I came across this while looking for some fabric. There is a feed on walmarts affect on companies that were supplying fabric to walmart interesting

http://www.jandofabrics.com/newsletters/2007/08/another-fabric-company-damaged-by.html

When my husband went in to business this is one lesson he was told up front - never, never let one contract be more than 33% of your income. Walmart has, unfortunately, done this - maybe it will be slow going for other fabric manufacturers to close - maybe we'll have more fabric stores open up!!

You know, Walmart doesn't have some kind of civic responsibility to provide us with fabric OR to keep other companies in business. As the poster above me mentioned, it's very short-sighted of fabric manufacturers to put all their eggs in one basket. Walmart bought their product for a while and now they are discontinuing that branch of their store. Walmart is JUST A BUSINESS! They are accountable to their stockholders for profits, and if one part of their business continues to lose money, they really need to do something about it.

I have made many many garments and quilts from Walmart fabric, and I have relied on them weekly for thread, interfacings, notions... I will miss it very much when they are gone. It was nice while it lasted. But it's a business, and I wouldn't expect them to go on selling things that are not profitable. It doesn't make sense.

If you ask me, WalMart is only hurting themselves by not continuing their fabric dept. Many people only have WalMart to buy from.

All I can say is that I bet Sam Walton is rolling over in his grave. His way of business has been totally lost in what he had created since his death. Yes, WalMart is nothing more than another business, but it wasn't what Mr. Walton had intended it to be by a long run either. While he was still alive and at the helm, it was a big business sure enough, but it was a big business with a conscious. He cared about his employees and he cared about his customers. That is no longer true. A family member recently ended their employ with a WalMart. Said family member has a family of their own now, and once the probationary temp position time ended and the offer of full time was offered the first thing asked was about benefits. Said family member was handed a pamphlet explaining Medicaid/Public aid as an acceptable health insurance plan. Now, I don't know nor do I profess to know if this is standard procedure, or just the one management person at this particular WalMart's procedure, but how scarey is this really? I'm pretty sure, imho, this isn't the way Mr. Walton intended his "family oriented" business to turn.

I refuse to shop at Walmart. There's a book named "How Walmart is destroying America and the World" by Bill Quinn. Before I read the book, I had never been a big fan of WalMart, I haven't been in there since. It's a scary book. I have even cut back my visits to JoAnn's, Michael's and have never shopped at Sam's Club.

I agree with pocoellie and jbsstrawberry. WalMart is not the store it used to be. I shop there as little as possible. I only go to buy fabric when I know there is something there I want. Some of their material is junk, some is nicer. I do sew clothing too but I will be using JoAnn's much more often now. I prefer quilt store fabric and when I can afford it I go there as my first choice. Sam Walton would be devestated to know what his heirs are doing...

I remember when Wal-Mart had 'Made in America' signs all over the store (am I old or what?!) I agree that businesses have responsibilities to stockholders, but I also believe they have responsibilities to act in ethical ways, and I personally don't believe that Wal-Mart does that. Their practices brought down Vlasic, among many others: http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2003/3046wal-mart_pricing.html

We Americans would like to make a living wage, but want to purchase goods priced so inexpensively that they have to be made in countries that pay very little -lots more there, but I'm being nice :-) There is no such thing as a contract with Wal-Mart that is only a small percentage of any companies' market; Wal-Mart is simply too big for that.

Our family shows our displeasure in the only way that matters much anymore; with our cash. We choose not to shop at Wal-Mart. The bottom line is the that the only reason they have that kind of power is because people shop there. It's the same reason all the little businesses close when Wal-Mart comes to town; they can't compete with that kind of buying power, we shop where its the cheapest, and there goes the Mom and Pop shop. Now when they remove the fabric, there is no alternative.

It's really sad about Walmart. I used to go there for EVERYTHING. I go for fabric, but lately I find myself more and more at Joanns, I agree with the person who said only 4 lanes were open. I swear one day a couple weeks ago I went in and I felt like I was the only one in the store. And it was after 10. Only the 10 items or less lane was open, BUT no one there. I had to stand in line for 20 mins with almost passing out it was hot in there. Finally I left my basket there and left the store. I know it sounded cruel, but I was sweating bullets and afraid I was gonna pass out and I just couldn't wait any longer. I never went back......

