I alluded yesterday to how our small choices affect big things. I wanted to finish that dangling conversation before moving on to lighter subjects.
Being in the needlework supply manufacturing business also (Tokens and Trifles is a company founded by Jacket Team Wendy White, myself and a third partner, Justyna Teverovsky), I have learned much about how things work and what is broken about our industry. One of those things is how the big box stores use us. I won’t name them – but you know who they are. They are the places with a large assortment of entry level craft materials. They move into areas and suddenly the small independent stores have a hard time keeping up and slowly disappear. Now we all know that there is a small market for high-end decorative art supplies, therefore these large behemoths don’t offer these materials for sale. You would think that the big box stores don’t compete directly with the independents who market such supplies. You would be mistaken. This is how it has worked now for about ten years:
The big box keeps data on its shoppers. It knows what buying patterns there are. They noted that if someone came in for floss, they would spend on average about $12-$15 in impulse purchases walking through the store to get out. You all have ‘been there, done that’. So they figured as smart business people – hey, let’s capture all of the floss market (note that floss is hidden in the back – not a mistake). So they started to sell cotton floss BELOW wholesale. Yes – BELOW the price that an independent store could buy it at. They sell it cheaper than even they bought it to get you to come in, knowing that if you do – you will spend more than you intended and they will recoup that loss. They call that a loss leader. Smarter than advertising it is. And we all ‘bought it’.
So what happens at the independent needlework store? You don’t make that quick stop that day to buy five skeins of floss. When you don’t come in, you don’t see that new book, design, fiber, etc. that trips your fancy. You won’t see it in the big box. You don’t give the small store the $15 impulse buy you made at the big box. At the needlework store you would have spent it on silk floss, or hand-dyed linen, or something else which is UPSCALE and increases the market for needlework supplies. You spent it instead on something that is most likely mass produced in China or maybe a candy bar, glue and a magazine. None of that expands the industry – in fact the action of buying the floss at the big box helped to shrink the industry by diverting your impulse buys and small amount of excess cash outside the industry.
Then there are the subtle ripples that are quieted. I learned this big when a certain East Coast needlework seminar stopped being run. My business cut immediately in half that year and it has taken YEARS to recover. I was really confused – WHY did it have a such a devastating effect on me and many others in the industry? The ‘take’ from each seminar for me was not even 10% of that lost business. Well – it is the ripple effect.
When you go into a needlework store, usually you either see something that you like, are inspired, or are educated by the owner. You move UP the path of needlework enlightenment and try new things or more difficult things as your visits progress. You then blog, post, show at guild, tell friends, etc. about what you have seen or learned. This is the ripple effect. You have to share your excitement with others that weren’t there. They then get interested and make a purchase as well. This social aspect of the industry is the KEY to the vibrant health of the needlework supply and book base. When the numbers get below certain levels, companies are all in ‘survive’ mode and can not invest in new materials/colors/books/etc.
This is what the jacket project meant to me when it was proposed. A replacement for some of the events not held anymore that would inspire ripples. Jill remembers me saying at our first meeting how projects of this sort have the ability to rescue an industry that is teetering on the brink. It is well known now that the current quilting industry grew out of a landmark quilt exhibit in 1776 which spawned great interest in our national quilt heritage. I am very proud that this project has been bringing many who are new to embroidery and moving many along the path to needlework enlightenment. In the process, look how much knowledge and threads we have been able to bring back.
Now what can you do? I would say ‘boycot the big box’ but that would be hypocritical of me. Even knowing what I know, I have to buy some of my cotton floss there. You see, the distributors for such floss stopped carrying the stuff as they couldn’t make any money. I had to buy it wholesale at a higher price than I could do if I walked into a big box. It is a real pain now. For legacy kits, when we do a kit run I have to drive between all the big box stores in Boston and clean them out of a color. They don’t carry as much as I need in one store. So as much as I can, I have been flipping over to another line out of principle. Now you know why you can’t find that brand you are looking for in some independent needlework stores – they either can’t get it or won’t carry it because you won’t buy it at even the price they have to buy it at. And don’t shoot the brand – remember, they didn’t go into this willingly either. It was the big box that did it. Now they are trapped (and had to file reorganization bankruptcy two years ago to boot). A grand company who has done so much for embroidery history – trapped by our American need for cheaper goods.
What can you do? Just think before you make your decision to save a few cents. If you really are on that tight of a budget, just try not to impulse buy some glue and candy. If you aren’t on such a tight budget, consider going to your local independent needlework retailer and giving them a few extra cents for the same product. It makes more of a difference than you originally thought. Since we are in a recession, I would prefer my extra few dimes to go to support manufacturing jobs in the USA and Europe in a field that I love.
Tricia
Thank you for your candid posts about the ripple effect our actions have on the needlework industry. You’ve given me much to think about and the impetus to change some of my buying habits.
Well said. It takes a certain critical mass to keep an industry alive, it sounds like upscale embroidery supplies have been in danger of falling below that threshold for some time now, and large sections of it are already gone. It’s a real shame – it’s one of the most historically and culturally significant art forms, and it’d hurt the entire crafting community to lose it.
