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Moderated by Sharon1952
Posted on: 5/28/16 11:24 AM ET
Last year I'd posted a long gripe about a woman who came into Joann's during a pattern sale and bought a cart-full of patterns, taking every available pattern in every number she wanted.
Daughter now works at Joann's. She mentioned this morning that there was a Simplicity pattern she wanted, that they were out of. I said "I guess a lot of people wanted it." She said "No, probably one person wanted it." And further conversation confirmed it was the same woman.
I asked daughter how she gets away with it (with buying 50 patterns on a 'limit 10' sale.') She said a) the woman also buys lots of fabric, including expensive special orders so the managers don't want to piss her off
b) if the computer rebels after 10 patterns, she has them ring them up as separate purchases
c) she uses a price-match demand from other stores, in which case the limits aren't in effect.
Daughter now works at Joann's. She mentioned this morning that there was a Simplicity pattern she wanted, that they were out of. I said "I guess a lot of people wanted it." She said "No, probably one person wanted it." And further conversation confirmed it was the same woman.
I asked daughter how she gets away with it (with buying 50 patterns on a 'limit 10' sale.') She said a) the woman also buys lots of fabric, including expensive special orders so the managers don't want to piss her off
b) if the computer rebels after 10 patterns, she has them ring them up as separate purchases
c) she uses a price-match demand from other stores, in which case the limits aren't in effect.
Posted on: 5/28/16 1:18 PM ET
In reply to patternaddict
Aaaack! This woman must either be a hoarder or a small business in her own right.
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Elona
Posted on: 5/28/16 1:38 PM ET
We have a couple of women that do the same thing locally - they both do dressmaking for a living. Can't blame them for running their businesses efficiently and legally (pattern companies usually require a pattern be purchased for each client.)
To provide better customer service it would be nice if JA's would offer to order the patterns for these customers, but the women would probably take advantage of that too. I worked in a similar shop years ago that was just 3 blocks from Hancocks. They let the owner make exchanges ( a size 24+ customer refused to purchase patterns larger than a 14!) These days with gas, and time it would be more cost effective to have a massive stash of patterns rather than run back and forth.
I don't think there's a good solution for this problem given the overall lack of store locations these ddays.
Just gotta try to beat them to the punch!
To provide better customer service it would be nice if JA's would offer to order the patterns for these customers, but the women would probably take advantage of that too. I worked in a similar shop years ago that was just 3 blocks from Hancocks. They let the owner make exchanges ( a size 24+ customer refused to purchase patterns larger than a 14!) These days with gas, and time it would be more cost effective to have a massive stash of patterns rather than run back and forth.
I don't think there's a good solution for this problem given the overall lack of store locations these ddays.
Just gotta try to beat them to the punch!
Posted on: 5/28/16 1:45 PM ET
Grrrr. I can't think of anything to say that's apropriate. I'll just grumble to myself.
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Diane L Wilson
Palmer/ Pletsch Certified Sewing Instructor
Follow me on Instagram & Twitter @sewfrantic
Business IG @stitchplease_cs Custom Fit Shirts
Palmer/ Pletsch Certified Sewing Instructor
Follow me on Instagram & Twitter @sewfrantic
Business IG @stitchplease_cs Custom Fit Shirts
Posted on: 5/28/16 2:30 PM ET
hmmmmmm.......Stores that sold patterns a long time ago, most times had a old fashioned rubber stamp, with their store name part of the stamp.sometimes there was a date on that, sometimes not.They stamped patterns as they were sold, it just took them a moment. If Joann's just even had a plain old rubber stamp with their name on it, and took a moment to stamp their patterns on the front of them when sold, then they probably could see how many showed up on ebay or such, the very next day or so, after some 5 for $5 sale or such, at way more than they sold them for. Also, that would keep smaller private fabric stores, from buying the patterns at Joann's when that kind of thing going on, and then just sticking them in their very own pattern drawers and trying to re-sell them at full price later on too you would think, just since people would wonder then, why does your pattern, in your pattern drawer, have another stores name even stamped onto it?
My guess is the lady is probably even hitting more than one store, in one day maybe. Maybe a whole bunch even. The reason I think that, is if Joaan's is having a pattern sale, and I want some (most times 3 or 4 for me) and if I go to the one closest to me, and they don't have all of them, then I have before just drove afterwards to the slightly farther away Joann's store, and sometimes can find the one, one store is out of, at the other store. I'm not ever buying 10 at a time though, just maybe 1,2, 3 or something. But, there would be no way for the one store I went to first, to know I went to second one afterwards at all either, or vice versa, particular if I paid cash, nothing tagged to your name and no ID needed then at all) and did not need a coupon for anything at all.
-- Edited on 5/28/16 at 2:39 PM --
My guess is the lady is probably even hitting more than one store, in one day maybe. Maybe a whole bunch even. The reason I think that, is if Joaan's is having a pattern sale, and I want some (most times 3 or 4 for me) and if I go to the one closest to me, and they don't have all of them, then I have before just drove afterwards to the slightly farther away Joann's store, and sometimes can find the one, one store is out of, at the other store. I'm not ever buying 10 at a time though, just maybe 1,2, 3 or something. But, there would be no way for the one store I went to first, to know I went to second one afterwards at all either, or vice versa, particular if I paid cash, nothing tagged to your name and no ID needed then at all) and did not need a coupon for anything at all.
