A new Hobby Lobby opened near me today. This is exciting only in that my local Michaels is not one of the fancy stores; in fact, it’s pretty bad. I went to Hobby Lobby to see if there were any opening day specials, etc. Didn’t notice anything spectacular, other than that the store was clean. And the clearance section was stocked with random things that they wanted you to buy, things that shouldn’t have been clearanced. Like the cute little chicken that will sit on my kitchen counter soon.
Here’s the weird thing about Hobby Lobby. And when I say “the” weird thing, I mean the one that bothers me the most. Why don’t they have bar code scanning cash registers? They put out a flyer every week and the cashiers have to figure out what you’re buying and whether or not it’s on sale this week. That makes perfect sense for a store that just opened its doors on October 22, 2009, right? If only that technology was available. Soon, I hope.
Now, let’s discuss a policy at Michaels that makes my head want to explode. This first came to light about two months ago when my friend Tracy was at a Michaels and a bunch of items from their clearance section rang up at .01. That is not a typo, that’s a penny. Items at Michaels rang up as a penny. Tracy thinks this is wonderful, of course. Until the cashier says “you can’t buy these things, when something rings up at a penny that means it needs to be thrown out.”
Yes, I did say “thrown out” and Tracy clarified that the term meant what it sounded like it meant. They THROW THINGS AWAY RATHER THAN SELLING THEM OR DONATING THEM. What a strange policy.
So… Tracy and I are at Michaels a few days ago, on the elusive search for a Martha Stewart punch, and something rings up as a penny. We just look at each other, we know what’s coming next. It doesn’t come. The cashier lets us buy this item, a Sizzix die. For a penny. Yahoo!
Since the Cashier seems friendly, I inquire about the “throw out the clearanced items” policy, and she does confirm that that is the official policy. Items cannot be sold, they must be thrown out. I ask why the items aren’t donated to a school, or a senior home, etc. She says it’s because people will return the items for credit or refunds. I suggest they could take the items out of the packaging, and donate them “naked”. She pretty much looks at me like I’ve grown a horn out of my forehead.
I then go on to suggest that they could donate the items out of the country, where stores don’t exist so they can’t be returned. Now it seems that my horn has changed colors. She says “it’s a weird policy, I don’t agree with it, it just is.” End of conversation.
What do you think of this policy? Wasteful, right? Poor economic choice as well. Why not just let people buy the items?
That has got to be the single most bizarre policy I’ve ever heard of! I mean – I get it when it is a food item from a resturaunt and all, but CRAFT SUPPLIES? Really? Wow.
When the HL opened here, Michael’s went out of business. *sigh*
HA! okay I thought I was going crazy when I heard about this, but the exact same thing happened when I had emailed you about paper a few weeks ago. A bunch of the stuff rang up for a penny and I thought I had hit the lotto. The girl explained the policy, but let me pay for my items and walk out the door. I was floored!
I AM the Tracy to whom Lisa referred :o) She and I were shopping recently (um, not exactly unusual?) and I tried to purchase a few sheets of Martha Stewart paper. She has giant paper in an 18 x 18 size, for her giant scrapbooks. They retail for $1.99 each. We reached the register and learned that they rang up for $.01, yes, one shiny penny each. The clerk said “What a good deal!”. Lisa and I made silent eye contact.
Lisa then occupied the clerk with idle banter whilst I scampered back to visit Martha. I collected 38 more sheets of this lovely cardstock.
I DID hit the lottery 😀
T