To “showroom” is to take advantage of the services of a store with the intention of learning about all the benefits and features of a product and then go elsewhere ( often online) to purchase them for a discounted price. Can I be frank?…. this is SHITTY behavior.
In a quilt store this often takes the form of a customer coming in, looking over the new fabrics and then sometimes without even waiting to get out the door popping online and surfing the fabric discounters and ordering the fabric for a few dollars less all the while having taken advantage of the sales help, free coffee and time of the local quilt store that is doing it’s damdest to keep the doors open.
I think we all know what the Dowager Countess would have to say about this shameful sort of behavior and if right now you are feeling a bit antsy, flushed or guilty it might time to think about why it is important to put this practice to a stop if you want to continue to see local quilt stores as part of your city and state.
Sure, good fabric is expensive and I am never going to tell you to scrimp on quality. If you are bothering to do a project then why not invest in the very best. If your budget is limited work on a complex, intense quilting project that takes time and attention as opposed to “quilt in a day” sort of projects that are gone and done way too soon.
Your LQS can’t say this but I can. They can’t survive much longer when customers don’t put a priority on shopping at full price. There is NO SIN in paying full price. The margins on fabric are wicked thin leaving little room to discount when you have the costs associated with retail – rent and employees and taxes to cover all from the price of that charm pack that was $3 cheaper on that daily discount offer that shows up in your email box each morning.
Am I throwing some shade.. yeah I am. I am wildly tired of hearing people bitch about how few quilt stores there are anymore and then see them brag on Facebook about their newest package from online-deep-discounter.com. YOU CAN’T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS.
And maybe it is not you… maybe you are one of those amazing customers who understands how hard it is to run a quilt shop, and you use your fabric budget no matter how large or small to the benefit of your LQS… and if you are I THANK YOU!
I also understand that your local shop can’t always have everything, they understand that as well. So when you do shop online find another independently owned shop and buy from them and let them know just why…it will mean something to them. There is nothing wrong with having a quilt store in your mail box, just do your best to know where your money is going when you do.
Do your part online and in your guilds to squash the idea that LQS’s are out to screw over the average quilter. Call-out people on their cheap-minded behavior and be a champion of your local shop… they might not say it but right now they need you more than ever.
Living in Canada purchasing on line for a “better price” is not true, add in the exchange rate, shipping and duty charges it usually costs me about the same if not more. I try very hard to keep my shopping within Canada. That said if I am travelling out of country I will do some shopping.
I cannot believe the audacity of people. I love going to LQS all over when I travel to see new things and meet people. I never know what I’ll find but usually it is something to love. You cannot put a price on the advice and experience of owners who do what they love.
I do order on line but it is normally from a shop that I’ve visited and didn’t have the budget at the time. (Not the “big names”) I admit if there is a specialty ruler, I research to see how much I can do with it and if I will like it before I make a purchase because there are just so many amazing things to make and I’m not the only one in the store.
I’m fortunate enough to have 3 amazing and varied stores within 15 minutes of home but also travel to the larger cities (Baltimore and DC) for classes at their shops for things that are not offered locally. And I make sure to share the knowledge with my guild so those that can still get out to classes know if the instructors are worth the effort.
I was given a quilters stash so I don’t buy much fabric but I happened to buy a 60° ruler at my local quilt shop in the little town of Trinity, Tx. just yesterday. I’ve done a bus trip to a quilt shop. If I have time and spot a quilt shop…I’m stopping. I love quilt shops!!!
So right on as usual, Maddie! Thank you!
Thank you for this post, Maddie! LQS owner here and I love what I do. I have worked in many aspects of retail since age 15 and understood that this is one career that does not make one rich with dollars. What I CAN say is that I get up every day and look forward to going to work – six days a week (and when home I am working still.) I love what I do and I believe our customers can feel the sentiment in the service. When you hear about stores that are less welcoming or snobby – not everyone should be working in retail. The issues of showrooming and shopping online is a painful reality that we deal with each and every day. I wish I could post a summary of this post on our wall and let people know what goes in to the running of a brick and mortar shop! I am fortunate that I have the support of great customers that ‘get it’ and fortunate that we have industry professionals like you that continue to educate people. Keep it up!!
