As I neared the cutting table the noise became more distinct and LOUD---and I could readily see the source. I'll just let you use your imagination. These boys were doing everything but running on the cutting table (something tells me that would have been next). They were wrestling, running, knocking down fabric, wrapping themselves up in fabric, running into people etc. The Mother clearly couldn't control them. The young female associate at the cutting table was rolling her eyes in disgust. Others were staring, mouths gaped wide. And at some point, one of the boys ran into me while running from his brother. Then they went running behind the cutting counter. It was PURE chaos! I mean, I have never wanted to leave Jo-Ann's but I did that day. I did all but run out of that store!!! Had this been a Wal-Mart the behavior would have been appalling but yet somehow fathomable (we all know that strange stuff always happens in Wal-Mart---LOL!!!) But NO, it wasn't Wal-Mart, it was my beloved fabric store and this behavior was just plain unacceptable!!!
I don't mean to over hype the situation but it wasn't until that very moment that I realized the sense of reverence I feel when I walk into a fabric store. Ok, Jo-Ann's is really a craft store but the only things I seem to care about are the fabrics, patterns, notions---all things sewing. Ok, I digress. In all honesty IT IS MY HAVEN. It's my place of calm when I've had a bad day or when I need to just get away from the rest of the world and surround myself with lovely textiles. Heck, I don't really need a reason to go. I just love how soothed it make me feel. And at the same time it's my place of exuberance and excitiement. It can make my heart flutter and beat fast all at the same time. So many fabrics to see. So many patterns to match with the right fabrics. So much to see and think about it. My eyes and brain move from project to project. Nothing excites me and yet simultaneously brings me so much peace!
And to think, those 2 young boys really disrupted the peace & calm of that day. That was the worst experience I've ever had at a fabric store. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Sigh, ............exhales. Well you know what they say, "boys will be boys". And in all reality it wasn't the boys fault--the mother should have been a better disciplinarian. I am happy for the fact that that day did made me realize how much I love my local fabric store. It will always be my place of solace and I will always hold a reverential respect laced with lots of love for it.
So my question for you is "What's the WORST experience you've had at a Fabric/Craft store???
It sounds like you really did have a bad experience!! I understand the frustration because I like to unwind at Joann's when I go as well. As far as my own bad experience, I shopped at Joann's with my niece and her friend (a young man I met for the first time). Both of them were teenagers at the time, and we were looking for a pattern to sew pajamas for my niece. Anyhow, she was holding my 10 month old daughter when she suddenly looked at me, said "here, take her," and as soon as I grabbed my daughter she started to say how she felt lightheaded. She then laid on the floor in the middle of the store, and began to draw some attention to us.
ReplyDeleteA lady came up and started to panic. She kept asking, is she ok? does she need a pillow? I'll get a pillow! Being a nurse (and knowing my niece) I figured she was suffering from low blood sugar. I told the lady to get a pillow, gave my cart full of items to the young man I barely knew who was with my niece, and went to get my niece water, and something to eat.
Long story short, my niece ended up being ok, except for the fact that when we left the store, the young man got into his truck only to find that it wouldn't start, and he needed me to give him a jump!! It was quite an experience. We laugh about it now, but it was not funny when it happened!!
I'm so sorry you had this bad experience. I'm a mother of three boys and I have to disagree with your comment 'boys will be boys'. I consider this to be purely down to bad parenting. My boys were brought up with discipline and would never behave in that manner. If they had I would have left the store with them myself. Just terrible. I feel so badly for you that your pleasant shopping time was ruined.
ReplyDeleteI can understand your frustration. I have had similar experiences in Singapore. We have a store similar to Joanns called Spotlight in Singapore. It is my heaven for some peace and inspiration time (me time!). However, there is always a child or ever adult who will destroy the piece by talking loud on the phone or misbehaving! It is very frustrating but I do the best I can not to get agitated! I feel that some people should not have children at all! I know it's harsh but it is how I feel!
ReplyDeleteI would have been offended and disgusted no matter what store I was in! The behavior of those boys was horrible, and the mother was worse for allowing it. Did she even try to control them?!?!?
ReplyDeleteSometimes I take my husband into Joann's with me and I'm shocked by his behavior. ;)
ReplyDeleteMy worst experience? Going to Joann with out any money and seeing a gajillion things I want! LOL!! It's also my getaway place. Here's my experience: My son is 11 and he came with me to Joann. He loves to draw so he heads over to the art section when we get there. He just learned how to whistle so, he does it aaalll the time. He's not good at all. That day he wouldn't stop. You could hear it all over the store. I was a the pattern table with about 7 women (sale day) and one lady said - That is soooo annoying. I fessed up and apologised to everyone at the table. Here he comes, whistling loudly-no tune, and the first word out of his mouth were - MOMMY! We all laughed - I'm so glad I claimed him and apologized - I started to act like I didn't hear it. LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteWorst experience was in Beloit, Wisconsin, years ago, when the cutting assistant tried and tried to talk me out of buying a piece of fabric that she thought was ugly (i.e., it had color and pattern). I wore the dress I made out of that fabric proudly and defiantly.
