Michaels Vs Hobby Lobby

[Pea-n-Me]

Hobby Lobby doesn’t carry Halloween items.

Michaels and Joann do.

I’m going to stick with the stores with some spook.

Ours does.

 

[wenrob]

Ours does.

Have you been in there this season? I think it’s something that is recent. All the crafting communities have been up in arms about it. Can’t say for mine because I haven’t been in there this season so I don’t know if they did or didn’t.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I haven't really been to many Michael's stores but at Joann there are typically men there alone or maybe with kids. My last trip there I was helping out my dad, who needed matching plain solid-colored T-shirts for an event. While I suppose they're sold at these crafts stores for custom printing or decoration, they are just T-shirts that aren't much different than one can find at other stores. Only they had a good price and I was able to apply an additional coupon. In addition to that, the majority of these were adult men's, although I guess they were theoretically unisex.

Any of these stores is an excellent source of solid-colored t-shirts. My youngest is a (male) ballet dancer, I can't count the number of times I've had to get him a certain color, solid t-shirt. Sadly, the boys' costumes tend to be afterthoughts, compared to the girls. Not this year, though--DS16 will be starring in the Nutcracker as...the Nutcracker. He'll have an actual costume and have to wear the big giant head.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Have you been in there this season? I think it’s something that is recent. All the crafting communities have been up in arms about it. Can’t say for mine because I haven’t been in there this season so I don’t know if they did or didn’t.

Yes I was there this month. I mean, I don’t recall skeletons and ghouls (though I couldn’t say for sure they weren’t there) but they had lots of pumpkins and other cute Halloween decor. Maybe we need to define what they mean.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I was a little curious about this company that many won’t shop with and whose merchandise is “cheap”.

Looks like in 2021 they had ~ 900 stores, were worth $6.4 Billion, and that they started from essentially nothing.

(One of my old college professors used to call these things, “Facts To Amaze Your Friends By”. )

 

[wenrob]

Yes I was there this month. I mean, I don’t recall skeletons and ghouls (though I couldn’t say for sure they weren’t there) but they had lots of pumpkins and other cute Halloween decor. Maybe we need to define what they mean.

Videos I’ve seen they have Fall stuff but not Halloween stuff. I think it also depends on each of our own definition. I think if someone were to look at my decor they’d say it’s Fall with a couple of Jack O Lanterns and ghosts mixed in. Yet I have the storage bin labeled as Halloween. However, Halloween has thrown up all over my neighbors front yards. I think that’s the stuff probably being referred to as “not having Halloween.”

 

[dizneegirl]

I'm mad at Michaels for buying out and closing both Pat Catan's and AC Moore... that, and they rarely have anything I want anymore, or a price I'm willing to pay.

 

[fla4fun]

I don’t have either one near me, so I don’t have much of an opinion. There is a Michaels near my sister, so I occasionally go there when visiting her. I don’t think I have ever been to a Hobby Lobby, or even seen one.

 

[TLSnell1981]

Let's take our minds of political debates and focus on what's important: Crafts.
If you're a true, DIY-or-die crafter, it's crafts for you all year 'round. As we enter the holiday season, craft stores are going to just get busier.
Which is your craft store of choice?

Myself, I like some of the deals that Hobby Lobby has, but they are not fans of Halloween. They no longer offer the 40% coupon, so you have to watch the weekly flyer for something to be discounted. Holiday stuff is often discounted very early, which is a plus. However, some days the lines are long and they have only two people working registers.

Michaels has great stuff, but the only downside for me personally is the distance. Last time I was there, they still issue coupons, and they had plenty of people on register. I prefer Michaels overall.

*I'll go ahead and add Joann (Jo-Ann, or whatever) as well, even though they're mainly focused on fabric. Good selection of Halloween stuff, the app gives you coupons/deals.

Hobby Lobby by far. The others do not have as many options IMO

HL doesn't like Halloween? There are multiple aisle filled with Halloween decor, etc. It's 66% off right now. I loaded up for next year

 

[DisneyOma]

I buy a ton of fabric from a lot of places. Hobby Lobby is just as good as any of the others.

I will add that Hobby Lobby has far superior service when compared with JoAnn, which I refer to as the DMV of fabric stores.

Our local JoAnn's has the best service, as does the larger one about 45 minutes away. No DMV feeling about either of them. I guess YMMV.

I was a little curious about this company that many won’t shop with and whose merchandise is “cheap”.

Looks like in 2021 they had ~ 900 stores, were worth $6.4 Billion, and that they started from essentially nothing.