I can remember when DMC floss would not allow their product to be sold at a discount (even special sales were discouraged) and they would not wholesale to discounters. When that changed, I was quite upset–as were many shops who could not compete with the price favoritism the big-boxes received. I think it had a huge trickle-down effect.
I don’t shop at big-boxes for the most part (I don’t shop at all if I can help it, really). But their incursion and simple attrition (many shopowners have retired and no one is taking their place) mean that my local area has gone from several really nice independent shops to NONE. Now if I want floss, my only choices are crafts-related big-boxes. Or travel about 40 miles (or more) or mailorder.
(A different Mel from the other one)
This has been a huge frustration for me because I don’t use cotton floss at all except for washable projects and practice–90% of my needlework purchases are “specialty”, and there’s only one brick-and-mortar needlework store within 30 miles of me that I know of, with a so-so selection.
I order online a fair bit and am very grateful for Thistle Threads and other online specialty retailers, but there’s no substitute for browsing, so now I mostly end up stocking up when I visit my mom once a year. But even that store, which is very good, carries a limited range of filament silks. They’re just not that popular, even with embroiderers who use silk. And I worry that eventually they won’t be made at all, although I suppose the Japanese and Chinese embroidery market will probably at least keep flat filament silks available.
I want to thank you for what you have shared in the last 2 blogs. I didn’t realize the enormous effect the big box retailers and Amazon had on the things that I like to purchase. I am fortunate to have a very good needlework store, only 75 miles away. But it is worth the trip to be able to look at all the supplies. I would miss it if it were not there. After reading your blogs I will think about where I buy my supplies, and what those spending habits say to the discount retailers. I had already decided to try to avoid the big box places, but know that I MUST avoid them now. It will be harder to give up buy books at a discount, but buying those at the needlework store will also help keep them in business. Thank you for giving me much to think about, and to share with others.
Bravo! Tricia, for speaking openly and truthfully about market dynamics and subjects few folks talk or think much about. I tell everyone I can about the jacket project and how smitten I am with early 1600′s English embroidery. I work at a small independent niche quilt shop and teach some embroidery, sewing and cloth doll making. Not only are specialty stores and supplies harder to find, but also people who know sewing and stitching in depth. The jacket project has made me realize how fragile the skills and expertise in needlework are; they can be lost or watered down in a generation. So when the ripples start to diminish, we have to find ways to splash some more!
That was well written and I agree with all of it. One last note from a gal who works in a stitching store. Those extra cents you pay — pay for me. For me to be informed and ready to help you with your project. I love my job — but would not do it at a big box store. Reason number one — I like being treated as an adult human being. Second reason — big stores like that don’t have a job available where I could teach and be helpful to stitchers. I don’t fit in to the cost equation.
Thank you Tricia.
Yours,
Mary
Oh, this is a great thread – I have heard so many rumblings about Amazon, and it’s hard to resist the prices, but it’s harder still to know that soon we won’t be able to have needlework books because Amazon is NOT interested in furthering the publishing of such books – in fact, by discounting prices so much, they will soon stop them altogether, and they can get back to what they want to do – sell best-sellers at high prices. This is a hard truth to face. I know of several books I was looking forward to that were not done. Not always just because of this issue, but it factored in to everything. We will be sorry!
Julie
I read with great interest your post. However, I have to disagree with one statement you made. DMC went into their agreement with their eyes wide open. There are a few manufacturers who refused to make the changes the big box stores demand. Also, I could not believe when I read posts on boards about members going to those stores. Stitcher are responsible for what they chose to do and are now paying the consequences.
Hi Tricia,
I hope you find a great publisher for your book. I have found that the self-publishing route works well for me, partly because I was a book designer first, so can create a very professional looking book. I understand though, that self-publishing isn’t for everyone.
Yvette Stanton
Vetty Creations
Publishers of quality step-by-step needlework books
http://www.vettycreations.com.au/white-threads
I am one that refuses to go into the Walmarts in this world. I would never buy a fiber in there or at the Michael’s store. I appreciate the shopowners there are locally and shop them unless they cannot carry a particular line for cost reasons. I will then order via the internet from the store I know that carries that other line. I promote the 3/50 project on my blog and at the business I work at. Visit the 350project.net and check it out. Great article!
This is exactly why I support my local needle shop!!!
Thank you for always keeping us in the loop!
Hugs,
Margaret B
I’ve been stitching for over 30 years now. I do not shop the big box craft stores. I can’t. I can do lots of things, but stand around and look at stuff and walk the aisles are no longer in my repetoire. Even my LNS is a challenge. If it was not for mail-order I don’t know how I’d get my supplies. Thanks to a few brick and mortor shops with online catalogs I’m still able to get everything, or most everything, that I want and need — linens and silks, and the latest offerings of favored designers. My LNS is one that I support that way. I know that they are strugling some, but not as badly as others, simply because of the online cataloge. I’ve taught my daughter to stitch, but it’s not her ‘thing’. I hope to soon beging the basics with my granddaughter.
Great post! I agree with everything you said.