I have worked for Walmart and Jo-Anns lets just say you don't know what gos on behind the doors.

One of the main reasons I don't shop at Michael's anymore is because they are owned by Mrs. Sam Walton, and I believe that they now much own JoAnn's, because you can now use Michael's coupons at JoAnn's. This has been just recently when they "super sized" JoAnn's. They now have less fabric and more crafts, so I'll just shop at Hancock's, not that I need any more fabric, I could probably open up my own store.

really? how scary

WalMart - Joanns - Michaels - all ending up in the hands of the Waltons!?!?!?!? Oh no... I will be more frugal and shop smarter for quilt store material - maybe I should just use what stash I have and buy only for the quilts I'm making specifically!?!??! And use just the quilt store??? Scary is right

WHAT IS HARD IS WHEN YOU LIVE SO FAR OUT OF TOWN AND THE ONLY OPTION YOU HAVE IS WALMART.
JO-ANN STORES AND HANCOCK STORES EITHER HAVE CLOSED OR AS JO-ANNS HAVE GONE ETC ( EXTRA CRAFT STUFF)
I AGREE, I COULD OPEN A STORE WITH ALL MY FABRIC.
WHEN I GO OUT OF THE COUNTRY I BUY BUT JUST WHEN IN HAWAII LAST MONTH, GUESS WHOS BUSES GREETED US AT THE SHIP AND DROVE US TO THEIR STORES. LOL
I BOUGHT YARDS AND YARDS OF BIG FLORAL HAWAIIAN FABRIC.
NOW EVEN MOR STASH. SEARCHING FOR PATTERNS FOR LARGE FLORAL FABRIC.

How I envy you! I lived on the North shore of Oahu for a few years and was not acquainted with quilting except to see some of the hawaiian quilts which was too overwhelming to consider! I wonder if I would have found any there?

Sal,
I have fabric envy, What beautiful floral fabrics.
Those are my favorites anyway, I just love flowers.

I have a medallion quilt I am doing for my daughter that has a 40 1/2 in center, then 3 stripes of 2 1/2 inch border of complimentary borders, then 6 1/2 in stripe of complimentary floral, then 2 1/2 in borders then 8 1/2 floral. Now you have a pattern for 92 inch square quilt!

I'll post the pics after I have pieced. Will be in about another month!
MJ

Hey, I recognize a lot of those fabrics! A while back, I pulled out all of my Hawaiian fabric because a friend gave me some scraps of Hawaiian material. I made a snowball quilt, using red vintage Hawaiian fabric for the set. Then I made a log cabin variation. Don't be afraid to gut up your fabric. It can be very effective.

"Wal-Mart is not a company, it's an epidemic disease." L. LaRouche http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2003/3044wal-mart.html They are a driving force behind the decimation of the American economy in so many ways. Here's a link to some interesting facts and statistics. http://wakeupwalmart.com/

I work at Wal-Mart and I love my job!!! Someone earlier said you don't know what goes on behind the doors. It is true, there is only so many things you can control. The rest is all done from corporate. They let the computers drop the schedules and that is why there are only certain amount of registers open and certain times. They use computer research to track their customer flow and base their schedules on the flow on previous weeks or years. I hate it, but there is nothing we can do about it. They even control the heating and air conditioning in every store from the Bentonville office. We can't control it. It is crazy but you have to admit they haven't gotten where they are by mistake. Mr. Walton might be rolling in his grave right now but he was in a different time gap. If he was here he might have got bitten by the greed bug just like the rest of his family. You never know.
I think this situation is about like politics, and religion, no matter what you are going to step on someones toes by saying certain things.You either like wal-mart or you don't but you shouldn't put it down to the ones who do like it. If the truth is known we would be surprised how many things that say Made in America that are sold at Target and Meijer and who knows maybe even Joann's was probably partially assembled or processed in China or another country we are unaware of.

