My first Hancock’s experience..

Let’s just preface this with the fact that I have had great experiences at most craft stores. I’m not a bitter store-hating person, as it might seem on my Twitter. I am a very happy Michael’s/Hobby Lobby/JoAnn’s customer.

I decided to take advantage of a HUGE warehouse sale at Hancock’s. 50% off notions, 40% off buttons, cheap ass fabric, etc. So, I went after work on Thursday with my $30 fun money budget in mind. All I wanted were a few things anyway, and I wanted to scope out another fabric store. Pretty exciting things going on in my life right now, eh?

I walked in excited as a kid on his birthday, and walked out pissed off and frustrated. Granted this was after a workday and my patience is very thin after work, but really, I was ready to kick someone in that store.

First, I started in the notions, which are sewing accessories, if you didn’t know, like me. Grabbed some pins, snaps and a yardstick. It said the whole wall was notions and it was 50% off. I’m a new sewer, so I don’t know what’s a notion and what’s not. I just simply believe the sign.

Then, I grab a few buttons for some projects coming up, and they have NO sign on the buttons aisle (can you believe there is a WHOLE aisle of nothing but buttons?), but the website says 40% off in store. I have the email on my iPhone ready, just in case issues arise.

Here comes the fun: fabric. I wanted to buy some FELT for a project that I have (it’s a secret until it’s done), but my dumb brain gravitates towards FLEECE and grabs up a few bolts. I tell the lady I want 1/4 yd. of each color of FELT. She says it’s FLEECE. I finally make the connection…d’oh! I needed FELT, and it wasn’t on sale. Embarrassed..

In the back of my mind, I’m hoping to make a quilt soon. They just so happened to have quilter’s cotton for $2/yd. Great…so I find the little section of quilter’s cotton. It looks like plain old fabric. Nothing fancy, so I grab a beige one and have her cut 3 yds. of it. No big deal.

I proceed to the check-out counter when an older lady in front of me with this cushy attitude tells the cashier she wants to order some ugly ass bird buttons. They looked like crows (where are you going to use CROW buttons??). The cashier explained the policy, gave her an order form to fill out and told her to do that while she checks me out. I knew this wasn’t gonna be pretty, because I am a price watcher. If the price is wrong, I will speak up, and I know price adjustments tend to take longer.

Lucky for crow buttons lady, we had quite a few of those. The snaps rang up full price, the buttons rang up correctly and then the quilter’s cotton: rang up $15. WTF??? I told the lady that it was quilter’s cotton and she said uhm, no it’s not. I insisted that it was in the spot with the rest (looked as cheap as the rest), and she told me ANY sewer would KNOW that quilter’s cotton is NOT this! Embarrassed and pretty pissed that she made that comment…I’m a newbie. 🙁

At this point, the old lady is pissed off at my price corrections, bangs her hands on the counter and sighs LOUDLY. It took every ounce of me not to tell her something about her ugly ass crow buttons. It’s not my fault that the fabric was in the wrong spot. I know I should have made sure the regular price matched the rest, in hindsight. It just looked as cheap as the rest of the colors! However, I was TOTALLY NOT paying $15 for crappy cotton. I’m new at this sewing thing, but I know $5 a yard is ridiculous for that stuff. So, she put it in the remnants stack for the lady with the fabrics to deal with. I hated to do that, but honestly, that is not my fault, and I’m sure it will sit in the remnants pile for a long time, eventually being cheaper than $6. Oh well…

At this time, I present the cashier with a 10% off purchase coupon that I got from being a “fan” of Hancock’s on Facebook. She looks at the print-out and asked me where I got it. I politely explained, and the cashier found it kind of cool. I’m sure not many Facebook-ers shop there, just looking at the demographic of the shoppers that were there at the time. (Lots of people who looked like crow buttons lady…)

After I check-out, the cashier informs me of a premier club that I should join. I love discount clubs, so I ask for the form. Another HUGE sigh from crow buttons lady. Just to spite this crow buttons lady, I filled out the form right then and there. I should have taken my sweet time too. I know, I’m a bitch.

So, after spending half of my fun money for the week, I have some neat-o sewing stuff to add to the collection. I can’t wait to finish cleaning house so I can get to my machine! 🙂