I owned my own store in the ’90’s and had a customer who came in more than once and took up my time asking advice on color, etc., and then told me she was going to Joann’s to buy the color fabric we talked about. I started avoiding her after the second time she did it. Let her go get their advice!
I can so relate but from a different industry. Customers come in to get our residential plumbing fixture knowledge then purchase online. The behavior included checking online prices on their phone while at my desk!
Not gonna lie, I hope they have future problems with the “just as good” knockoff Home Cheapo products.
Thank you for sharing this 😽
I am still very new to the quilting world. I would not have gotten as far as I have without my LQS. We have a few in town. Some I like more than others. I want to look at, touch, feel…. what I’m buying. I would have no idea of what to buy online. I do In fact take pictures of the end of bolts, but that’s because I’m buying it and I want to remember what it is when I make notes on the quilt I do with it. And, if I need more, it’s whole lot easier to find again.
I tell the ladies at my LQS that they are great enablers at this wonderful addiction I’ve got going on.
Hi All BAQS’s: With regard to our LQS’s, we are facing a huge dilemma. However as we evolve, As one who adores fabric, I think we all need to move forward. Where I live in Alberta, Canada the LQS’s provide many services. However, to pay upwards of $18.00 a metre (39 inches – lol) for quality 100% Quilt Cotton is a bit much! Talk about costs!! Well, just thinking about sizes and you’ll understand why rug mugs and mini Quilts are the rage around my neck of the woods, probably yours too! I mean no ill-content because these shops provide excellent services, quality classes, and access to fantastic equipment. But, fabric at this price just does not “cut it” especially with so many new lines coming out every quarter. Let the laws of supply and demand dictate better prices. LQS’s may have to review their business model away from fabric sales.
I don’t buy as often as I’d like, and often visited the store for the spirit-lifting joy of all the wildly creative people and fabric found there. But I believe in buying locally, I love hands on shopping and the wealth of knowledge you get from passionate owners and staff. No matter how sparse my funds may be, I will always appreciate paying full price for the privilege of terrific service and a host of perks never found online.
Thanks to all you dedicated, hardworking, longsuffering shop owners who go above and beyond. It is a pleasure doing business with you.
I wish we would value our projects and time spent on them to the highest caliber posdible and to want to buy the best product from the nicest people we can find, online or in person. The lack or disount mentality is not only killing the LQS it is damaging to your own self worth. If you are not willing to spend a few dollars more to get what you really want then I think you need to ask your self some questions about what you really value. I know I did and I try to make all my purchases reflect that.
Very well said. As a past quilt shop worker of a closed shop, I miss the customers the most. I always by from the LOS.
You are making a couple of assumptions here that you might want to reconsider. First, you are assuming that when the customer walks into the store, she is getting assistance from the clerk. I’ve been in a fair number of quilt shops where that has NOT been the case, either because the clerk was unfriendly or because she was busy chatting with her inner circle cohorts. Second, you are assuming that my LQS is in fact stocking the specific fabric that I am looking for. Unfortunately, I live in an area that unless I want civil war reproductions, traditional paisleys and florals or batiks, the likelihood of them having the fabric I am searching for is pretty low. And then you are also assuming that if I instead go to order said fabric online, that I am ordering it from some big box store. What I order online is almost always (okay maybe only 95% of the time) from a very small shop in her home that is operated by one woman with the help of her husband and with her children underfoot. I do get your point, I really do, but I don’t think it happens as often as many shop owners seem to think it does because too often they don’t understand WHY the customer is buying elsewhere.
