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Joann's BF Fabrics Sale


bribri25

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Joann Notably has 60%-75% off pretty much all their fabrics (by the yard) on BF (50% off licensed ones). I've gone in Joann once on BF (maybe 8am ish; a few hours after opening) and the fabrics section was ridiculous (not to mention checkout lines). Has anyone ever weathered the storm and have tips on when to get there and how to shop Joann? Get there right at 6am and get out (like Kohls), and can you get out quick enough if you get a few fabrics cut? Go at noon after the initial rush? Is there still anything decent left at that point? Just stay home and think about how much less stress I'm having not being at Joann...?

 

I don't need anything particularly specific, or the best ones ever; but I would like to pick up a few and make some PJ pants for the kids, etc.

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My strategy would be to select my fabrics ahead of time so I knew exactly what I wanted, and where is was.  Be there at store opening, grab your fabrics, and get in line at the cutting table .  While you will most likely spend a bit of time in line, this will probably minimize it.  Good luck! 

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We have found if you don't need anything specific then it's better to go in there later in the morning. It seems to quite down some later on.

 

"...quiet down some" meaning you'll only wait 90 minutes in line instead of 3 hours? or, really 30 minutes or less?

 

"...later on" meaning 10am? Noon? 4pm?

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"...quiet down some" meaning you'll only wait 90 minutes in line instead of 3 hours? or, really 30 minutes or less?

 

"...later on" meaning 10am? Noon? 4pm?

I'm thinking the times we have had the least wait on that day have been 10am or later. As long as you don't need anything super specific it should be OK. As for quiet down I think last year when we ran in there the wait in line was probably 20-30 minutes or so. Thing that seems to take the longest is coupons and such. :)

Edited by Kanyon71
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My aunt and uncle went there last year before she had to go to work. They literally only got through that store before 8am! I don't have any additional tips (besides picking out what you want ahead, get in line early, etc...) but good luck to anyone who tries JoAnns in the morning!

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The stores around here have a number system at the cutting counter. Evaluate before you grab a number, but I get one before I get my fabric. If you want fleece, sometimes they have a bin of 2 yard pre-cut pieces so you can skip the cutting counter all together. If you have a buddy, have him/her stand in the checkout line while you get fabric cut.

I typically shop right at opening, so I don't know how the crowd thins later. They do usually have a multi day sale, so if the fabric you want is part of it, going Tuesday or Wednesday before TG may be better (they were still busy on the Tuesday I went to one year).

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This is the one store that we line up for early.  I go with my mom every year.  Mind you.... I use this opportunity to buy a lot of fabric for the Linus Project, Girl Scouts, and the annual making of flannel PJ's for the entire family.  Between sales and coupons its by far the best BF place for me...

 

So... as I mentioned, we go EARLY.  Scoping out ahead of time isn't that helpful as they move things the night before (at mine anyway) ... sale items could be anywhere.  If you're a frequent customer and get to know the employees you might be able to pry a hint out of them if you go in the day before.

 

As far as fabric goes, we usually will head right for the cut counter TICKET thingy and pull a number and then start loading up on the fabrics we want.  Depending on the crowd we might go for fabric first and then one of us wander over and get a number after we've loaded a few things.  Definitely do not wait to finish selecting before getting a number.

Once we have selected what we want from what we can get our paws on ... one of us will usually hang out by the cut counter to snag bolts as others get done with their selection.  If you miss something on first run, this is usually a good way to get it.  It can take forever for them to put it back out on the display - and that's IF it doesn't get claimed before they even make the effort.

 

We take a list too of any other items that we might want... scissors, thread, crafts ect....  while one person waits the check out, the other person can cruise the store and get those items.  Alternately - if you're by yourself, you can get these things while waiting for your cut number to be called.

 

If you're after a big ticket item... say a pricey Rowenta iron or a Cricut - best bet is to nab the first employee and ask where they are and grab that first.

 

Overall the crowd is generally more civilized than, say, Walmart... but it can still be a madhouse. 

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I wonder whether a store would let you go in a couple of days early, get the fabrics cut and set aside for you to pick up and pay on Black Friday (at BF price, obviously).  Maybe if you got to know the manager or a person who works the fabrics.  Their concern might be that you would get things cut and not come back, but you might be able to do it.

 

Can't hurt to ask.

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I wonder whether a store would let you go in a couple of days early, get the fabrics cut and set aside for you to pick up and pay on Black Friday (at BF price, obviously).  Maybe if you got to know the manager or a person who works the fabrics.  Their concern might be that you would get things cut and not come back, but you might be able to do it.

 

Can't hurt to ask.

 

The concern would be that you might show up at 10am and someone that got there at 5am to wait in line wouldn't get to have that fabric because you already saved yours off to the side.  It's no different than going in on Monday and slapping a Post-it on one of the TVs at Best Buy and just telling them to hold it for you because you'll be back Thursday night for it.

 

You'd have to REALLY know the manager... I wonder if employees even get first dibs at it before the store opens??

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  • 2 weeks later...

Okay, so that was pretty much a non-issue at Joann this morning. I went at 7:30am (after thinking.. "Should I go at 5:55 to be there when they open and have any chance of getting to work on time?"....but chose sleep instead). There were probably 50 people in the store; 30 in and around the fabrics; and the line for cutting was about 5 customers deep.......yes, 5; not 50. By the time I waited in line, there was only 1 person in front of me and checkout lines were non-existent. They had an employee returning the bolts, things were fairly well marked, and I was able to find some awesome patterns.  Planning on making some PJ pants for the kids, PJ pants for the entire family, and some jammies for our elf on the shelf.

 

Now... who has a BF sale on time for me to be able to do all of that??

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