Joann's cutting yarn?

[Tampa Doll]

Ok, I just came from Joann's here in Pinellas County and I swear they cut the yarn dept down 2 rows. They have yarn scattered throughout the craft section, a little here a little there. I asked one of the girls working there and she said probably, cause they have cut down the area, where they have the clay supplies.

 

I do not mean to offend anyone, but do they really need more space for scrapbooking? :shrugThey are adding the 2 rows they took off of yarn for scrapbooking.

 

They have even cut down on the beads they carry. You want to find purse handles? They are on a side wall hidden next to the styrofoam.

[Daisy]

I noticed the cutbacks in Joann's too and in other places as well. The craft stores don't seem as good as they used to be. With all the people that are into crafting these days, you would think that the stores would be expanding their goods, not downsizing! I feel your frustration!

I was looking for a pair doll glasses for a project that I was working on and Joann's told me that they discontinued all their doll making supplies....and now the yarn is disappearing!

I wonder, if enough of us yarn-a-holics complained, they would bring it all back. I know that scrapbooking is popular too, but they shouldn't cater to just one craft. Golly, if the beads start going too, I'm going to go banannas and bonkers!

[momo]

Joann's in Centerreach , LI never had a big yarn section. but Walmart is in the same mall and seem to have a larger section.

[texasredhead]

Let's think positive about this. Maybe, just maybe, you are going to get a new and FABULOUS JOANN'S FABRIC and CRAFT store in your town to replace what you now have. That is what happened to our town and it was worth the wait!!!! You might send an email to JoAnns official site and express your concern about the yarn department and ask if a new store is coming!!! They are slowly getting rid of their older smaller stores and going with the new design!!!

[Sylviaf]

I haven't noticed any change in my Joann's.

[amhmsh]

I go to the same JoAnns as Tampadoll, and I thought I was nuts because the rows looked smaller..... I am glad she noticed it too!!

[angieInCA]

I just came back from my local JoAnns. They used to have 3 aisles both sides stocked with Yarn. Today they were cut back to 1 aisle (both sides) and 1 half of an aisle side. It has been reduced by more than half

[Carol]

I haven't been to my Joann's in a while and it's because they cut back the yarn dept even more than before. The last time I was there -- late winter/early spring?-- they had two "half" aisles of yarn, and a few metal bins nearby with next to nothing in them. (Most bins were empty.) We had a Super Joanne's, or whatever that's called, but it closed. Now we have a very small store. It's not worth the gas in the car to get there, so I stopped going months ago.

[shuttlebuggy]

I sure hope the JoAnn's Superstores don't do that - I know our smaller one seems to offer very little in the way of yarn but the JoAnn's Superstores in our area seem to have a lot!

[ZuZu's Petals]

Everything here in Los Angeles has gotten worse. The 2 Michael's stores have cut the crochet thread to about one foot of shelf space despite a manager telling me when the thread was on clearance that they would get more when they revamped the shelves (they got less)

The pathetic Joanne's store cut down severely to allow for remodeling, and I was assured they would then get more yarn. Instead they turned the store into a shlock house, with junk in the front, and the fabric way in the back where the bad lighting is! The crochet thread is severely reduced as well.(next to nothing)

Where to go now??????

We hear that crocheting is on the rise, but the stores are carrying less thread and yarn.

[Tampa Doll]

Actually, it is the Joann's Etc store that is cutting down on the yarn and thread. Infact, the thread is pathetic.

I am reduced to ordering on line for most everything.

I want to stand in the middle of the Main highway and yell at the top of my lungs, "WHERE ARE THE GOOD CRAFT AND YARN STORES?":eek

[Sockmad]

My local JoAnn's actually has expanded their yarn. Even after being hit by professional thieves last year the thieves totally wiped out all of their yarn except the fun fur and anything like fun fur. Hmm imagine that even thieves don't like the fuzzy stuff.

[FelixLake]

My Joann's yarn is down to one small aisle on one side only. I asked about them cutting back and they said they were selling out of the yarn they had and getting in different yarns. Mostly Vanna's yarn, but all I see is less yarn. Our Joann's had the opportunity to expand into the store next to them but their district office said no. I think that even our Hobby Lobby has cut back on their yarn as well. I have to go to several places to find the right colors for just on project. What a bummer, all that shopping at craft stores.

[LaurieE]

I've also noticed that Joann's seems to be carrying more junk than usual. The 2 stores in Gainesville don't have very much yarn, either. The store by the interstate has a small amount of yarn and it's shoved in 1 corner in the back with hardly any light. The other store, in the middle of town, usually has empty shelves. If I want yarn, I have to go to WalMart or order online. At least when you order online, all the skeins have the same dye lot.