-- Edited on 5/28/16 at 2:39 PM --
Posted on: 5/28/16 2:34 PM ET
In reply to Elona
She does own a business. Sells patterns at conventions (and probably on ebay), and does sewing.
Posted on: 5/28/16 2:53 PM ET
In reply to patternaddict
Well, that's beyond annoying!
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Elona
Posted on: 5/28/16 3:00 PM ET
I'm not sure the people at conventions would care or not if there was some other store name stamped on a pattern. But, at least they would be more track-able then. I might sort of care though, because I shop local Joann's stores all the time, and don't buy current fabric or current patterns off the internet. The prices on all the bolts of fabric at Joann's have really shot up. Prices like 14.95 or 12.00 or something printed on there is not super uncommon now. I thought that was because of their rotational fabric sales routine (with % off) and always some 40% coupons on non sale stuff most times.and I'm sure it partly is. But when someone (or a whole ton of people) does stuff like that, with the patterns, that might be also driving up all the costs of the fabric on the bolts too even. Or at lest a way to try to re-coup. Even if Joann's lost no money on the patterns, I still think they would be losing money. Just since they have to pay someone to keep track of patterns, order more, put those back in the drawer when they get them and all of that. So the lady that is using them that way, sort of as her Supply source, is also getting a free stock clerk, and order clerk, and even another company that probably has to cut more checks to a vendor for free. And all because of her. I do know if you are a big company, each time your accounts payable department has to cut an additional check, in time, effort, payroll of person doing it and all, computer equipment, printers and what not, it most times even costs that company maybe $50 or so, in just all expenses attached to something like that. So, I do think it's hurting the stores. And not just driving the other customers nuts in there, or frustrating them, if they got someone like that, blocking the pattern drawer as they are scooping them all out, just instead. Into some big shopping cart.
-- Edited on 5/28/16 at 3:02 PM --
-- Edited on 5/28/16 at 3:05 PM --
Plus, someone is supposed to pay tax on them at some point,in most states, and if she pays no tax at Joann's and then does not collect and and forward sales tax paid on them or just her own money she would chip in to some state instead of that, when she re-sells at some convention, then there would be a big problem there too. Sometimes there is more than one way to stop someone's bad behavior. I think that's partly how they got Al Capone even.
-- Edited on 5/28/16 at 3:25 PM --
-- Edited on 5/28/16 at 3:02 PM --
-- Edited on 5/28/16 at 3:05 PM --
Plus, someone is supposed to pay tax on them at some point,in most states, and if she pays no tax at Joann's and then does not collect and and forward sales tax paid on them or just her own money she would chip in to some state instead of that, when she re-sells at some convention, then there would be a big problem there too. Sometimes there is more than one way to stop someone's bad behavior. I think that's partly how they got Al Capone even.
-- Edited on 5/28/16 at 3:25 PM --
Posted on: 5/28/16 3:39 PM ET
In reply to beauturbo
Quote:
Sometimes there is more than one way to stop someone's bad behavior. I think that's partly how they got Al Capone even.
Sometimes there is more than one way to stop someone's bad behavior. I think that's partly how they got Al Capone even.
Yup, primarily income tax evasion. Sweet, huh? There might be some way to stop this woman's behavior, but it would require some work. I wonder if a few tips about her name and activities would interest the IRS. Betcha they would, for that agency likes detail work--and doesn't have much of a sense of humor.
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Elona
Posted on: 5/28/16 4:22 PM ET
In reply to beauturbo
Why assume she is paying no tax, either at Joann's or when she resells?
How would stamping the pattern help, as Joann's already knows she is buying multiple patterns in bulk on a regular basis? And they are choosing to allow her to buy more than their limit - it would be within their rights to structure the sale so that she couldn't, if they wanted to.
It is legal to resell patterns you have purchased; people do it all the time here on PR. She can sell the pattern for less than the sticker price and still likely make a profit, or she can test the market and sell for more than the sticker price, especially if she has a good eye for niche markets and waits until it is out of print. It is people like her we turn to when we buy an OOP pattern from etsy or eBay, or when rural or just plain busy folks who can't do the sales in person buy online at what is usually still less than the sticker price.
Yes, it is very annoying to find a pattern out of stock, especially at sale time. It would be nice if Joann's was better at inventory control, or allowed pre-orders for sale days. (And, while we're wishing, nice if they hired enough staff to keep their patterns in order.)
I think a better solution for all would be for her to be able to buy in bulk, wholesale, direct from the Big Four. I wonder, though, what the minimum order would be and whether the prices would be competitive with the Joann's sale prices. If a store like Joanns is selling below wholesale, we shouldn't be surprised when a vendor treats the store as if it is in fact a wholesaler.
-- Edited on 5/28/16 at 4:23 PM --
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