Oh, Caroline, I feel your pain! I have a JoAnn's about 6 miles away. I don't go often, and every time I get home I tell DH I don't know why I keep going there. They never have what I need, and if I do happen to find some fabric I want, the cutting line is usually very long and everyone has a mountain of fabric they need cut. Then you get to the SINGLE checkout line (another HUMONGOUS aggravation) and have to wait with 40 other people who all have 100 things to check out.

For some reason the stores down here (central FL) are full of fleece...WHY? Who in Florida needs fleece?

I think they will eventually run themselves out of business. Then I don't know where I'll shop...Hancock's went away years ago.

Donna

I went to Joanns on Saturday and bought some bobbins. I bought the wrong ones but I knew I was going to go to a Joanns in Indy and would exchange them there. Wrong...... She said they didn't do exchanges. I had my receipt but that didn't matter. All I wanted was to exchange one bobbin for another. Their service is getting worse all the time. There were 6 people waiting in line to exchange things and one lady doing the work while another lady just stood there. And they have 12 registers and only one was open with a line.. Have "I" complained enough about Joanns??

Huh. I think maybe I should start a service filling orders for people with lousy JoAnn stores! My store is clean, orderly, well-stocked, and the staff is always polite and helpful. I am glad of that, and I know how lucky I am!

The problem is not with JoAnn it is with the individual frachize owners. I live in Canada and our fabric stores similar to JoAnn is Fabricland. We have 2 stores here in different parts of town run by different owners. One is great and one is the pits.

I think you ladies should take your gripes to head office. Maybe if they got enough complaints they'd do something about the crappy service

Joann's is not franchised.

I have taken my complaints to the head office and talked with the store manager. It gets you absolutely nowhere......... The closest store to me is staffed by very nice and helpful ladies but it is a small store and they don't carry a lot of inventory. The big newly remodeled store in Indianapolis is poorly staffed and very hard to get help. When a person has to stand in line with 30 plus ahead of you to get fabric cut there is a "BIG" need for more cutting areas like they used to have. I have had this happen more times then I care to count. I only go there if I can't find the item I want anywhere else. Very poorly designed.

There are many problems.

Retail stores have long hired relied on part-time help. Thirty years ago, that worked better. Our local mall hired a lot of high school kids and Airmen's wives. Gas was under a buck a gallon. A Filet-O-Fish and a shake came in under a dollar, too. Many women didn't *have* to work, and worked because they wanted to, and if the job didn't work out, it wasn't a huge deal.

Now, if someone is working, it's likely she needs the money. Many retail jobs are seasonal, so people quit when something better comes up. Or they find something in the off-season that isn't seasonal. Or they find that a seasonal job plus collecting unemployment in the off-season is more lucrative than looking for (and traveling to) another job. Gas is near four dollars a gallon, so if you're not scheduled for a full shift, you may feel as if some money is wasted.

All this makes it hard to find good help these days. The managers are under the gun to make plan and come in under payroll- so the minimum number of people are scheduled. The problem isn't the the size of the cutting area, it's that there aren't enough people scheduled.

Additionally, the number of people who still sew is rather small. Few people will apply for a job in a fabric store knowing nothing about sewing and crafts - and if they get hired, aren't going to be knowledgeable for a while.

And to be honest, the work ethic isn't what it used to be, either.

The managers are hiring the best people who walk through the door.

Who did you contact in the head office? And does McCalls know of Joann's policy? Last time I felt strongly about something, I looked up the name of the president of the corporation, and sent the letter to him, by name. Personnel changes were made in five weeks.

I feel that our Joanns is very good. It doesn't always have want I want in fabric because I have different taste than most or than their buyers. However the staff are nice and since the remodel they have a "take a number" cutting area so you don't have to just stand in line and wait. This is huge as you can pick out fabric, and then while you are waiting for your number shop for other things. Some people grab a number when they walk in.
I have never had to ask for special orders however. Love the coupons and feel fortunate we still have a fabric store.
Kathy

I've never had any of the problems mentioned at either of the JoAnn stores near me. They'll order things at sale price if need be, I've returned things without any hassle at all and the sales people are great. I always save money when I shop there, either with sales, coupons or gas perks (Instead of using cash, I shop with gift cards purchased at our local grocery store).

As for the "good" stores--They have their duds as well. There's a great little fabric store about an hour away from me, but there are also a few closer to my house that are nothing to brag about.

I've been pestered by sales women shoving their choices of fabric in my face even after I've said "No thanks--I enjoy picking my own fabric." I've had them insult my sewing machine brand if it's not the brand they happen to sell. I've listened to them insist that their fabric NEVER fades (yeah right!). Then after all that, they charge you $10 a yard for fabric.

Like JoAnn's--There are some really nice little fabric stores but unfortunately, there are also some duds.

I guess as was mentioned, with fewer people sewing we should be thankful for any fabric store that's successful enough to stay open.

Wow, sorry you all have had aweful experiences with JoAnn's. I just don't go in there unless it is absolutly necessary. I find that their sales are not very good. I have a Hancocks by me so I pretty much go there..but I stay away from Wallmart fabrics, as I have noticed they are not very good.

They are aggravating. Ours has one person cutting and one running the cash register. I don't go in there any more. I order from fabric.com and connecting threads and I'm happy with what I get, don't have to pay shipping and don't have to stand in line.