[NanaM3]

I have a 5&dime in my village which used to carry everything you've all mentioned but slowly is cutting back. And no kidding just last week all the crochet cotton disappeared and in its place was scapbooking ... it drives me nuts because back in the 70s I was making all kinds of designs and patterns in our family albums that all my friends thought was so cool and of course it never occurred to me to make a business from it and make a zillion dollars. now that I'm no longer involved in so many family pix (the kids are grown) all I want to do is knit and crochet and bake gingerbread!!!!

 

figures, huh?!

[MiniBooger]

There is a Joann's superstore near where I work and then I have the smaller one in the town I live in. Both have severely reduced the amount of yarn that they carry. The superstore just remodeled, and in that effort, they replaced 3 gondolas previously filled with yarn with JUNK. The pattern booklet section is nearly non-existent. In the smaller store, well, their shelves were always bare anyway, so not much of a difference there.

 

Fortunately, there's a Michaels and an LYS too so I'm not hurting. There are 2 super walmarts, one new one that has absolutely nothing - a few skeins on half an aisle - and an older one that at least has 1 full aisle (one side) of yarn and a small section for thread. What I can't get there, I buy online. It's kind of a pain to have to wait for shipping, but it's always fun to get boxes in the mail and get 'the look' from my husband.

[crochetingtakesguts]

I found that problem too at my joanns. At any craft store ive been too in the last couple months other craftst seem to have taken over the craft department at Michaels. They have around 1 and a half rows for yarn and supplies but entire rows devoted to scrapbooking stuff. Joanns dosent even have rows for yarn the just have metal baskets.

 

I think the reason why other crafts are getting more aisles are because many people think that crochet and knit have gone out of style. All the novelty yarn has been outgrown. We need to start a revoulution!!!

[donnalynn2]

I live in Ocala, FL and our Jo-Ann's has always been "not that great." I did notice a huge display of Vanna's new yarn but my local store has 2 full aisles (front and back) of yarn but I must admit most of it is the fuzzy/novelty yarn and the Jo-Ann's extremely over-priced brand yarns. Forget trying to get enough of the same yarn for any project that requires more than 2 skeins though. It's like they wait forever to re-order yarn. Honestly, if I need good yarn at a good price and enough of the same dye lot to complete a project I go to Hobby Lobby. If they are running low they re-order quickly and you can special order yarn through HL without paying shipping and handling like you do if you special order through Jo-Anns. The main reason I go to Jo-Anns? Because I can use more than one coupon per visit! LOL

[shelly_bean]

my Joann's has a pitiful yarn section. it's about half of a small wall. It has only a few brands, lionbrand and some redheart. one of the ladies said they hardly get any new yarn at all. which is sad. they only carry lion brand cotton and in one color.. but other than that no natural fibers. so it is disappointing.

[Krystal16]

I have to say that the last time I was in my JoAnn's, they actually expanded their yarn aisles. The short rows at the back of the store are where the yarn is, and there were at LEAST four rows, both sides, full of yarn....

 

I still prefer ACMoore, as they are cheaper though.

[Suebee42]

It's strange how each store differs so widely... I always assume all the superstores are like mine (and the two others in our area), but I guess that's not always the case!

 

We've got two full aisles of yarn (both sides), a half aisle (one side yarn, one side the beginning of kids' crafts), and the back wall. There is another whole aisle of related supplies, half books, half tools.

[greeneggs]

I to, live in Tampa and frequent the Jo-Ann's on Gunn Highway in Citrus Park (going toward the Keystone area). I love that store and there is a very good selection of yarn, books and supplies. I do a lot of sewing as well and at this store I am able to stock up on everything that I need. The store is clean, very well stocked and all the employees are friendly and very helpful (Geez you'd think I was trying to get a coupon or sumpin! )

 

Now as for the Jo-Ann's on Fletcher near USF...oh wow...all I can really say is the staff is very, very nice. Other than that . This store is typical of the ones I've seen described here. Not much yarn to speak of, aisles jumbled up and so on.

 

Funniest thing, on Saturday I found a Hancock Fabrics store on Dale Mabry! I *HAD* to go in and boy...it was 1981 and I am ten years old having to go pattern shopping with my grandma. It really was like stepping into a time warp. I don't know if I can do that again...the 80's were not a good time for me...

 

[angieInCA]

Funniest thing, on Saturday I found a Hancock Fabrics store on Dale Mabry! I *HAD* to go in and boy...it was 1981 and I am ten years old having to go pattern shopping with my grandma. It really was like stepping into a time warp. I don't know if I can do that again...the 80's were not a good time for me...

 

 

When I lived in Tampa (from 1975 to 1984) this Hancocks was my store. I loved that store. I bought the fabric for my wedding dress there in 1983 . I remember that store well and I bet I would feel like I had stepped into a time warp too if I went in there.

[Trinket]

I haven't noticed any change in the JoAnn's I go to. But they never seemed to have much anyway...