Thanks for your thoughts Tracey but I am very sure of what I am saying after being a shop owner and on a regular basis having people come in and start taking photos of bolt ends or even of the UPC product code and doing searches right in front of me with little thought even to the point of being excited that they found it ‘on sale” and sharing their good news with me. I am not talking about the casual shopper who is just looking and dreaming about a new project with nothing in mind. You are giving shop owners very little credit and way too much credit to the number of people who are willing to save $5 by using our stores as show rooms and then shopping elsewhere. This might not be you but the problem is at epidemic levels in the small business retail world as a whole.
I went to one of those LQS and was roundly ignored. You think a new customer would have been a great chance to make a major sale but the peeps there seemed to be more interested in coffee klatching.
While I don’t engage in bad quilter behavior, I do buy discounted fabric online.
Tami, I am VERY sorry that happened to you and the honest answer is some people should not have shops if they are not willing to put the customer as their highest priority. I think of it as a truly symbiotic relationship.. and when it is good it is amazing. When it is not it sucks.
We have a LQS that is also a sewing machine dealership. I have bought a top of the line machine and a top of the line serger from them. They have a nice assortment of fabric, notions, and thread. However, even though I have spent thousands of dollars with them, I don’t go in that store unless I need something for my machines. Why, because they are snobs, and they are rude. I have seen them treat customers horribly and they are very condescending. They will not get another penny of my money. Sometimes, people need to take a look at themselves and be honest. Are they friendly, welcoming, helpful, fun to be around? Or are they grumpy and make people dread to come in their shop?
Mary, I am a luxury shop sort of girl… high end all the way and yet never in a million years does that mean snobby. I wish for you a shop that meets all your needs and makes you feel like the amazing customer you are!
There are a 4 of LQS in my area that I do not walk in the door and would not be sad if they closed. The reason:
1) They are mean to their employees. Dressing them down in front of customers when the training of the employee has been below par. Or the shop owner is having a bad day and takes their bad mood out on their employees.
2) Attitude of the owner at a quilt show, vendors in their immediate area have asked not be near them at the next quilt show. Bad mood of the owner is like a cloud over customers and other vendors alike.
3) The LQS owner created a quilt pattern. A friend made the quilt using LQS material not from the pattern makers quilt shop. My friend was told it was an ugly quilt! (not).
4) Ignored by owner or employees because you are not part of their ” in group”.
5) LQS where they were the drop point for a local long arm quilter. Frowns by owner when a group of came in with quilts to drop off and being told she needed to help the”real” customers. The group of us came in once a month to drop off and pick up quilts, each of us spending $50 to $150 dollars on fabric . Didn’t this make us real customers?
6) I belong to a large guild that has business members. The cost for the membership is $60.00 per year. The business members are listed on the website, listed in the monthly newsletter and are featured on the guilds Facebook Page. The answer back was “What has the guild done for me?”
7) One LQS was the first stop for a Shop Hop by a local small group. Arrangements were made with the shop owner to open the shop 30 minutes early. The shop owner did not show up! The bus left without being able to shop. The response by the shop owner was… “oh well, I’ll do better next time”
I do shop at a couple of LQS that I love, the staff are helpful and I feel like it is my “Cheers” kind of place. The reasons for a LQS going out of business or not making their margins is not just because folks are buying on line.
I do spend “real” money in a couple of LQS, they are my “Cheers” kind of places. I love the shops and staff. I also buy on line for special fabrics that my “Cheers” LQS do not carry. I will not shop at a LQS if they have the fabric but treat their customers or staff badly. Money talks.
My biggest pet peeve while owning my quilt shop was the fact that a lot of customers did not have a clue what overhead meant. Their husbands paid all the bills and they did not realize I had to pay electricity, rent, phone, water. Many did not realize the shop must pay credit card fees so they can hand me a credit card to pay their $1.49 purchase.
No, I couldn’t stock every fabric in every line by every designer. But would I order it for them? They needed 1/2 yard to go with those fabrics they bought online.
When you don’t love your shop anymore because of these kinds of people it’s time to close up.
I really, really loved the phone calls asking about my going out of business sale. When does it start and where are you located were the questions. I would tell them that my sales are only for regular customers that supported my shop for the 7 years I was in business. Surprisingly, the idiots didn’t realize I just told them they were not welcome.
