A rude awakening

Howdy!

I always think of you, Janet, and a couple of other friends
when I b#tch about Joanns. Y'all work there, with little (if any)
say over what is stocked, what's on sale, company policy, or any of
the other aggravations which make us love to hate J-a.
We're more likely to get a response from an employee than from the
company reps (much-much more likely).

The local "new" store in Arlington has stopped selling the cotton-covered
poly Dual Duty Plus thread from Coats&Clark.
Hobby Lobby still sells it (so I stocked up yesterday), tho' no one
there knows if that's going to end; they'd heard nothing about it
(& don't care, either g).
Thing is, the C&C cotton-covered poly has been one of the major sellers
in this type of thread; it has been around for almost 70 yrs, is less
likely to cut thru' the cotton fabrics (a concern of some quilters,
will the poly thread cut the cotton fabric?) because it is cotton wrapping
the polyester core thread; I've used it for 35+ yrs, grandmas & great aunts
used it, and I've never heard of anyone having a problem with it cutting
fabric. Altho' I've heard the caution, I've never witnessed the problem.
However, the poly-wrapped poly I bought a few weeks ago (at Joanns) has
a "funny" feel to it; it's more "wiry", somehow, and I don't trust it
for piecing my usual quilt tops. I want the cotton blend. So when a
common source for our favorite, preferred products discontinues selling
those products, we're likely to blame the merchant, first. And, after all,
it's just another stone on the aggravation pile of TSWLTH.

OTOH, while I was in J-a, I re-scare-crowed. W/ scarecrows at $5 a piece,
I stocked up on those, too. :-D Joanns does carry some really nice
seasonal decorations. Got several things for decorating at home & church,
at a very good price, check-out staffed by a lovely, new Texan clerk. ;-)
World Market is in the same shopping center, and they have Lebkuchen now,
so it was a very successful trip. ;-D

Good to see you, again, Janet from the Land of Gar.
Please don't be a stranger. EllenA-from-Sanduski's son has recently
moved to Plano, so we expect more personal visits. Road trip! Lunch!

R/Sandy-- while at HobbLy (it's just easier that way) I also picked up the
Quilt Sampler magazine-- Hi, Susan Laity-Price,
and they had Halloween M&Ms near the check-out counter: it was a sign!


On 9/28/07 11:30 AM, in article , "Janet
of Gar" wrote:

John,

I work at my local JoAnns. Please keep in mind that Coats and Clark has
changed
their thread, _not_ JoAnns. We can only sell what they send us. I don't
know how
large your store is, but the new threads we got from C&C do include 100%
cotton
threads. Look at the labels on the racks. The C&C display we have includes
the new
poly threads, fine and heavy weight threads, 100% cotton for hand or
machine, and
machine-quilting and hand-quilting threads.

Yep, the prices went up, but so have the prices of milk, gas, and eggs.
Please don't
blame JoAnns. We didn't set those new thread prices, C&C did.

Doing my best to help our customers,
Happy Stitching,
Janet of Gar

"John" wrote in message
ps.com...
I just got back from Joann's to buy some patterns and other notions.
One of the things I needed was some Coats and Clark Cotton thread of a
certain color. I couldn't find any of the cotton thread and asked a
sales person what happened to the cotton thread. She said" They came
and pulled all the C & C cotton thread and all they will be carrying
from now on is C & C Dual Duty Polyester covered polyester in 250 yd
spools and some of the same in larger spools. No more Cotton. So not
only do they discontinue the cotton but replace it with poly in a
smaller spool size and charge you more for the spool. Now I know why
it is called the store we love to hate. When I asked about cotton she
said, "I guess you could use Gutterman". I of course know I could use
Gutterman, but I didn't want to pay that premium for that option. I am
mad at them and am swearing off of Joanns.

John

Me, too, Janet. My 'local' Joann's is a 120 miles drive- one way- and
having two 40% off coupons is often the only thing that determines whether I
go to Springfield to shop there. When I make the trip I tend to stock up-
like $160 in thread and a bolt of W&N plus a stack of fabric and quilting
supplies and books. Now I do use the coupons, but I make up for it in the
other things I buy to make the drive worthwhile- very often $300 to $500 and
sometimes more per trip. I only go there 2-3 times a year.

When I spend 2 hours trying to find fabrics in sufficient amounts to piece
together what I need (WHY do they not get 'normal' sized bolts with 20-30
yards on them???) and then find out there's going to be some problem using
my coupon... well, then I am NOT a happy customer. Often I make the drive
with no other purpose than the Joann's stop. It's terribly frustrating to
spend $40 in gasoline and 4 hrs. driving time to come home empty handed
because they sold out, didn't get their inventory in time for the sale,
refused to hold a bolt of W&N for 2 hrs. until I can get there, the fabric I
chose has a big flaw running thru it and I have to change the entire color
scheme of my project- again, the employees cannot answer a simple question
or are too busy visiting to talk to a mere customer, I am filthy dirty from
handling the merchandise, etc. Frustrating to say the least!

