Would you work at Walmart (fabric department)?
 

I was at Walmart yesterday (our small town options for sewing notions are Walmart or nothing) and talked to the lady working the fabric department. We were just chatting about everything from shoe inserts to teaching school and she said she just works there a couple of days a week, just enough to have a little play money. My dh has been after to me to get a job and quit being a hermit, but I don't want to teach school 5 days a week and grade essays all weekend. A couple of days a week appeals to me, especially if it is doing something I like.

I would if I needed the extra income.

Sounds good to me. BrendaK

It would depend upon the Manager of the store and his polices...I have seen good and bad, so check it out before you apply. How the workers on the floor feel about him and the check out cashiers...just observe for yourself...they hold departmental meetings of "Rah, rah, and rah!" on the floor at various times. How bad do you want the money, and want would you put up with for the $$$?

I love my Wal Marts in this area, but well aware of the different managers of the store, just from shopping there. Sorry, but for excellent fabrics I would prefer a Jo Ann's or better yet, a Quilt Store with fabric on sale...I would buy so much, dh would have to pay for my gas in the car to get to work! LOL!

Better yet, let him get a second job, and you stay home to quilt!!! LOL!!

I doubt you will get the days you want to work. A new hire may not get days and will have to work weekends and Holidays. To get out of your seclusion and raise your spirits check into local volunteer spots in your community. There are many volunteer spots to fit every interest. Court, library, art center, and museum are my favorite volunteer places.

Sure I shop there I would work there especially if I can work in a department I want to work in. I would hate the clothing or grocery area but would love the sporting goods, automotive and hardware, craft area or electronics.

Funny story a while back I ran into a mom from my kids grade school days when I was shopping at wally......she was stocking cards we stopped and chatted about our now college age kids and she looked at me horrified "I don't work here I work for the card company" it cracked me up why be embarrassed where or why you work.

You say you don't want to teach school 5 days a week, so I assume you are a qualified teacher. Can you substitute? In our are subs are paid well and called frequently. They have the right of refusal for any day or job they don't want. If you subbed at different schools, you would have an opportunity to meet several groups of coworkers.

interesting query! i am a registered nurse, my husband construction engineer. when my son was in school, i stayed home to be w him. we traveled to jobs for years, until we decided the freq change of schools was difficult for our "Difficult Child". but after what seemed like a lifetime of never stopping, to suddenly sit at home while the son was in school all day, iwell ...i wasn't real happy. i accepted a part time position in a fabric store when offered as i was, once again, in going thru patterns & fabric for clothing for my growing guy. it was at a jo-annes before the company started buing up all thier competition & was still a wonderful little place to shop. i loved it! meeting people who loved to sew, create & quilt as much as i did! and the discounts were nice bonus. so...go for it. so much less stressful than my other day job was before i stayed home. i think you might enjoy a part time position in a walmart fabric department. just don't be too adept, they'll send you to departments a lot less fun

Yes, I was a teacher, and I have subbed, but that is worse than teaching except for grading papers at home. I'm also an abstractor/landman, but again that's not a part time job. I don't have to work though dh says I seem happier when I'm working. I would like to fund this rather expensive hobby myself rather than taking it out of our monthly budget. Plus, it would be nice to talk to people, other than dh & the cat. Or myself. I find myself talking out loud a lot. I have volunteered at our local food pantry and library, and it seems to tick off dh that I give away time without getting anything out of it.

Here's my two-cents worth on the question: I would definitely consider a part time job in the WalMart fabric department if I wanted to work with fabric. I was just let go from a small quilt shop here in Phoenix because the owner said she could not afford her payroll. (And believe me, I was not making much to begin with ...) I had been enjoying the job and so I went to find another in a different quilt shop. What I found was that they are all struggling. At least you would not have to worry about getting paid at WM.

You might also consider being a nanny. Here is Phoenix it pays way better than retail. I was a preschool teacher. We have a big internet place to look for job called Care.com. It is in other places also. I looked for part time and found just what I wanted and never week ends.

I worked in a fabric store in Framingham MA and really liked it. My kids were young then. It was 3 nights a week and Saturdays. The lady at our Wal-Mart in MD liked working there and was VERY sad when they did away with the fabric department. I used to see her in other departments like shoes.

35 Avenue is hiring.

QuiltingNinaSue and Onebyone are correct. As an ex-Walmart employee I can tell you that when you apply, you cannot specify in which area you are willing to work and you would have to give open availability. You would not be considered if you refuse to work evenings, week-ends or (in some cases) holidays. The front end--cashiers--have the highest turnover of staff. If you were lucky enough to get a floor (department) position, being the lowest on the totem pole would definitely mean the less sought after shifts. Part time is 12-27 hours per week. The few months before Christmas are the busiest. Jan-March see hours cut to the bone. The manager of the store makes a huge difference. I worked under two--the first was fairly easy-goingaltho he showed a lot of favouritism. The second was a nightmare.

If you really think you want to try it out, see if your local store is hiring seasonal staff for Thanksgiving/Christmas. At least it would give you a taste of the job.

If I didn't have a full time job now, I would seriously think about working in the fabric department. I am knowledgeable about sewing and could possibly help with customer questions.

Why don't you try it and see? It's easy enough to quit if you don't like it.

I'm an ex-Wally Fabric dept (7yrs) I loved the job for the very reasons that you state.
Plus you get a discount card for the rest of the store also, you need to think about that.
There are good points and bad to every job out there.