Next time you go to Hawaii.....go to Fabric Mart. It's right off of Kamahamaha Hwy, behind Cutter Ford. Easy to get to.
They have TONS of fabric. They even sell scraps from the local clothing stores.
That is quite a haul you have there. I recognize alot of that fabric! Walmart was the best place to go after 5pm for fabric, since the other places were closed.
There was also Kaimuki Dry Goods up in Kaimuki, but they are mainly a REAL fabric shop. ;)

Fabric on the North Shore? No, unless you wanted to steal someone's quilt. lol

I love your fabric. I always have loved Hawaiin prints. My Aunt cheats. She goes to thrift stores and gets Hawaiin shirts real cheap and cuts them up for quilts. She says it's cheaper then a airplane ticket. LOL Have fun with it. I can't wait to see what you make with it

I cheat with the Hawaiian prints too.
I bought them when I lived there. lol
Will maybe be going back in August to bring Courtney back for college. Going to make sure I have an empty suitcase. Will be making a trip to my FAVORITE fabric store of all time!
Oh, and then there's Walmart. Have to buy some tub crayons for the little girls I am making the Sue quilts for.
Oh yes...Starbucks!
Let's see....will be hitting Fabric Mart. You can find them online for Hawaiian prints too!
So many things I want to do there, but will only have a few days since I will also be waiting for military flight back here.

Goodness girl...... You'll be busy. I love the Walmart Fabric area. I guess its because I got to be friends with the gals there. My friend that works there says I'd enjoy it more if I got to know the other depts more. I guess she's right. It's just after leaving the fabrics, All I can think of is to go home & play...... lol

"He [Sam Walton] left his ownership in Wal-Mart to his wife and their children: S. Robson "Rob" Walton, John T. Walton, Jim Walton, and Alice Walton. Rob Walton succeeded his father as the Chairman of the Board of Wal-Mart, and John was a director until his death in a 2005 plane crash. The others are not directly involved in the company (except through their voting power as shareholders). "

source: http://askville.amazon.com/owns-Wal-Mart/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=366395

i couldn't find any evidence online that walmart owns either joann's or michael's. that doesn't mean they don't. it just means i couldn't find any proof they do.

Yup, sure will be.
Once she is ok and settled and I am back home, I have her room to get situated and then a couple more little trips planned.

I did a research paper last year on Michael's, JoAnn's and Hancocks for my accounting class.
JoAnn's diversified to keep going when sewing became less popular. They are not eliminating their fabric lines, just adding more ways to pull people into the stores. Michael's has not been involved in fabric. Hancocks declared bankruptcy but is making a comeback by increasing their quilting lines of fabric and home decor.

None of the above stores were related to WalMart as of 2007.

That's not cheating. Your aunt is just being thrifty! I used to find a lot of vintage Hawaiian fabric at flea markets in the form of mumus and Hawaiin shirts. They were quite cheap.

She calls it cheating. I told her its smart...... Kinda like recycling.

newqultertoni, I'm confused. Did it sound as if I were putting down people who like Wal-Mart, or should I not say negative things about Wal-Mart around people who like Wal-Mart?

Just asking for clarification; we had something similar come up at home recently, when DD was shocked that we didn't boycott KFC and we didn't have a clue what she was talking about until she showed us some websites with the information she based her decision on. (Personally, I was impressed that a 20 year old felt passionate about ethical treatment of animals, but then again she's always been opinionated on what she considers right and wrong :wink: ) We were in the dark about the whole thing until she showed us; I am thankful that she did. I can make an informed decision if I have information. I know that was the spirit behind my post, and I'll go out on a limb and say that was the spirit behind the other posts as well.

People are going to shop where they can afford the merchandise and what is nearest to them.
Some people don't have the luxury to live close to towns/cities that offer a diverse shopping area.
Yes, it is sad that many companies that WERE using "made in America" early on in their years and are now going to the overseas markets, but that's business. Yes, it is taking jobs out of the American's hands, but when they can get the same item made for much less, then that's what they do. It's business.

Everyone has their own opinions about what is right and what is wrong. We agree to disagree on many things in life, that's what makes us all unique. It would be an awful world if everyone agreed on the same things, did the same things and thought the same way.
I don't think anyone is intentionally saying anything to hurt someones feelings, I think they are just saying what they believe.
We all have our opinions. Whether others agree or disagree with us...no one can either say they are right or wrong.

