As an employee myself, honestly one of the biggest issues with us not being able to find an item for an online order is that the website will show that we have it in stock even if we just received it on a truck that week, even the day before. If the box it’s in hasn’t been sorted yet, it is very unlikely to able to find things in the back, and we have to cancel an item on someone’s order. It’s very unfortunate, but without proper staffing that becomes inevitable in a retail environment. Especially around this time of year. At least speaking for my store we do try our best to find the items, we’re just working with minimal resources!
We’re drowning. No hours. They just keep sending trucks. We’ve got boxes in all the aisle. We’ve got so much fabric piled on top of shelves. It’s killing me
Yah. That's what my store looks like, too Megan. Just know that most customers EMPATHIZE with you and aren't judging that ya'll can't keep up! Thanks for all you do for us!
As a someone who was a manager at a Joann's store. Yes Lindsey you're correct. Got to read the small print and the dates on all the sales, coupons and the sale signs in the stores. Most of the sales people ar the registers will scan all the coupons off your phone. To see what will work. Staffing is always a problem, cooperate only allows the budget for bare minimum staff. We opened and closed with only 2 people 99% of the time.
I'm secretly the queen of "end of bolt". If there are several bolts of the same fabric, get the one with the least amount on it, if it looks like enough for what you need. If it finishes off the bolt they'll usually offer you the last less than one yard portion for an additional discount. Or you may get all you need and then get the last leftover bit on the bolt for cheap. I figure I'm helping out by finishing off bolts so they don't have to deal with wrapping remnants. Win-win! 😊 Also watch for when remnants go on sale. You get the discount on top of the current sale price of the fabric. So if the fabric is already 20% off and remnants are 60% off, it's a steal. I'm not a remnant project girly. But you can often find multiple pieces of the same fabric if you check often. So then it adds up to a usuable amount of yardage. I found 3 pieces of the same linen remnant. It added up to a total of 2 1/4 yds for maybe $10. regular price would have been almost $50. I learned the remnant trick from Famata's channel, TIMA.
I got a vip coupon this month for 30% off fleece, and it could be used with doorbusters. I bought over 51 yards and paid $138 and saved over $700. A week later I bought almost everything on sale, used my smiles coupon and paid just under $40 and saved over $100.
Joann has been very slick with their never-ending sales on apparel fabric. Normally 20% off, so not really worthwhile. Sometimes up to 40% off, which might be decent. That means you can almost never use the coupons on apparel fabric. A few times a year they will have a "manager's special" sale where some apparel fabric like denim might be up to 60% off. The ad won't say exactly what's on sale so go in store and take a look. It's a great time to grab some pricey stuff.
Good tips! I go online and play with the discounts and coupons to see what price sticks. I then shop the item online to see if it is somewhere else cheaper.
Thanks for all of this information! I use the app, and I don't know where to find patterns that are on sale. Can you tell me, please, where to look? Thanks.
On the app, look in the weekly ad under "sewing supplies". Keep scrolling to the right to look for any pattern sale, and be sure to check the pattern sale dates since they are usually shorter than the whole sale These days they definitely bury the pattern sale info. Even on the printed mailer it's really small and harder to find now.
Are you complaining that the minimum wage retail worker can’t tell you how to do your sewing project? Would you be mad when the cashier at Ralph’s can’t tell you how to cook your turkey? It’s the same thing
@ I’m 69 and I remember when they actually sewed and knew what they were doing. No I don’t expect lessons from them but I would like them to understand how to measure and the difference between 45” and 60 inch fabric.