Good for you!
I used to shop online a lot as I couldn’t get into town (45 min away) to go to a quilt shop with small kids. However now that they are a bit older I frequent my LQS a lot! I go in and never walk out empty handed. I prefer going into my LQS now over online as I love the interaction with the staff and getting to fondle the fabric.
My friend and I want to open a LQS but just can’t risk everything on the hope people will come. We live in a high “order on line” with a local store that is snobby and unfriendly. It survives because there is not a lot of choice in a one day range. I don’t but online, saving up for aince a year trip, to stock the stash.
Word!
LQS>(PART+PART+PART)
I have been quilting for about 5 1/2 years. When I began this journey, I was unaware that there was a real quilt shop in town and ordered a bunch of fabric online and made some terrible fabric choices. 9 months into my journey I discovered our wonderful LQS and since then, 98% of my fabric has come from there. If I need a particular fabric design, I go there first before I start looking for it on line and in most cases, they have what I need. I feel like I have a “sub shop” consisting of their fabric and will have to live another 30 years just to use all that is in my stash. 🙂 This shop is 1.3 miles from my front door so it takes a lot of willpower to keep from blowing my budget there. I could not ask for more helpful, friendly and knowledgeable people that the lovely ladies who run the shop. They have all become dear friends and I treasure them and this wonderful shop.
We don’t have a brick and mortar store but we sell unique notions at quilt shows. One of our items is a ruler stand. Yep, a board with slots that we have finished nicely with rounded edges and a natural or color finish. Sure, you can make one at home. Go ahead, but you are really, really rude to stand there and take pictures so someone can make one for you for “free”. And even worse, stop others from buying one so you you can provide a “free” one.
It’s my policy to always buy something when I stop into a quilt shop. I find something to compliment about the shop and I make a purchase.
You at so right! I don’t have a brick and mortar shop and only have a booth at quilt shows. Man does it make me angry to have people use their photo apps to take pictures of the bolts and then shop online. Right in front of my face. Or say I got this for less on the internet.
Do you have an online shop as well? That would infuriate me if people stood there to take pictures with tge intention of making them! They say this!?! That is bold! I would love to have one of your fantastic ruler stands, my poor rulers have no where to stand at all 🙁 lol
We are blessed to have several great quilt shops in Nashville, TN. Unfortunately, they are closing one by one, which I hate to see. The bulk of my fabric budget now goes to them because I like seeing and touching the fabrics. When I started quilting, I bought mostly online, but have moved away from that unless the fabric is not available locally. I love a discount, but I also want to see the stores stay in business, so more often than not, I pay full price.
Well said! I work part time on a LQS. I know how hard my boss works and the hours she puts in.
I love having a local shop. We need to keep them around!
Very well said Maddie. Unfortunately this is not a new phenomenon. Back in the dark ages (late 1980’s) I worked in an independent kitchen shop. I had people come in all the time looking for help with Cuisinart Food processors they bought at the department store. Frosted my butt when they told me “you’re so much more helpful than Macy’s”.
And yet, they kept shopping at the department store because we were “so expensive”.
When I closed my shop, all my customers were saying” I hate that you are closing”. I wanted to say if all my customers would spend a few $ per month here instead of discount online fabrics, I would still be open!
Yep! Another former quilt shop owner here who heard the same thing.
If you value your local shop and want it to be there when you need it, then support your local shop, people!
I would like to be a former owner. It’s just so demoralizing right now. I make $0 doing this and i know we provide excellent service and selection.
OMG yes!!!! When I closed my shop the people said the same thing! And they were the cheapest asked people on the planet that daily told me how I was ripping them off because they could get the same fabric at JoAnn’s and use their 40% coupon. I was so sick of it.
Exactly! I am a small quilt shop and I know where your coming from!
And then tell the shop owner, staff, other customers what a great deal you got and they can get too, if they go to XYZ on-line! UGH…..