I, for one, am putting this thread to "bed".

Walmart is only one of many super sized corporations that have bought off our politicians and are in the process of distroying our country out of greed.
Jobs are going overseas because of greedy corps that only pay attention to the bottom line.
One ray of hope, people in India have frequent riots over the standard of living they are forced into by the corps there. They see the profits and the fancy buildings and they dont like it.
If you can find it, watch the video "The Corporation" It is a history.
The Court never should have let Corporations become a person with all the rights of an individual.

I got some "joanns' fabric at Hancock's... says on the selvedge "...exclusively for Jo-Ann's...."
so who knows...

As far as people getting all honked off because somebody or other doesn't like Walmart - I don't get it unless they own stock in the company! :shock:
Believe me, Wal-mart doesn't depend on whether any of us defends them or not.

I really don't care one way or another if 'somebody' does or does not like walmart - walmart has run business after business OUT of business..

they did away with the competition in all kinds of areas and now they are dropping some of those areas - fabric is a perfect example....
There are no other places to shop in our county - there are two Walmarts - the closest is 15 miles from here... every time we go in there they've gotten rid of one thing or another and replaced it with even cheaper made junk and forget about a 'choice' in a lot of things...
there are fewer and fewer brands and fewer and fewer varieties..
They are catering to the LOWEST common denominator...
example, we can't get French Roast coffee of ANY brand in either one of the local stores - that's a ninety mile trip.....

Just remember, you get what you pay for - if the particular item is something that you know you aren't going to want to keep and quality doesn't really matter, then by all means get it at walmart....

if it's something that's a MAJOR purchase like an LCD screen tv, you might want to check around - yes, Walmart is 'cheaper' but is it a wise purchase?

If you work for walmart and want to defend them and get mad because some of us don't like their policies - be my guest....
I shop there because I have to - they had already run everybody else out buy the time we moved to the area....

I was not mad at anyone. I was just making my rant like everyone else. I just think peoples mind are poisoned by the media on certain issues. Every major purchase I have made has been at walmart and it all holds up just as well as everyone elses. I think that is just luck of the draw there. I have a big tv that was bought there that has outlasted everyone elses, I even passed it down to my stepdad.
It wasn't walmart that is putting out the small town businesses it was the people who chose walmart over the small shops. And that is not the peoples fault it is the fact of life of trying to stretch your dollar. Trust me the prices at walmart aren't staying the same either with the economy. I hear the complaints every day over the prices we can't control. But more and more people are shopping walmart because with prices they are the lesser of the two evils.
Don't want anyone to think I was mad it just seems like every week there is another gripe about walmart. I am sure they arent' the only thing that gripes the world. I just work 8 or 9 hours a day and come here to get free from the complaints from customers and enjoy myself but then feel compelled to defend what gives me my paycheck. Every one has their opinions and that is fine but sometimes it is better to keep them to ourselves just to make the environment more enjoyable.
Maybe if one of wins the lottery we can open a fabric shop in all over hometowns and wouldn't have to worry about the competition because walmart doesn't handle fabric.....maybe we could become big like them....lol

For a great quilt with floral fabrics, check out Fons & Porters "Garden Window". I made one for our bedroom and love it. It was featured in their July/August 2006 magazine. I am on the road for the summer in our RV, but when I get home I will post a picture.

Hi Ruth , Right now I am not a big fan of Walmart . Not only doing away with fabric and crafts dept . Their pharmacy leaves a lot to be desired , too . That $4.00 prescription deal ! That list is always changing ! I had 2 prescriptions there and went for a refill , woman said that'll be 16.00. I told her it was supposed to be 4.00 . We just changed the list , yours is no longer on the $4 list .

Went to another Walmart that still sells fabric . You won't believe what happened ! They had a very cute looney tunes pillow panels . Was supposed to be 4 in the set . You know these have marks down the side where to be cut . Well the woman started to it in half , I said there are 4 to a set . Manager came and grabbed the end of the bolt and said just as smart Ma'am it's a pillow panel , not sold by the yard . Walked off . The other woman said corporate told them to cut them in half ! :oops: :oops: I didn't buy it ! Annie

Sally, I LOVE your Hawaiian fabric!