And then after making the 2 hr. drive and shopping for two hrs. I find there
is NO RESTROOM that I am allowed to use????? grrrrrrrrrr!!!!! I appreciate
that there are corporate 'rules' and they must adhere to them (in ALL areas
of operating the store) but to tell a courteous, clean, decently dressed 57
y.o. woman with a very obvious limp who has been wandering the store and
asking questions for two hours with a cart full of merchandise who is trying
her best to spend all her money there and then I am told there is NO
RESTROOM??? Surely I could use the employee restroom on the QT? If I peed
on the floor do you think they might change that rule? VBEG

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

"John" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Sep 28, 12:30 pm, "Janet of Gar"
wrote:
John,

I work at my local JoAnns. Please keep in mind that Coats and Clark has
changed
their thread, _not_ JoAnns. We can only sell what they send us. I don't
know how
large your store is, but the new threads we got from C&C do include 100%
cotton
threads. Look at the labels on the racks. The C&C display we have
includes
the new
poly threads, fine and heavy weight threads, 100% cotton for hand or
machine, and
machine-quilting and hand-quilting threads.

Yep, the prices went up, but so have the prices of milk, gas, and eggs.
Please don't
blame JoAnns. We didn't set those new thread prices, C&C did.

Doing my best to help our customers,
Happy Stitching,
Janet of Gar

"John" wrote in message

ps.com...

I just got back from Joann's to buy some patterns and other notions.
One of the things I needed was some Coats and Clark Cotton thread of a
certain color. I couldn't find any of the cotton thread and asked a
sales person what happened to the cotton thread. She said" They came
and pulled all the C & C cotton thread and all they will be carrying
from now on is C & C Dual Duty Polyester covered polyester in 250 yd
spools and some of the same in larger spools. No more Cotton. So not
only do they discontinue the cotton but replace it with poly in a
smaller spool size and charge you more for the spool. Now I know why
it is called the store we love to hate. When I asked about cotton she
said, "I guess you could use Gutterman". I of course know I could use
Gutterman, but I didn't want to pay that premium for that option. I am
mad at them and am swearing off of Joanns.

John

I just have to respond about our local Joanns. It is not one of the
larger stores. They don't stock the cotton in C & C but they do stock
all of the poly stuff. I don't use any poly stuff. So Joanns will not
be getting my business in that regard. I have located a source for
cotton thread online that is cheaper than Joanns even including the
shipping and if you buy in larger quantities they will pay shipping.
The stock of fabrics is quite meager with only small remnants left on
the bolt in a lot of cases. I also think that for quilting purposes,
the fabric quality is not as good as what is available even in the
smaller quilt shops hereabouts. I realize that not everybody can
afford or wants the better grade of fabric but that is what I need,
and want. Most of the staff are nice enough, so I have no complaint
there. The other thing is the way they play their discount coupon
game. They offer 40% off coupons, with exceptions. and those
exceptions are usually the things that I would be interested in. If
it so happens that the coupons coinside with my item needs, then that
is to the good. That is at best, an infrequent experience. I know that
corporate management makes most of the decisions as to what is sold
and how much it will be sold for, so I don't fault the local sales
people in the stores. I guess my feelings are easily summed up by
saying that the shopping experience at Joanns is less that stellar.
And for the amount of money I spend on sewing and quilting I would
like to feel I am getting fair value for my patronage of the vendor. I
don't get that feeling from Joanns. I think you could say that the
time it takes to build up a satisfied customer base is shattered by to
frequent disapointments with the shopping experience. That is just my
opinion and may not reflect others experience.

John

Wow, That store sounds like a nightmare. We have at least 4 JoAnn's here
and I truly wish you could get to them. Big, bright, very clean, well
stocked, great staff, and if they don't have something advertised, they'll
get it. I really like our stores.
Gen

"Leslie & The Furbabies in MO." wrote in message
...
Me, too, Janet. My 'local' Joann's is a 120 miles drive- one way- and
having two 40% off coupons is often the only thing that determines whether
I go to Springfield to shop there. When I make the trip I tend to stock
up- like $160 in thread and a bolt of W&N plus a stack of fabric and
quilting supplies and books. Now I do use the coupons, but I make up for
it in the other things I buy to make the drive worthwhile- very often $300
to $500 and sometimes more per trip. I only go there 2-3 times a year.

When I spend 2 hours trying to find fabrics in sufficient amounts to piece
together what I need (WHY do they not get 'normal' sized bolts with 20-30
yards on them???) and then find out there's going to be some problem using
my coupon... well, then I am NOT a happy customer. Often I make the drive
with no other purpose than the Joann's stop. It's terribly frustrating to
spend $40 in gasoline and 4 hrs. driving time to come home empty handed
because they sold out, didn't get their inventory in time for the sale,
refused to hold a bolt of W&N for 2 hrs. until I can get there, the fabric
I chose has a big flaw running thru it and I have to change the entire
color scheme of my project- again, the employees cannot answer a simple
question or are too busy visiting to talk to a mere customer, I am filthy
dirty from handling the merchandise, etc. Frustrating to say the least!

