As it happened, that is the Wal-Mart of the bodacious dollar (ok, now dollar-fifty) table. So I picked up the items that I had to get and, because I still had a few minutes to kill, went back to the fabric department.
Alas, it is a shadow of its former glory. The discount table is gone; there's a rack there that has *some* discounted fabric but it also had fabric marked at higher prices. I decided to check and see if I could find something suitable for a tablecloth, and while I was looking things over the long-time department manager cut a piece of fabric for another customer, and I heard her say 'Oh, no, I don't know anymore. When I was doing the ordering, I knew what was coming. But I'm not ordering any more, so I never know what's coming or when it will be here. Stuff just shows up."
When she cut my fabric a few minutes later, I asked her about it, and she verified that she's no longer ordering merchandise for her department. "That explains a lot." I commented, looking at the noticeable stock reduction that had taken place since my last trip.
"I knew it was gonna go away the first time my manager told me to reduce the shelves by four feet," she said, "In fact,'she added, gesturing towards the edge of the fabric shelves, "I just took four more feet off those shelves today."
Hence the higher priced fabric on the shelves with the discount stuff. She had to put it somewhere.
I remember going in a year or two ago and hearing a story that one of the frequent customers of the fabric department there had written to someone at the corporate level and gotten a response that the fabric department would stay.
So much for that.
She sighed, "It's going away. It's going slowly...but it's going away."
Guess I'll be making more frequent trips to the discount fabric store in Fayetteville in the future...
But I did get fabric for a nice tablecloth; it was $3/yard but the selvage says 'soil releasing'...which I thought would be good for a tablecloth! ;)
Oh was this the Walmart on Drake? It's where I would get all my fabric unless I had something in mind I knew they wouldn't have. That's so sad. :( Does that mean all Walmarts might be doing away with their fabric department like they did all their cross stitch supplies? Maybe we should write a letter too!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa! I wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteYeah, Jess, it was the Wal-mart on Drake! That has been my Number One costume fabric source for ages; it's sad that it's going away.
ReplyDeleteThere's been massive letter writing going on for a couple of years now; I think Wal-Mart Corporate has pretty much decided that fabric/notions just don't generate enough $$/sq ft and they're going.
They're pretty much following the pattern laid down a long time ago...do you remember when JCPenny carried notions and yard goods?
And...thanks, Amy!!