Thank you for the article. I do get my cotton floss from one of the big box stores because of the price. I am on a limited income, and really do have to spend my pennies wisely. I do not buy other products while I am there. I have 2 LNS within about an hour of my house. Both charge more than retail – one as much as 60 cents to $1.20/skein and $1.00 more for the charts. This starts to add up when you are kitting for a project. I realize why they do it. But it does make it harder to purchase from them rather than an online needlework shop. Usually I do purchase from both the local and online, as I do have to look around to find what I need for a project.
I have a limited income due to being disabled, so I buy my DMC floss from our local Michael’s. However, I buy charts, fabric, specialty threads etc. from online stores that also have a real life store somewhere. As I do not have an LNS close enough to me (closest is 2 hours away and I can’t physically make that car trip) I am forced to order most supplies online. If I do see a chart in Michael’s, I look for it online rather than purchase from them. I also refuse to by anything other than the floss I went in for.
Thank you for this article, I think it is something that stitcher’s should be aware of if they want their art/hobby/craft to continue to be as varied as it currently is. Though the variety is already suffering as 2 well known designers either have closed shop or are in the process of doing so.
i agree with you whole heartedly, I try to support my LNS as well as a favorite online shop as often as I can.There is only one left around my area and I can proudly say I have been a customer for about 18-20 years. I love the friendships as well as all the classes and stitching comraderie that is available there, not to mention alll of the stitching supplies that the big box does not carry. I find that the big box stores are not carrying as much stiching related supplies as they used to. Everthing is geared to quilting or paper craft. Thank you for your voice on this matter. BTW, I enjoy the “Tokens and Trifles” line.
Dusty
Thank you for the article. I agree completely. The big box stores did my local shop in.(I say local, it was 70 miles away) Now, I have to purchase on the internet. But I at least still do business with an independent shop for my needlework needs. I haven’t found one here in southern California that I like so I shop in northern California.
I really appreciate your blog entry on this issue! It is a very important one in America, particularly in this time of recession. Needlework is not the only upscale industry here, which has been hurt (or even destroyed) by American’s obsession with increasingly cheaper goods. Independent Booksellers, Shoe Designers and makers, TV & Electronics, Furniture, and Steel are just a few of the industries that have been reduced or eliminated via this process. (I think it’s criminal that the country which invented the transistor and the computer chip is now virtualy dependent on Asia to manufacture the goods WE invented). Loss of local manufacturing and sales companies, inevitably means less choice in the marketplace for most of us, and the loss of jobs and livelihood for the rest of us. So for several years now, I’ve avoided the “big box” stores, in favor of domestic, independent sources, whenever possible. The ripple effect mentioned in the original blog posting impacts more than just the Needlework industry! If we want to keep our jobs, our economy, and our independence, then we need to shop local companies – or at least domestic ones. Mortgaging our grandchildren’s futures by “running up big tabs” to OPEC, China, Japan, Malasia, etc., is an unacceptable way to live.
Tricia this is a very sore subject with me. I started out with floss in my eyes.
Ours is the only business that expects an owner to be the CEO, the CFO, the R&D department, Purchasing Department, Shipping Department, and every other sort of thing. As you, I’m still trying to clear some of the debt incurred years ago.
When I testified before a House Committee on the issue of Needlework Intelectual theft I tried to emphasize to the folks there that we are very small businesses, usually woman-owned businesses who “do everything” We hope the small incomes will help with the electric bill, the car payment, etc. With the downturn in the current economy those few pennies are hard to come by and badly needed.
My heart goes out to the small shop and every needlework shopper who contributes directly to the income of craft/needlework designers.
We all need to support each other – the small shop and the shoppers together demanding quality and service not thread that has been swished around the floor before it is sold at a discount price.
Linn Skinner
Skinner Sisters
What a great article. Fortunetly a local needlework store years ago turned me on to this problem and I almost always shop at the smaller independent stores. At first I found this hard to do being a “sale” person, but now I routinely buy all my thread and supplies along with my specialty thread and canvases at a needlework store, though it is 60 miles away.
Tricia, why do you really feel that you are “forced” to buy the floss for your kits at the big box stores? The reasons you give, cost and distributor, aren’t good enough. I just checked DMC’s website and they have 13 distributors listed for the USA alone.
YOU are the designer/teacher. YOU set the example for your students and future needleworkers. By driving around to all the big box stores to buy your floss, YOU are doing nothing more than driving another nail into the coffin of a grand needlework company that has been in business longer than any of us put together can remember.
I applaud your efforts to revitalize interest in fine needlework. However, I cannot support you if you insist in buying floss for your kits from the big box stores. I also am canceling plans to attend the Williamsburg seminar in December, and am seriously rethinking plans to visit the Jacket this summer.
I have never supported designers who sell their designs to the big box stores. Evidently I’m going to have to start asking teachers where they purchase their floss, too.
Yes, I feel that strongly on this subject. I’ve seen too many of the DMC fibers that I love discontinued, and too many wonderful independent shops close in my area.
Retired designer/teacher, learned when I was 2, and have loved needlework for almost 60 years now.