(One of my old college professors used to call these things, “Facts To Amaze Your Friends By”. )

Cheap usually sells better than higher quality - think about all the McDonald's out there!

 

[TLSnell1981]

Have you been in there this season? I think it’s something that is recent. All the crafting communities have been up in arms about it. Can’t say for mine because I haven’t been in there this season so I don’t know if they did or didn’t.

I didn't see zombies or Freddy Kruger in HL but I wasn't looking for them either

 

[Magical2017]

Hobby Lobby doesn’t carry Halloween items.

Michaels and Joann do.

I’m going to stick with the stores with some spook.

Ours does.

I guess it's a decision by the individual store owners, then? I just read that the owners of HL don't carry Halloween items because Halloween does not align with their Christian beliefs. According to several articles, Halloween items are considered "demonic symbols of the pagan holiday" by the owners.

 

[BayouQueen]

I like all three. We're lucky to have all three pretty close to our house. Which I pop into really depends on how much time I have while out and about.

Joanne's is a very quick in-and-out because most of the store is fabrics and I don't sew. I always do look in to see what they have at holidays.

Michael's takes a bit more time, but not too daunting, so I end up there more than the others, looking for holiday stuff, baking stuff, scrapbooking.

Hobby Lobby I love. It's huge and orderly and has everything under the sun. But for that it takes time and so it's kind of for special shopping days out. A special coffee and a trip to Hobby Lobby is a girls' day out in my book.

 

[cedricandsophie]

I will never shop at HL for personal reasons and gay friends but I hate crafts so I never shop at Michael’s either.

 

[bcla]

The only time I have bought one from a craft store was back in college when we had a highlighter party but that is something I see a lot when I go in there. It's actually a good spot to find plain colored tees. Walmart is another good spot and I would say sometimes cheaper but you usually don't have as much color choice mainly white and black whereas the craft stores tend to have more variety.

My dad needed long sleeves (the event was a parade and it's expected to be chilly), so Joann was really convenient. I've bought short sleeve blank t-shirts at Walmart, but yeah the selection tends to be just a few colors and pretty much only short sleeves. The main issue we had was that it was kind of disorganized, as they had cardboard aisle displays and people had moved stuff around and the employees hadn't reorganized. We were trying to figure out what size that others in the group would need. And there was a single adult large, so that made things difficult.

I did go back looking to see if maybe they had another one and could find it. But I did go around and found they had coconut shell buttons. Not sure what to do with 3.5 oz (i.e. at least 200) assorted buttons, but they had some of the type that I had missing. Not bad for $4 with the coupon.

 

[TinkAgainU]

Not HL if I can avoid it. Like others, I'm a little ashamed to be seen there - I look at the shoppers and staff sometimes wondering if they "personally" hate gay etc. people. Not really the vibe I want for stuff in my home, or gifts I share.

 

[NAB]

Not HL if I can avoid it. Like others, I'm a little ashamed to be seen there - I look at the shoppers and staff sometimes wondering if they "personally" hate gay etc. people. Not really the vibe I want for stuff in my home, or gifts I share.

How can you stay that about shoppers. I didn’t even know there was anything about the company until I came on here.

 

[Mysterian]

I guess it's a decision by the individual store owners, then? I just read that the owners of HL don't carry Halloween items because Halloween does not align with their Christian beliefs. According to several articles, Halloween items are considered "demonic symbols of the pagan holiday" by the owners.

Outdated thinking, that Hob Lobby. I’m forced to go to Wicker Wiccan to pick up my annual mandrake effigy with crystal skull, where the owner force feeds our ears with the same Lisa Loeb and Shawn Colvin CDs on repeat.

And good luck finding a druid robe for your solstice ice cream social at The Lobby. By Hecate’s cloak, we fly to Joanns!

 

[Kestryl]

Ours does.

Do they? The ones here and back in my hometown don’t. (Hometown is a few states over, 500 miles away.) Last time I saw Halloween in a Hobby Lobby was 2019. I was in one just a few weeks ago with a relative and only saw general fall and Thanksgiving.

(“Halloween” means something I would have out on Oct 31, but not Thanksgiving. Usually combinations of black, orange, green, and purple.)

Just checked online- searched “Halloween”- only thing that came up was an orange paint, some scrapbook sheets, and a collection of holiday stencils. Five items.

 

[TinkAgainU]

How can you stay that about shoppers. I didn’t even know there was anything about the company until I came on here.

I'm sorry. My bad. In my area it's called "The Jesus Store" and not in the positive way some truly good people might think. I'm in California and we are pretty judgmental about people who are judgmental (yes, that's how hypocritical we can be). In the future I'll try to remember some people are just there for the store goods