@@megancornelius3840 That is not what Margaret was saying at all. Employees should know the basic details of what they are sewing. The differences between certain types of fabric, sewing machine vs. serger, fabric sizes, etc. Joann's-like all retail companies-want to invest as little money as possible in training and staffing. I worked until 2021 at a mid-price plus-size international chain boutique, and in training the manager walked us around and showed us not only the clothing but the difference between denim, ponte, crepe, satin, etc. Today is Black Friday and I was at my local Joann's trying to find the flannel. I saw an employee putting away fabric. I asked him where the flannel was in the store. He told me it was in the apparel section, a few rows down. Well I stopped and looked around me-I was in the flannel AISLE. He was putting away FLANNEL. I laughed and told him we are in the flannel aisle and what he is holding was flannel. He laughed and said he didn't know the difference, he just puts stuff away. It is sub-optimal that fabric store employees don't know anything about what they are selling, but it is what it is.
@@margaretbristow8943 I am much younger than you, but I agree. Growing up in the 90's the employees at my local Joann's were very helpful and my mom could ask them questions about patterns. I remember they were mostly older women. Currently there is one older woman who is retired that works at my local Joann's and she is so much help and fun to talk to about sewing projects. When I walk in and see the young crowd of employees I know that I am on my own. Which is fine, but not preferred. It is just a symptom of the changing times, people have stopped sewing clothes because they are so cheaply available and it's more enjoyable to spend an evening on a digital device rather than sewing a shirt. I am grateful my grandmother taught me to sew and that I took an interest.
Thanks for the great info Lindsey! I've had really good luck earning the smile rewards if I'm mindful. Some want you to spend a lot like $75 by a certain date, but some require maybe $40 spend to get a $5 reward. If I'm shopping anyway, I might go for that threshold. They are also giving the reward sooner. It used to take about 2 weeks before you could receive/use the reward. So you would possibly forget to use it. I know the game is also when you "earn" that reward, they figure you will spend way more than your little $5. But I try to be disciplined and just buy enough of something small like thread or buttons to get right at $5. That makes it feel like I got it for free. Yay girl math! 😊
I think it's spend $35 and you get $5? But then remembering to check and see when it appears and also remembering to use it because it expires . And also, I don't always need something from JoAnn when the reward is valid.
How do you know when patterns are on sale now? It’s not on their ads or website. I’ve stopped shopping there because of my repeated cancelled orders and poor shopper experience.
Lindsey, I wish you WERE on the board. When I've looked in the past, there were NO sewist on the board. That could be a factor in all this confusion. Also, why are they getting rid of Dritz products and substituting with a no-name brand? As our almost only garment sewing source, I'd love to see more quality products not cheaper quality like Hobby Lobby.
Yes, that (Fabny?) brand elastic is definitely crap / Hobby Lobby quality. And, there's less in the package now :/ Like maybe 1 waistband worth in the package. I dig around looking for remaining Dritz packages..lol
Yeah, I don’t get why they think their customers would want to buy poor quality notions. And don’t get me started on the Happy Value fabric that’s too crappy to use for craft items, let alone sewing.
Way too complicated… I think they do it on purpose to confuse their customers into paying more. I’ve found the best way to save money at JoAnns is to not shop there. Not playing JoAnns game…
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As an employee myself, honestly one of the biggest issues with us not being able to find an item for an online order is that the website will show that we have it in stock even if we just received it on a truck that week, even the day before. If the box it’s in hasn’t been sorted yet, it is very unlikely to able to find things in the back, and we have to cancel an item on someone’s order. It’s very unfortunate, but without proper staffing that becomes inevitable in a retail environment. Especially around this time of year. At least speaking for my store we do try our best to find the items, we’re just working with minimal resources!
Thanks for the intel! That makes so much sense!
We’re drowning. No hours. They just keep sending trucks. We’ve got boxes in all the aisle. We’ve got so much fabric piled on top of shelves. It’s killing me
Yah. That's what my store looks like, too Megan. Just know that most customers EMPATHIZE with you and aren't judging that ya'll can't keep up! Thanks for all you do for us!
As a someone who was a manager at a Joann's store. Yes Lindsey you're correct. Got to read the small print and the dates on all the sales, coupons and the sale signs in the stores. Most of the sales people ar the registers will scan all the coupons off your phone. To see what will work.
