Our local WM has been remodeled twice in the last 2 years. It is a Super Walmart and really didn't need any remodeling. I just spent hours last week in there trying to lcoate things that I normally can run in and get. I HATE it. They did add an aisle of precuts and I purchased 1 Fat Quarter to test. The precuts looked up to date in design and colors but I wanted to test drive before I bought. But I won't go there much for fabric. This"one" aisle is located in the very back of the store next to automotive so it's a hassle to run in for a couple of things.

I hate grocery shopping there and won't go unless the pantry has gotten so low I have to buy a lot of stock items. Even then, I left the store last week without 3 things I had on my list because I couldn't find them. Their stocking makes no sense at times.

If someone would open a LQS here with great customer service, they would do well. Even the ladies at Hancock's have gotten an "I don't care' attitude and most of them have been there for years.

I live in med. rural area where you have to go 30 miles if you want something WM doesnt have. We are surrounded with small towns that have large number of Mennonite. It would be a dumb move for them to take ours out.I also dont shop there unless I just have to. But I did like to go look at fabric once in a while but they have raised prices.So I go 30 miles to JoAnn.Maybe they need to read this message board!!! No fabric to buy ---- no other spending!!!

Thanks for the info. I like your idea. Here is the link to let yourself be heard.
http://walmartstores.com/contactus/feedback.aspx#2
Thanks for the info

Our WalMart doesn't have fabric. Two stores in my section of AZ do - they're both about 50 miles from where I live. I emailed WM Management thanking them for removing the fabric department. My reasoning was that I had been going to WM a couple of times a week to buy a little fabric and always ended up spending $50 to $75 on other things. I told them since they took out the fabric department I had only been in once in about six weeks.

Bet that got there goat!!

soory it should be "their"

The other evening I was in our WM and we had just gotten all the snow. I needed some fabric to go with my project so DH drove me. I dont like driving when it is slick.Anyway they were down on help because of the weather and the Store Manager came back to cut my fabric.LOL SOOO I ask him if they were going to loose the fabric dept.He said he had just recieved a letter that day saying they were NOT getting rid of the fabric!!!!
So I am happy!!

I have to go 80 miles one way to the big W store. I have been going to Target more because I get so mad trying to check out at Walmart. All those checkout stands and half aren't even open. When they did the remodel they even took out the self check stands. They did leave some fabric but have very little quilting supplys. It isn't like it was when Sam W. was alive. Seems he cared more but his kids sure don't.

I'm new here. There is a Walmart about 10 miles from my home. They have fabric and crafts but last time I shopped for fabric there, we couldn't get anyone to wait on us. We waited and waited, rang the bell and asked the sporting goods person to help us. He called someone that never showed up. On the way out, I told a friend of mine that has worked there for many years. She told me that the employee from fabrics had to take care of lawn and garden too and it was busy there. Some of the fabrics are good but their thread is very fuzzy. I won't buy thread there anymore. It doesn't seem any cheaper but the next nearest place I can buy fabric is 40 miles away. I'm doing some on line fabric shopping now.

I talked to a WM manager about a month ago and he said, They were making good money on the new dept. they put in.
It`s setting up a persons party,like wedding,showers etc.
I can`t visulize that in our area because we have more quilters than rich people. He also said they are putting material in some WM`s but only one in each district, I haven`t been back since, no reason to. I some how can`t hear any one say "Guess who did our wedding plans, WM"

So their bright idea is to only have one in a certain area? Do they really think that someone would drive to another WM just for fabric!!???? Sometimes I wonder what goes through top dogs minds????

Good idea a petition would probably help but how to go about it :?: I've heard that some hav put thier petitions on the internet but I wouldn't know how to set it up.

They cut their food items also. If you find something you like, they will stop carrying it. Some young gentlemen must be making the decisions and they certainly don't understand middle aged and older women. I have gone back to buying groceries at the grocery store and fabric at the quilt shop. Makes sense to me. Then I don't do impulse buying.

When they built a new Walmart here, they discontinued the fabric, etc. I miss the fabric, but I really did not buy alot of their fabric as it had gone down in quality. So, I go to our LQS' and due to that I never go to Walmart at all anymore. What I miss horribly are the notions. Like... elastic, etc. I have needed elastic for 2 weeks and have not had time to go to JoAnn's to get it and the LQS does not carry it. Thats the kind of things I miss most. But, Walmart has lost all my business. I am angry with them and hate the new store.

I know it, I hate shopping at a store after they remodel. We have a Walmart but we also have another grocery store that I like going in until they remodeled. I still have such a hard time finding things. Another store here changed hands and all the "big wigs" were there one day and every one (customers) begged them to not change the store. Did they listen? NO. It isn't as nice as it once was. I don't know why they do that.

I just sent them an email...come on...everybody send one....get your friends to send one. Let's start something!!!!

And how many American businesss have WalMart put out of business by their pricing policies and "buy Asia" policies? Everything I have read says what a horrible "woman unfriendly" employer WM is. The last I heard, WM is still privately owned by the Walton family, who are so rich they won't even talk about it. Is all this just rumor? On principle, I rarely go into a WM store.

the last time this subject came up on this board I called Bentonville and was told that there were NO plans to bring back fabric in any of their stores, needless to say I told her how dumb this idea is. Our big Walmart has fat quarters and precut fabric for aprons. They still sell notions.

