Comments on: The High Cost of Discount Pricing

By: Sam Hunter

Sam Hunter — Fri, 20 May 2016 13:07:25 +0000

In reply to Brian. thank you Brian!

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 19 May 2016 20:51:11 +0000

Sam rocks! I don’t know you but I sure wish people would get it. “Small business needs to evolve or die”….omg, I know so many small businesses that have evolved and it’s never good enough. I would seriously love to know, beyond the obvious things….from Kristina what should they do to “evolve?”

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 19 May 2016 20:24:11 +0000

This post is so awesome I don’t even know where to begin! As a full service quilt shop ourselves, suddenly overnight people started to want their cake and eat it too….everywhere. You can have the best service including providing knowledge, continually bring in new fabrics, offer exciting classes and designer workshops, and just generally go above and beyond….yet someone somewhere will make a comment about an “owner” not being nice because they didn’t get what they wanted. We take the time to get to know our customers, but I can attest that there are some who will walk in and completely ignore you. If you don’t communicate with eachother a shop owner is never going to know what your wants and desires are. This is why we strongly suggest to start getting more social with your LQS. Quilt shops can’t read your mind. I’ve always been an actions speak louder than words type of person. I can’t tell you the number of people that will complain about a store not having primitive fabric, or modern fabric, or brights, etc.Yet, when the store actually listens and makes a change to accommodate more of that interest, the fabric just sits there, or you’ll get “I only make it here once a year.” Well then my question is, how do you expect that store to continue what you love if you’re shopping on-line? Your dollars are not helping that store grow…that’s for sure! I hear over and over again how “my favorite quilt shop closed” and in the very same sentence they talk about how they shop on-line. On-line only businesses are not investing in a space to inspire you. They are not investing in several staff members to help you and provide you with knowledge. In fact, with many on-line only merchants, you’re lucky if you even get a phone call. Brick and mortars will always invite you in, ask you questions, and try to get to know you. Many of the on-line only stores are running out of their basements, garages, home…they don’t have to worry about lease payments, payroll (and the taxes on that payroll), electric bills, etc. The choice is ultimately yours, but if one day you wake up and there is no more cute shops in your favorite little town, don’t be surprised. We did it to ourselves and future generations. It used to be if you wanted something you had to work to save up and make the purchase. It really is sad how work ethic or perhaps spending beyond our means has reached a new low point in the country today.

By: Nan

Nan — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 04:50:03 +0000

Since I started sewing a long time ago at the age of 11 I realized the. As a kid that my time was valuable and if I was going to put time and energy into sewing I wanted and deserve to use the best possible fabrics I could find. I dont. See any point making domething I. A cheap fabric like sold in the big box stores. I can buy a cheap blanket or t shirt the world is full to the brim with cheap inexpensive junk that is made I. Sweat shops were people are paid slave wages in third world countries chained to their work space for a dollar a day. I won’t feed into that or support companies that make their profits on the backs of the poor. Plus the quality is terrible.
I don’t care if it’s on sale. I want to use the most extraordinary fabrics a notions I can find.
I enjoy the Comrade array of my local store. Where they know that I’ve become a grandmother or that my father passed away, or I finished a terrific quilt, or blouse whatever… and I can share it with them and they actually care and get excited . you can’t put a price tag on that. You certainly won’t find that in a Joanns or Walmart.
There are no more sewing shops were you can get quality garment fabrics, if you don’t have access to NYCity the. You are stuck with a few good on line store. You can see and feel the fabric before you buy it. That is half the fun, the hunt for the perfect fabris!

By: Joan

Joan — Wed, 27 Apr 2016 02:28:24 +0000

In reply to Sam Hunter. Thanks for reading. I need to post some more...I have been negligent!

By: Sam Hunter

Sam Hunter — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 15:59:36 +0000

In reply to Joan. OMG - your stories! :-)

By: Kim

Kim — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 02:58:41 +0000

In reply to Sarah Phillips. The cost of shipping seems to be were cost is made up! I ship often and I never pay what businesses charge me for thing!

By: Joan

Joan — Sat, 23 Apr 2016 23:38:33 +0000

I work at a big box fabric and crafts store. (I can’t mention the name but it rhymes with Momann’s.) Yes, our stores are understaffed and many if not most of the employees do not sew at all. You have to make up those coupon savings somewhere. Our payroll hours are allotted by actual sales, not by actual price. Shrink (stolen, lost, damaged goods) is about 2% per year per store. And the average Momann loses $6000 per year per each inch of “grace.”
I receive zero benefits as a part time employee. Breaks are doled out on the floor manager’s whim. I am the most knowledgeable employee at our store, and I am forbidden to calculate yardage for customers–not because it takes time, but because it makes the store liable if there is not enough. (I do it anyway.) We have trained our shoppers well–if it’s not on sale or couponable, they do not buy. Which means lower sales. Which means even fewer payroll hours. Please, take a minute to email the company. Ask for more staff, more training, and a sustainable pricing policy. If you don’t want to email, post on their FB page. And for a few giggles, check out my archives at talesfromthecuttingcounter.blogspot.com.

By: Ken Christensen

Ken Christensen — Sat, 23 Apr 2016 21:24:13 +0000

While I can completely understand the local quilting store issues Sam describes, I come at it from the local scrapbooking / paper crafting store perspective. We reward loyalty with 10% savings for everything that is full price. You have to accumulate the points to earn the reward, but the savings are there. We had a customer lose all of their scrapbooking supplies in a house fire. While we couldn’t replace their pictures, or all of their hard work, we could run a report out of our Point of Sale system to provide them with a list of everything they purchased from us for their insurance company. Try getting that kind of service from a larger chain store.

By: Linda Baker

Linda Baker — Fri, 22 Apr 2016 22:46:32 +0000

In reply to Judy. The producer also has expenses... Seed, fertilizer, gas for their machines, machine repairs and what about replacing those machines. That can all get very pricey. I don't enjoy seeing prices go up. However, I do understand there is increasing prices in producing product too.