Staffing is always a problem, cooperate only allows the budget for bare minimum staff. We opened and closed with only 2 people 99% of the time.
I feel so bad for all the staff! I know they are working hard for pennies. :-( Hopefully they will figure it all out as they come out of bankruptcy.
The teacher discount goes up to 30% during back-to-school time and it works for any item, not just things needed for school.
I'm secretly the queen of "end of bolt". If there are several bolts of the same fabric, get the one with the least amount on it, if it looks like enough for what you need. If it finishes off the bolt they'll usually offer you the last less than one yard portion for an additional discount. Or you may get all you need and then get the last leftover bit on the bolt for cheap.
I figure I'm helping out by finishing off bolts so they don't have to deal with wrapping remnants. Win-win! 😊
Also watch for when remnants go on sale. You get the discount on top of the current sale price of the fabric. So if the fabric is already 20% off and remnants are 60% off, it's a steal.
I'm not a remnant project girly. But you can often find multiple pieces of the same fabric if you check often. So then it adds up to a usuable amount of yardage. I found 3 pieces of the same linen remnant. It added up to a total of 2 1/4 yds for maybe $10. regular price would have been almost $50. I learned the remnant trick from Famata's channel, TIMA.
Oh interesting. My stores remnant section is 0/10. If you have a good one, these are great ideas!
Thank you for this information! Happy holidays to you.
I got a vip coupon this month for 30% off fleece, and it could be used with doorbusters. I bought over 51 yards and paid $138 and saved over $700. A week later I bought almost everything on sale, used my smiles coupon and paid just under $40 and saved over $100.
Joann has been very slick with their never-ending sales on apparel fabric. Normally 20% off, so not really worthwhile. Sometimes up to 40% off, which might be decent. That means you can almost never use the coupons on apparel fabric.
A few times a year they will have a "manager's special" sale where some apparel fabric like denim might be up to 60% off. The ad won't say exactly what's on sale so go in store and take a look. It's a great time to grab some pricey stuff.
Yah, they think they’re slick! But we are smart!! lol!
Good tips! I go online and play with the discounts and coupons to see what price sticks. I then shop the item online to see if it is somewhere else cheaper.
Thank you for this valuable information. I never could figure out all the ins and outs of their coupon system. Great video.
You are so welcome! Happy shopping and saving!
Yeh, it's not easy navigating shopping at Joann. Definitely a love/hate relationship.
Patterns are listed in small print in the mailer.
you usually can not use coupons on patterns at all. need to wait for those to go on sale.
Why can't they list them online?
I get stabilizer at Joann’s when it is 60% off.
% coupons apply to the least-expensive items in your purchase first. Thread, ribbons, buttons will be discounted before a serger or lamp.
I work at Joann’s. They come of the most expensive regular priced item. Not the least expensive. That’s Michael’s.
Look at us debunking rumors so people know exactly what's up!
Very informative information.
Glad you think so!
Thanks for all of this information! I use the app, and I don't know where to find patterns that are on sale. Can you tell me, please, where to look? Thanks.
They are listed in the mailer aka Weekly Ad...most of the time. :)
There are also some people who post the pattern sales of FB.
On the app, look in the weekly ad under "sewing supplies". Keep scrolling to the right to look for any pattern sale, and be sure to check the pattern sale dates since they are usually shorter than the whole sale
These days they definitely bury the pattern sale info. Even on the printed mailer it's really small and harder to find now.
Beginners don’t count on help from the Joanne’s employees working in the fabric dept. Most of them have no idea what they are doing.
Are you complaining that the minimum wage retail worker can’t tell you how to do your sewing project? Would you be mad when the cashier at Ralph’s can’t tell you how to cook your turkey? It’s the same thing
@ I’m 69 and I remember when they actually sewed and knew what they were doing. No I don’t expect lessons from them but I would like them to understand how to measure and the difference between 45” and 60 inch fabric.
@@megancornelius3840 That is not what Margaret was saying at all.
