Jo-Ann Fabrics & Crafts Stores

Came in to return a few items. the front desk Lady called for the manager, Heather. the manager told me very rudely that she did not carry 2 of my items and would not accept the 3^rd item as a return, due to it being a «high dollar item and could have been stolen».I asked her if this was the store policy and she said no it’s her policy. I did not have a receipt and was only looking for an exchange, which is the store return policy. I politely asked for her name and said I would contact the district manager, she said I will give you my first name but I will not give you my last. She then proceeded to have an employee follow me, ask what was in my Louis Vuitton messenger bag (it was Prince memorabilia that I was trying to get framed), he said he was the framing guy and that it would take 2 weeks to frame my item, I then asked him if he could just cut the matting, he said there is no matte cutting machine and that he was leaving in 5 minutes. As I shopped through the store the manager proceeded to pop her head around the corner as I walked the aisles. I ended up spending over a hundred dollars. will never shop at jo Anns again and I recommend you don’t go to this store on 66^th st and tyrone blvd as you might get discriminated against as I was due to the way I look. I asked the counter Lady if the manager was always this rude and she said that they were short staffed and Heather the manager was stressed out. Very rude and I felt discriminated against and profiled as a thief based on the way I look

Customer service is not a priority at this location. Waiting to check out while the only cashier rearranges nearby shelves for 2 minutes (timed it). Always grab number to have fabric cut before you select the fabric (cuts some wait time). The employees seem to be more interested in each other’s activities than serving the customer.

Sometimes the workers are helpful, but often they seem irritated. Yesterday they were great and positive. The store isn’t completely intuitive as to where things would be so I usually ask. They have a price checker near the beads which I usually use to be sure of prices. I always check the app for coupons b/​c their things seem over priced, but besides Jay’s fabrics, where else is there for fabric in the area? I heard there’s a place in Dunedin. I’m glad they’re close to my house b/​c I do go often.
When I look for stickers and ribbon, I find something close enough, not usually the thing I’m exactly expecting. It’s open late enough. I go more than I go to Michael’s, but from what my friends say, I wish there was a Hobby Lobby closer.

A fine store if you don’t need fabric cut. Be prepared to wait an hour whenever you’re need fabric. My most recent visit, the service was so terrible I actually wondered if it was a reality TV show to see how people would react to such bad service. 1 – 2 service people helping to cut fabric at a time, and here are some examples that occurred on my most recent visit: constant socializing and chatting by employees with lines of people waiting, waiting for customers to go continue shopping and reconsider fabric choices (but rather than assisting the next customer, the employee just waits with delays of 10 – 15 minutes for at least 4 customers in front of me), and letting other customers cut in line in front of others that had been waiting 45+ minutes. This seems to be the normal trend with this store.

Real conversation that occurred at our last visit to Jo-​Ann Fabrics:
Fiancée: «I’m so glad we came here because everything is new and different that Michaels and it’s on sale» [referring to the scrap book /​card marking backgrounds /​textures]
Keep in mind, my fiancée used to work at Michael’s, she is usualyl biased toward Michael’s; but we were both blown away by the epic selection of scrap booking supplies at Jo-​Ann. While I know we will still frequent Michael’s, I am sure all crafting trips will also include a stop at Jo-​Ann just to make sure we have the very best supplies!
I cannot speak to the fabric selection, and otherwise relied on the expertise and opinions of my fiancée to back up the information in this review.
Overall, the store was clean and well kept. The line moved fast for being somewhat crowded in the store. The staff was friendly and I otherwise have no complaints.

I only come here when I have to. Here’s the thing, fabric is one of the few things I actually spend the time (and a decent amount of money) shopping for. It’s pretty bad when one of the few fabric places in the area can’t make me happy.
Overall product selection is a bit underwhelming. They try to cater to too many different things by being a «one stop» craft shop and only carry generic options for a lot of their merchandise. You will also find a ton of made in China tchotchkes to decorate your home with. It never fails they look cheap, are priced absurdly, and defeat the purpose of selling stuff for DIYers. I think they’re trying to spawn a new group — DIFMers (Do It For Me). The fabric and trims aren’t especially great either. Almost everything they sell will make your project scream «homemade» and it will cost three times more than just buying the equivalent pre-​made garment. If you’re selling cheap fabric (under $ 5/​y), it’s okay for it to look cheap. It’s not okay for pricy ($ 15+/y) fabric to look cheap though. Also, let’s talk about the clearance pile here. I find it hilarious that half of the bolts I pick up in clearance are like $ 9+ per yard. That’s not clearance, that’s hoping the customer is ill-​informed.
The customer service can be a little hit or miss. I’ve dealt with nice women at the cutting tables and stocking the store, and I’ve also dealt with a cashier who miscounted the money I gave her and then had an attitude about it.
The store is pretty clean for the most part too. But I have to say I really don’t care for the layout that much. It feels a little… clumsy? I don’t know how to best describe it, but it feels off for some reason. Maybe that’s just me wishing there wasn’t all the cheap crap floating around.
So, yeah, if I can’t find a color match in thread or any of the small things I need, I come here. I actively avoid buying fabric unless it’s dirt cheap, and go 5 minutes down the road to Jay’s instead. Or online.

Jo-Ann’s is one of the very few places that still offers a full fabric selection, so it has become our default craft store even though it’s a little further away than Michael’s. Many of their prices are a little high, but I believe that is because not only are they constantly holding sales, but they also put out a 40% coupon every Sunday (and occasionally it is a 50% one instead). Definitely don’t buy anything that is marked full price!
They have a very large selection of general arts/​crafts supplies to choose from for my kids. The prices are pretty good with the coupon, almost always beating Walmart’s prices for similar items. Our craft cabinet is starting to overfill due to everything we’ve found at Jo-Ann’s.
A couple of weeks after any large holiday (Halloween, Christmas, etc), you can find the clearance marked down to around 90% off. It’s a great time to get some amazing bargains for future years — although at our house we are okay with making haunted houses in April or decorating eggs in October, whatever we happen to be in the mood for when we want to do some projects. ;)
Where they really start to fail is their customer service. I can almost never find an employee that isn’t behind a register or busy at the cutting table, so it’s hard to ask for assistance in other areas of the store. I do wish they would hire more employees to work the floor and assist customers.

Lots of choices for making your own decorations. I DON’T like how stores mark up prices then may you think you are getting a deal by putting ½ off signs everywhere.