ReplyDeleteMy worst experience IS JoAnns. They have the longest lines here!!! Then I'm stuck behind the lady who is having 50 pieces of fabric cut while the other lady at the cutting counter has tons of questions for the other employee, who ends up on the phone for 20 minutes to help that person. They should have a line for the people who need an hour at the cutting table and line for the people who have less than 5 cuts. Seriously, I went in for one little thing- lining. I got my fabric and stood in line (I was the only person waiting) for 30 minutes. To top that off, when the lady with 50 fabric cuts (I kid you not, she had 2 carts full of cut fabric) was finally done, the lady helping her asked if she needed help to the checkout line. So she took off. I had to wait even longer. Then she got back and started chatting it up with another employee about whether or not someone was mad. Totally ignoring the now growing line of people waiting for fabric to be cut. And the other employee at the cutting counter was still on the phone for the other customer. It's a good think I didn't have my kids with me or I'd have let them run wild just to spite the employees at the store! Okay, maybe not, because my children behaving is of most importance to me.
ReplyDeleteI worked in a fabric store for a few years. I have seen:
ReplyDelete- families who won't/cant control thier kids
- a man peeing in the store
- a couple of injuries from fainting/tripping
- stolen whole bolts of fabric
We were pretty adamant that the misbehaving kids be kept under control, and I argued and or kicked some of the customers out of the store!
Hmmm, a man peeing in the store?????? That takes things to a whole new level of gross...
ReplyDeleteI don't get this 'rowdy child' phenomenon. My children are NEVER rowdy. They properly fear me. Clearly those children didn't get the death speech my mother gave me in the parking lot of any store. Those children would have stood still like soldiers if they would have heard 1/2 the things my mother said. But, alas, it's out of fashion to discipline children....
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do not have any children yet, I will check a child in a minute for bad behaviour. I am a teacher and have a short wick for foolishness. I was in Target a month ago at customer service making a return. Three kids, roughly 7-9 years old, were running around the front entrance area like they were outside; they were loud and obnoxious. After witnessing this all of 30 seconds, I very sternly said, "Hey, hey, hey. STOP IT! This is not a playground!" They were shocked and did not know what to do. They looked at me, looked at each other, and then walked away, quietly. Later, I found them lying on the floor rolling a rubber ball to each other. SMH No home training.
ReplyDeleteL
I had asimilar experience at Joann's this past weekend, but it was a group of teenage girls. They were belching, singing loudly, dancing. The belching is what disgusted me the most they were high five-ing each other for the best one. The adult woman with them did not say anything.
ReplyDeleteI am pretty sure it is a problem that mostly occurs in the US- this inability for children to behave in public (and in private). I think it is mostly because parents are lazy. It takes far more work to teach your children and then follow through with the consequences when the disobey or misbehave than to just ignore them. Parents these days also want their kids to like them, so they let them get away with everything. I'm not my kids' friend, I'm their mom. They can like me when they have their own kids and realize how life really is!
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, it's not just in the US - it's just as bad in Canada. Fortunately, my favorite fabric store is HUGE, so people "disappear" within the store - it's great :-) Also, there are very few kids there, and those that are, seem to be well behaved.
DeleteWhen I when I was a teenager, I worked at a sewing store that had round tables. Children would run around under the tables. They were not strong and often tipped and fell when the weight was not balanced. It was so frustrating when parents would ignore our warnings. It was the early 80's, so we no longer have to worry about tables like that, but the children hiding in fabrics are still around.
ReplyDeleteHow about adults behaving badly? When I worked in a fabric store, there was one frequent customer who would move the fabric she liked to a different part of the store so no one would buy it. Then she would return when the fabric was on sale so she could buy it. Of course, all of us who worked there would just move it back to where it belonged.
ReplyDeleteAlso, in response to LinB who had an employee try to talk her out of a fabric, my co-worker taught me the best response when you don't like a fabric - "those are pretty colors." Worked every time!
Hummph!!!! My worst exsperience at Joann's happen last Saturday. My local Joann's is closing and moving to a bigger store that is farther away. I went to Joann's to see if there were any Simiplicity patttern that I didn't need. No one told that it was closing and saleing off everything in the store! I was so upset I couldn't look thru all the pattern drawers to see what I could find. Now mind you all the major 4 patterns were on sale for a $1, even Vogue. I'm really upset because the location was ideal for me. I could take public transportation or have my husband drive me. The new location means that I have to get my husband to take me, and girls we know what means.
ReplyDeleteNo, it's not just the US, parenting these days has taken a turn to let children do whatever they want. I swear some parents go shopping at stores just so they don't have to put up with the screeching yelling obnoxiousness themselves.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, I so would have left that store right away!!!! I just cannot handle something like that! I'd have to say I've never had such a bad experience in a Fabric store!
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