And then after making the 2 hr. drive and shopping for two hrs. I find
there is NO RESTROOM that I am allowed to use????? grrrrrrrrrr!!!!! I
appreciate that there are corporate 'rules' and they must adhere to them
(in ALL areas of operating the store) but to tell a courteous, clean,
decently dressed 57 y.o. woman with a very obvious limp who has been
wandering the store and asking questions for two hours with a cart full of
merchandise who is trying her best to spend all her money there and then I
am told there is NO RESTROOM??? Surely I could use the employee restroom
on the QT? If I peed on the floor do you think they might change that
rule? VBEG

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

"John" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Sep 28, 12:30 pm, "Janet of Gar"
wrote:
John,

I work at my local JoAnns. Please keep in mind that Coats and Clark has
changed
their thread, _not_ JoAnns. We can only sell what they send us. I
don't
know how
large your store is, but the new threads we got from C&C do include 100%
cotton
threads. Look at the labels on the racks. The C&C display we have
includes
the new
poly threads, fine and heavy weight threads, 100% cotton for hand or
machine, and
machine-quilting and hand-quilting threads.

Yep, the prices went up, but so have the prices of milk, gas, and eggs.
Please don't
blame JoAnns. We didn't set those new thread prices, C&C did.

Doing my best to help our customers,
Happy Stitching,
Janet of Gar

"John" wrote in message

ps.com...

I just got back from Joann's to buy some patterns and other notions.
One of the things I needed was some Coats and Clark Cotton thread of a
certain color. I couldn't find any of the cotton thread and asked a
sales person what happened to the cotton thread. She said" They came
and pulled all the C & C cotton thread and all they will be carrying
from now on is C & C Dual Duty Polyester covered polyester in 250 yd
spools and some of the same in larger spools. No more Cotton. So not
only do they discontinue the cotton but replace it with poly in a
smaller spool size and charge you more for the spool. Now I know why
it is called the store we love to hate. When I asked about cotton she
said, "I guess you could use Gutterman". I of course know I could use
Gutterman, but I didn't want to pay that premium for that option. I am
mad at them and am swearing off of Joanns.

John

I just have to respond about our local Joanns. It is not one of the
larger stores. They don't stock the cotton in C & C but they do stock
all of the poly stuff. I don't use any poly stuff. So Joanns will not
be getting my business in that regard. I have located a source for
cotton thread online that is cheaper than Joanns even including the
shipping and if you buy in larger quantities they will pay shipping.
The stock of fabrics is quite meager with only small remnants left on
the bolt in a lot of cases. I also think that for quilting purposes,
the fabric quality is not as good as what is available even in the
smaller quilt shops hereabouts. I realize that not everybody can
afford or wants the better grade of fabric but that is what I need,
and want. Most of the staff are nice enough, so I have no complaint
there. The other thing is the way they play their discount coupon
game. They offer 40% off coupons, with exceptions. and those
exceptions are usually the things that I would be interested in. If
it so happens that the coupons coinside with my item needs, then that
is to the good. That is at best, an infrequent experience. I know that
corporate management makes most of the decisions as to what is sold
and how much it will be sold for, so I don't fault the local sales
people in the stores. I guess my feelings are easily summed up by
saying that the shopping experience at Joanns is less that stellar.
And for the amount of money I spend on sewing and quilting I would
like to feel I am getting fair value for my patronage of the vendor. I
don't get that feeling from Joanns. I think you could say that the
time it takes to build up a satisfied customer base is shattered by to
frequent disapointments with the shopping experience. That is just my
opinion and may not reflect others experience.

John

John, I share your sentiments at JAF. I was in there to buy a bolt of fabric
a few weeks back with my trusty 50% coupon. Well wouldn't ya know, the
fabric was already on sale at 30% off and apparently they have changed their
policies regarding coupons. In the past I have always been able to use the
coupon on sale items just at regular price, not sale price. Not anymore. I
was so mad I left without ordering the fabric. There aren't that many fabric
stores in my area so this was a real blow. They have pretty much rendered
their coupons void. Seems they are just more determined to live up their
reputation as TSWLTH. So I don't shop there very often anymore either.

Hugs,
Mika

"John" wrote in message
ps.com...
I just got back from Joann's to buy some patterns and other notions.
One of the things I needed was some Coats and Clark Cotton thread of a
certain color. I couldn't find any of the cotton thread and asked a
sales person what happened to the cotton thread. She said" They came
and pulled all the C & C cotton thread and all they will be carrying
from now on is C & C Dual Duty Polyester covered polyester in 250 yd
spools and some of the same in larger spools. No more Cotton. So not
only do they discontinue the cotton but replace it with poly in a
smaller spool size and charge you more for the spool. Now I know why
it is called the store we love to hate. When I asked about cotton she
said, "I guess you could use Gutterman". I of course know I could use
Gutterman, but I didn't want to pay that premium for that option. I am
mad at them and am swearing off of Joanns.

John