Celebrate Hannukah with Hobby Lobby's competitors

[Tanuki]

There was another thread yesterday about the refusal of the Hobby Lobby craft store chain to carry Hannukah-themed merchandise. Hobby Lobby was already well known to be run by right-wing idiots who have poured tens of millions of dollars into troglodyte organizations, so no self-respecting DUer should have been patronizing them anyway. However, I did a google search and found that two of their main competitors on a national scale, Michael's and Jo-ann's, each have a selection of Hanukkah-related fabric, crafts, decorating, etc. items. I think I will make a point of buying something from each of them this year, and I'm not even Jewish.

(from the Jo-Ann's website):
[img]?sw=556&sh=680&sm=fit[/img]

[Mass]

1. I went once to Hobby Lobby and I was turned off by the Christian merchandise all over, particularly

as no other religion was represented. It was the first time in a very long time I felt uncomfortable in a store. They wont see me again, I can buy my beads elsewhere.

[RockaFowler]

3. That and the junk made from China

I guess they are OK with that crapola

God forbid you have any other religion in your store

Michael's is a better store anyway . . .

[burnsei sensei]

2. It's one thing to be Christian, and another to be anti-Semitic.

We are not living in medieval times.
I suppose HL is free not to carry merchandise that would facilitate celebrating Channukah, but what abject historical and theological ignorance their attitudes represent!

[Tanuki]

4. I forgot to suggest the obvious alternative:

supporting any locally-owned, "mom and pop" crafts stores in your community!

[Orrex]

5. I have only one concern about this

I don't shop at Hobby Lobby because I find their selection sub-par, their prices excessive, and their in-your-face Go Jesus! vibe to be more than a little creepy.

However, I read this story about "your people" three times as first-person accounts, all within about two hours via wholly separate channels. My baloney detector causes me to question the reality of it, simply because the timing of the multiple stories is so conspicuously odd.

[Tanuki]

6. Don't know about the specific comment, but it appears to be true that they don't carry Hannukah

items. They also seem to be responding to the bad press:
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/228656

..."Hobby Lobby, the fast-growing U.S. crafts chain, is re-evaluating its merchandise strategy in the wake of a report that claims the chain refused to stock Hanukkah goods due to its founder's "Christian values.".....

A company spokesperson offered the following statement to Entrepreneur.com today:

Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. is currently working with our buyers over our merchandise selection. Due to multiple customer requests, we are currently evaluating our Holiday items and what we will carry in the future.

Alleged comments made by employees are currently being investigated and will be addressed accordingly. These comments are in no way indicative of Hobby Lobby culture, the owners and the operators.".....


Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/228656#ixzz2gTwNRTol

[Orrex]

7. Yeah. I wouldn't have believed it, but their webpage doesn't even recognize the word.

If you search for "Hanukkah," it suggests "hankies" instead.

Well, I didn't like shopping there anyway.

[Gothmog]

8. I have been boycotting this company for a while

I am Jewish and now have yet another reason to ignore this company

[liberal_at_heart]

9. I have never shopped at Hobby Lobby. Never will.

[BuddhaGirl]

10. I've shopped online with this company....great prices!

http://www.orientaltrading.com/

They seem to have everything!!

[otohara]

11. They Have No Problem Buying From Communist Country

Hobby Lobby has been dead to me for years.

[jmowreader]

12. Hobby Lobby needs to change its name...

...to "Christian World." About five months ago I was having some film processed and decided to kill a few minutes by browsing the Hobby Lobby next door...if you were to reset the store into overtly-Christian and not-overtly-Christian departments, the overtly-Christian department would easily be twice the size of the other. Worse, the stuff in the NOC department can, in most cases, be used to make a Christian-themed project. There's nothing in there I would want that I can't get in a store that far to the right.

[DevonRex]

13. My son worked at Hobby Lobby for awhile. They lock them all in at night

at closing until the manager is satisfied that every department is exactly the way it's supposed to be. So employees who are finished with work and are already clocked out (they have to clock out) gather at the locked entrance and just wait. Unpaid. As long as it takes for the jerk manager to close up and set them free.

Employees also work on Sundays. They take inventory every other Sunday. So HL's shtick about being closed so families can worship is bullshit. They're too cheap to hire inventory personnel or inventory software. Employees literally count thousands of doodads and thingamabobs by hand and mark the totals in pencil on paper. That's because Hobby Lobby doesn't even use bar codes. That's right. They are afraid of bar codes.

[Zorra]

14. I've never even seen a Hobby Lobby, but have purchased stuff from both Michael's

and Jo Ann's in the past.

Hobby Lobby is now on the boycott list, right next to Barilla pasta.

Shalom!

[Tommy_Carcetti]

15. I've never even heard of Hobby Lobby until today.

Apparently there are over 500 stores nationwide and 24 in my state, yet I've never seen one in person, being advertised or spoken of by a third party.

Is that weird?

[Pretzel_Warrior]

16. WTF is Hobby Lobby? And why should I care?