Employees should know the basic details of what they are sewing. The differences between certain types of fabric, sewing machine vs. serger, fabric sizes, etc. Joann's-like all retail companies-want to invest as little money as possible in training and staffing.
I worked until 2021 at a mid-price plus-size international chain boutique, and in training the manager walked us around and showed us not only the clothing but the difference between denim, ponte, crepe, satin, etc.
Today is Black Friday and I was at my local Joann's trying to find the flannel. I saw an employee putting away fabric. I asked him where the flannel was in the store. He told me it was in the apparel section, a few rows down. Well I stopped and looked around me-I was in the flannel AISLE. He was putting away FLANNEL. I laughed and told him we are in the flannel aisle and what he is holding was flannel. He laughed and said he didn't know the difference, he just puts stuff away. It is sub-optimal that fabric store employees don't know anything about what they are selling, but it is what it is.
@@margaretbristow8943 I am much younger than you, but I agree. Growing up in the 90's the employees at my local Joann's were very helpful and my mom could ask them questions about patterns. I remember they were mostly older women. Currently there is one older woman who is retired that works at my local Joann's and she is so much help and fun to talk to about sewing projects. When I walk in and see the young crowd of employees I know that I am on my own. Which is fine, but not preferred.
It is just a symptom of the changing times, people have stopped sewing clothes because they are so cheaply available and it's more enjoyable to spend an evening on a digital device rather than sewing a shirt. I am grateful my grandmother taught me to sew and that I took an interest.
Thanks for the great info Lindsey! I've had really good luck earning the smile rewards if I'm mindful. Some want you to spend a lot like $75 by a certain date, but some require maybe $40 spend to get a $5 reward. If I'm shopping anyway, I might go for that threshold. They are also giving the reward sooner. It used to take about 2 weeks before you could receive/use the reward. So you would possibly forget to use it.
I know the game is also when you "earn" that reward, they figure you will spend way more than your little $5. But I try to be disciplined and just buy enough of something small like thread or buttons to get right at $5. That makes it feel like I got it for free. Yay girl math! 😊
Girl math and also sewing math!!
I think it's spend $35 and you get $5? But then remembering to check and see when it appears and also remembering to use it because it expires . And also, I don't always need something from JoAnn when the reward is valid.
It is a lot! I find it incredibly frustrating and confusing. I seldom shop there because of it.
I can understand that. Hopefully this helped a little!
Great video
Thanks!
A penny saved is a penny earned! Aka…the original girl math!
How do you know when patterns are on sale now? It’s not on their ads or website. I’ve stopped shopping there because of my repeated cancelled orders and poor shopper experience.
There are some Facebook groups who help spread the word.
Every time I tried to do a pickup order it got cancelled. I don’t do it any more. Waste of my time.
Exactly!
Lindsey, I wish you WERE on the board. When I've looked in the past, there were NO sewist on the board. That could be a factor in all this confusion. Also, why are they getting rid of Dritz products and substituting with a no-name brand? As our almost only garment sewing source, I'd love to see more quality products not cheaper quality like Hobby Lobby.
Just waiting on their call! Haha! I would even stoop down to "consultant" level! LOL!
Yes, that (Fabny?) brand elastic is definitely crap / Hobby Lobby quality. And, there's less in the package now :/ Like maybe 1 waistband worth in the package. I dig around looking for remaining Dritz packages..lol
Yeah, I don’t get why they think their customers would want to buy poor quality notions. And don’t get me started on the Happy Value fabric that’s too crappy to use for craft items, let alone sewing.
I don't agree with doorbuster not being the best deal, I think doorbusters are the best deals.
Not when you can’t stack coupons. Try it out one week.
Blah - YELLOW!
I thought Joann’s went out of business
No way. They filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, but lots of businesses do that and never go out of business.
Way too complicated… I think they do it on purpose to confuse their customers into paying more.
I’ve found the best way to save money at JoAnns is to not shop there.
Not playing JoAnns game…
That's fair! You gotta do what feels good and right to you!