-----Original Message----- <Even though it is a canned letter, that doesn't mean it wasn't a reasoned response, and it indicates that someone has done something. One doesn't always get any kind of response.>
De: This is true, most don't give a response but the "canned" response comes across as impersonal and almost as if they're blowing you off. I do not have a dislike for Wal-Mart, just some of their decisions. I think that getting a bad sales clerk is a luck of the draw as I have fairly good relations with my stores sales clerks. I know that Wal-Mart fabrics help keep Joann's in check with their prices like Kmart used to do with Wal-Mart before the local Kmart went away. Staffing the fabric department isn't easy. As an employee you start out needing to be a "jack of all trades" so that even if you are in one department they want to be able to temporarily shuttle you to another if the case arises. <<And the big local Super JoAnn's that opened in our area about ten years ago got rid of all the great exotic silks and wools within a couple of years--I assume they just didn't sell.>> De: Joann's has their agenda but does need input from their "loyal" customers so they can try to tweak the local stores if the tweaking doesn't take it to far from the agenda and makes money for them. Always ask the manager at a JA if they can carry something and they can always check it out. The more people that ask for it, the more likely they will try to work it out to carry it. It took 2 yrs but enough people asked for linen that they now carry a really good selection at my store. They can't get in the white sheer 100% linen but they do have the cotton/ linen blend that works great for Italian ren. camicia and partlet. Something that Joann's did after several had suggested was having the holiday fabrics come out several months early. X-mas fabric used to come out in October, now it starts in out in July. <<Alas, though, fabric stores in general just aren't doing that well, as people aren't sewing as much. I can only get to NY once a year, at most, and I don't want to shop for everything on line--I'm too tactile for that, so I'll miss the local outlets if they all go away. I live in the DC area, and I have seen a great decline in variety at G Street (and I don't think it is just the new generation running the place--I still think it boils down to PEOPLE AREN'T SEWING AS MUCH. During the last sale, I went with my additional 25% off coupon and had a hard time finding ANYTHING I wanted to buy.)>> De: I think that the "aren't sewing as much" is a regional thing and maybe there is sewing but sewing of a specific type. Here in my town the Jr Highs teach HomeEc (or Human Environmental Sciences) and their sewing projects are simple pillow, jockey shorts, handbags, tree skirts....etc. The High school's HE sewing project is an apparel item(s). _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
