people even though there was a long line. I was sooo upset I told the manager and I have not seen her since. I agree that the service and selection is not what it used to be and, for that matter, neither are the sales or coupons. Many times I have gone there to use a 40% off coupon hoping to find something I just had to have now but I usually walk out with nothing. I can usually find the same fabric online for a lot less. |
Originally Posted by ClairVoyantQuilter
Yes . . .though I think they've been on this trend for awhile. They really used to be a sewing only store . . .now it's mostly crafts, etc with fabric thrown in almost as an afterthought.
There must be some sort of consumer surveys that reflect fewer people making those types of purchases so they're moving in another direction. But really . . .. . . |
Originally Posted by MadQuilter
When the employees at our Joann seem less than enthusiastic, I usually engage them in conversation - and before you know it, it's a much "funner" experience for both of us. Sometimes it's the customers that cause their own bad situation: Last time Pat and I went, the cutter asked one grumpy old lady what she was planning to make and the woman literally barked at her to just cut the fabric and mind her own business. HARSH! and NASTY! Old bag!
A little conversation can go a long way...but then there is always that sales person who is a grump from the word go.... ignore her and get on with your purchase. I do try to watch for the happier cutter when I approach the counter.. sometimes I'm lucky and then there are the other times.. need I say more? |
Yes I have noticed for quite a while that crafts seem to be the main focus of the store. Who knows maybe that is what is keeping them afloat. I noticed that none of the craft stores seem to be closing so If this keeps joann's in business it is ok with me as there are no other fabric stores near me. Maybe this way we will have more things to use our coupons for as they cann't be used on sale items and sometimes it is hard to find something to use the coupons for as everything seems to be on sale.
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We have an abandoned (for about 15 yrs) A &P store that is owned by Wall Mart and sits directly opposite the WM super center that was built at the same time the A&P went out; even though there is a FOR LEASE sign in the building they won't lease it because of the competition of all the different products that they sell. Maybe they'll put a Joann's in there when they take the fabric out of the Super Center. LOL.
Originally Posted by ClairVoyantQuilter
Originally Posted by mzsooz
The company purchased 250 House of Fabrics stores, its biggest purchase deal to that date, raising its total number of stores to 1,060. More than half of these stores were designated Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts, while the rest operated under six different names: Cloth World, Fabri-Centers of America, FabricKing, FabricLand, House of Fabrics, New York Fabrics, and So-Fro Fabrics.
I wish the link you provided (thanks, by the way :) ) included more recent information as I'm still curious about whether or not it's part of Wal-Mart. I DID discover that many JoAnn's now occupy former Wal-Marts. That in its self is no easy feat. If any of you have abandoned Wal-Mart buildings in your area, you know what I mean. Before moving to Lubbock, I was an active member of my local chamber. We had an abandoned Wal-Mart in our town and many larger companies had inquired about leasing. Wal-Mart wouldn't lease to them if they sold anything that might compete with something Wal-Mart sold. Consequently . . .the abandoned Wal-Mart has sat empty since the new Super Center down the street opened 17 years ago. |
JoAnns is not owned by Walmart. JoAnns is listed on the stock exchange and you can look up the corporate filings. Whats interesting is that the President, VP, and Treasurer are all male and the previous jobs were at Fred Meyers Stores, so they don't know about fabrics.....
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Originally Posted by judy-joyce
I work at a JoAnns and I do have to say that we don't have enough help. I'm in a small format store with 2 people working together. One is always a manager and then the peon "me". The manager has so much to do that most of the work is put on the other person. I've been in the Super Stores and see people standing around. We never have that luxury. I try to be nice to the guests, they do help make my paycheck. I get customers that come back only on the days that I work. I'm a quilter and can help with their choices of fabric and layouts of their quilts. We do have workers that have never sewn a day in their life and that's where a lot of the problem lies. Not enough help is probably the bigest problem though. Small wages and lots of work that makes it hard to get everything done.
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Originally Posted by damaquilts
The Rag Shop. Anyone remember that one?
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If I remember correctly, Rag Shop was one of Zimmerman's that he bought out.
In Ohio, when he first started out, he would buy up fabric shops as they came on the market. At my first manager meeting at Fabri-Center, I remember looking at old black & white photos and newspaper clippings. When he started out, everything was flat-fold goods, nothing on bolts. I personally have never liked flat-fold. There was another fabric business that got started at the same time in Midland. She would buy up rolls of knitted goods from tricot to sweater knits. Sometimes matching ribbing, sometimes not. Classes on sewing knits were really hot, along with sergers. Anybody remember making your own lingerie?? P.S. That store is now one of the top quilting shops in the Tri-Cities. The Material Mart |
Worked at Joann's for years - the highest-profit departments are home decor fabrics, notions, and paper-crafting (in that order). They've yet to expand their selection of notions of late but Home Dec fabric is exploding. Yeah, we're bottom on the totem pole. Then again, maybe it's because we buy only half-yards at a time, of a bazillion different fabrics. lol
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