I love cellphones. I was in a WM in Texas and there was absolutely nobody in the fabric section. I rang the little bell several times and nobody came. I used my cellphone and called the store's general number, asking to speak to the manager. When I got the manager on the line I explained that I was in fabrics, wanted to buy and there was nobody working the department. She sent someone immediately.

It's my understanding that the Waltons are large (extremely) stockholders. However, the corporation itself is being run by MBAs. My husband detests MBAs because they think they can run any company, no matter the product, simply by running the numbers. CompUSA got an MBA CEO and he decided to get rid of the older, more knowledgeable, sales people and keep the young ones who didn't know the product but worked cheaply. Last I heard they were bankrupt. Fabric, as Sam Walton and his wife knew, is probably a loss leader for Walmart. However, it is a way to get lots of women to come to the store frequently. I can find groceries, car parts, books, etc., other places closer to my home, I didn't have anyplace close to buy fabric. Joanns just opened here and it was a madhouse on opening day. Looked like a combination Black Friday/Superbowl party.

In defense of WalMart and their pricing, my local fabric store has raised prices at least $2.00 per yard. Their store is about 15 times as large as any WalMart fabric department I have been in. I just purchased some coordinating fabric for Auburn and Alabama. It was 58" wide but had a whopping price of $13.99 a yard. I could only get 1/2 yard of two different fabrics. Everyone is marking everything up. The cost of lumber has more than doubled in the past few years. Also, I worked in WalMart fabrics for 3 years before they took our fabric out. I just went into another WalMart fabric department and they had many new fabrics that we didn't have in the past. I don't agree with many of the WalMart corporate decisions either. You want to talk about the cost of fabric? I just found this on E-Bay. This is a vintage piece of fabric, 2 yards x 44". It sold for $108.05. WOW. Wish I owned a bolt of this LOL

I don't understand this either they said a card and section such as you were saying.Well we have Dollar Tree and you can get nice cards there 2 for 1.00 so why would you buy at WM? I don't get it either but I am not a business person I'm a quilter LOL :thumbup:

Even at WM going up on prices the LQS are too so it evens out in MHO.But I will shop wherever I can get the best deal.

We have lost a number of different types of stores since (i.e. hardware, small grocery) Walmart came to our town and later changing to a "super" store. I don't want JoAnn Fabrics or Fabric Warehouse driven out of business so I'm not anxious to have Walmart return to the fabric business. In addition when our Walmart did sell fabric some of the quality was questionable.

Here's the response I received from WalMart when I sent them an e-mail the other day:


Thank you for your recent inquiry regarding the fabric department in your local store. As with any merchandise decision that we make, we have based our decision to reduce the stitching and fabric departments on customer demand, which does not appear to be as high today for a full stitching and fabric offering in some markets as it may have been at Walmart in the past.

In keeping with our emphasis on being a store of the community, Walmart is converting the fabrics and crafts department in some stores to a newly expanded assortment of merchandise that focuses on life's celebrations. We are thrilled to offer our customers this exciting new crafts and celebrations center that makes available craft and party planning needs along with information on current trends and new ideas in the area of life's celebrations, such as holidays, weddings and birthdays.

In those stores where the new crafts and celebrations center is placed, merchandise commonly referred to as 'notions' will be included in the product offerings - such as sewing machines, yarn, needles, thread, etc. As a part of this conversion, most of our new and remodeled stores that opened earlier this year, as well as a small number of existing stores, will feature the new crafts and celebrations center in place of bolt fabrics. Walmart will continue to carry cut fabric in most of our stores. Due to the continued evaluation of our stores, we are unable to share a list of existing stores scheduled to receive the new crafts and celebrations center at this time.

Sincerely,
Walmart Customer Care
***********************************************

Doesn't look to me like we will be getting a fabric/sewing department any time soon. However I was able to get the June Tailor Shape Cut Plus ruler from Wal-Mart's online store for $25.00 with free shipping to my local store, so I saved about 18.00 on that.

If they do start carrying fabric again I hope it's better quality than they used to have. I won't mind even paying a little more.

I have heard that the reason for eliminating fabric is to avoid having to have a PERSON employed to cut it - that's why they sell the precuts in some stores. I also heard they are eliminating custom mixed paints for the same reason. "A penny saved is a penny earned" seems to be their philosophy. Even when that penny saved loses sales to creative people. They sell mostly the cheapest, most cheaply made, and most mundane products. it's asll about the $, whereas your LQS owner is usually a real, helpful human being with a heart. AND better fabric.

Interesting - when I signed the "petition", I immediately received an email asking for donation of $1.00. My signature was number 50,094 - at $1.00 each, that is a lot of "bucks." I deleted the email but it was listed as "[email protected]"
Marysewfun

I am sorry to hear this. At my WalMart last week they were marking a lot of fabric down to $1.00 a yard. Some of it was David Textiles which seemed to be of good quality. I got a few pieces stamped with COPYRIGHT PROTECTED FOR $2.50 a yard. They told me they were not closing the fabric dept.