I know people that work at Wal-Mart and it is not an ideal place to work. I doubt that they would guarantee you a job in the fabric department. Low pay, constant pushing to do more and no appreciation for a job well done. Believe me, Wal-Mart is all about profits. Not overly fond of that place, but yet I do shop there because in our rural area it's the only department store within 60 or so miles.

I sure would. Maybe you would upgrade the place where you worked! Nothing wrong with working there.

Don't give up what is good for your well being just to keep someone from being less ticked off about it.

That's my plan when I retire from my hazardous duty job as a Correctional Nurse. Either Walmart or Joann's, or another craft/fabric store and just part-time when I want, and so easy to quit when I am tired of it. No job is ideal, but you have to weigh the pluses and minuses to see if the benefits out weight the negatives.

Definitely! Why not?

IMHO: No, I would never work at Walmart. They do not treat their people well. I read in the news that they just took health insurance away from 30,000 employees. I won't shop there anymore.

I don't shop at WalMart anymore due to how they treat the employees. When I did shop there, I never saw a happy employee, except maybe the old guy who was the greeter out front. Personally I'd look for another interesting place to work, or if I didn't need the income I'd volunteer somewhere. Weird it would tick your DH off if you volunteer....I like volunteering, it makes me feel really good to help people in my community. I don't have the time now to do it as much as I'd like, but when I finally reach retirement I intend to volunteer a lot more! Only about...oh, 25 years to go. (ouch)

I agree with onebyone...not that I have anything against working at Walmart, but if it's getting out you want and need, there are so many interesting places to look. Even the library and schools. How about forming a quilting group so you can be with people of like interests. Although walmart would be a good place to work if you needed the money, you will be "starting at the bottom" of the totem pole and working odd hours and doing odd jobs.

P.S. And you may spend all or more than your pay check on merchandise you see there. After I retired, I taught a couple of classes at the local Hancock. I still have unused fabric sitting here from what I purchased while I was teaching that one class per week. I got wise quickly and quit that "job." I was spending more than I was earning.

Does the store have a big enough fabric department/craft department that you'd be working there only---------or are you going to be selling tires in your free time?

I would just remember they do have their stores open on days that you may not want to work. I worked part time for House of Fabric because back then, the discount was 25% on everything including sale prices. I spent too much money there on fabric !!

I would. I work 5 hours per week, one afternoon in a quilt shop. Makes me enough play money and I get a discount on what I buy there. I love the interaction with the customers and it's enough being social to get me through. I'm a loner by nation and tend to hibernate if left to my own devices. It works for me.

I would. I work 5 hours per week, one afternoon in a quilt shop. Makes me enough play money and I get a discount on what I buy there. I love the interaction with the customers and it's enough being social to get me through. I'm a loner by nature and tend to hibernate if left to my own devices. It works for me.

As others have said you will be the newest worker and have the worst hours of all. Walmart (along with others) were open this year on Thanksgiving and if you didn't want to work that shift you will lose your job. I have 2 years till I hopefully retire and have thought about working or volunteering to keep busy but will not be willing to have to work hours and days I don't want to. I would certainly never go to work for Walmart as they are the worst of the worst for employee treatment, just do an internet search about them.

As some others said, I would check to see if you can actually work in the fabric department or would you have to staff two or three other areas. Also, surely depends on who the manager is. Most of the Walmart fabric areas that I have shopped at in the last few years, Nebraska and Texas, you have to ring a bell for someone to cut your fabric. That person may come from the camera, electronics area or the fish and pet department. I'm not jumping on Walmart but that is just what I have seen.

Personally, I would not. But, then, I'm a self-employed kind of person. I really don't think your hours and pay will work out the way that you want them to. What about tutoring?

I would rather eat dirt than work at WM. What they do to their staff might be legal but it is definitely not right.
peace

A part time job might be just what you need! but be selective and you will be grateful for your work.

Not at Walmart. I don't even shop at our Walmart. It is a filthy place. Customers leave stuff all over the place. I won't go in there.

However I have visited other Walmart's that are much cleaner and nicer, but I still would not want to work in that type of retail shop. A small quilt shop, maybe....

Some need to get the facts straight about Walmart and insurance. My niece works part time and could get cheaper insurance through the government then Walmart but couldn't get it because she had insurance through Walmart. Now she can. She's happy but some other part timers aren't happy. They didn't want the insurance at Walmart when hired and now they have to register for government insurance or get fined. Other big companies dropped insurance for part time workers long before Walmart.

I like shopping at Walmart. I save money to shop at quilt shops and other specialty stores so Walmart is helping me give the small stores my business.

Thanks for all your input. I wish I knew someone at this Walmart to ask how they like working there and about the manager. The lady at the fabric department didn't seem to dislike the manager. Working hours would be a problem. Not the working, but driving after dark. My night vision is the pits.

Rumor is that a Hobby Lobby is coming to a nearby town. I think I would love that, but I'd be like those of you who said you spent all your paycheck there. I'll look around and see what else there is. I've even thought of Home Depot or Lowes as long as I didn't have to do any heavy lifting.

Because it's Walmart. She must feel the same way about that chain as I do.

You are so right ... my hubby is a manger of a national auto parts store and they completely eliminated all full time workers, except the managers. My hubby and his two assistants are the only ones allowed to have 40 hrs., everyone else is "part-time" and only allowed to work 20 - 25 hrs (notice these hours are way under the 30hrs. considered full time for health coverage.) This way the number of full time employees dropped like a rock and this corporation now has less employees to cover. Walmart is not the villain many want to think it is, because many large corporations started cutting full time employees long before Walmart.

Is WalMart the only "villain" here?

How many LQS employees have "full benefits"?