So ANGRY! WalMart ripping up and throwing out NEW unused patterns!

[aschnebly]

I am so upset and I don't know if I am just clueless, but I never figured anyone in their right MIND would ever do this.

I went to WalMart today to buy some fabric and some serger thread and what not and was looking through their patterns.  I picked out a couple, and the lady in the craft department asked if she could look at them and make sure they werent "some of the patterns I am supposed to throw away."  I was so confused and asked if they had a bunch of defective patterns or something.

She said No, that they have to do this every once in awhile to make room for new patterns.  I asked what she meant by "throw away," and if they could just go through the trash cans and pick out patterns they wanted or if they donated them or something.  She said, No, they have to RIP UP ALL THE PATTERN PIECES before they throw them in the garbage so no one can use them!!!  I was appalled!  What a WASTE!!! We know how expensive patterns can be.  They could be donated somewhere, like schools for home-ec, or fashion schools, or Goodwill or the Salvation Army... or atleast let the workers take them home!

I am so upset about this... should I be?  Arg... am I just clueless or does every place do this?  Have you ever heard of this before???

[kattghoti]

It's a corporate cover your six sort of thing...  Lots of stores do things like that.  For example, Jo-Ann throws away any ribbon or trim left over under 1 yard--even the fancy-pants beaded stuff...  I know I read or heard a reason why many big name companies don't donate (I think it had a lot to do with being held accountable, or perhaps something along the lines of not being able to give to all, so not giving to any at all...)

[motleykitten]

I know that A LOT of people on craftster butt heads with one another because there are the "pro-Walmart" craftsters and the "Walmart is evil" craftsters. Personally, I think WalMart are a bunch of buttfaces (not the employees, but the corporate people that make LOTS of dumb decisions, like employing unfair labor here and overseas, firing people who try to start unions because they treat their employees like dirt, blah blah blah). But chances are, even your most beloved "good" companies, like IKEA or Target, have something evil and cruddy going on somewhere within the corporation. My fiance works for Target, which I am ADDICTED to, and he told me that in the warehouse where he works, they only turn the fans on when it is 70 degrees or below, and his boss told all the workers to shut the doors and windows when it gets really hot to "keep the heat out." He said he wanted to tell the guy, "On a hot day, would you leave your dog or your child in a car, and roll up the windows to 'keep the heat out?'" On the other hand, Target donates TONS of money to schools, especially here in Minnesota where they are based. You never know- the order to shred the patterns could have come from a store manager who didn't know his butt from his elbow, or it could be company policy. As someone who recycles everything, won't use plastic bags, and other hippie-like crap, I would say that you should write to Wal Mart and tell them how you feel. They may not do anything, but that is the worst that could happen. If that is NOT company policy and an employee instructed another employee to do that, corporate offices will probably contact the store you went to and reinforce their policies. You may also want to suggest when you write that Target and other companies sell their old merch to places like Big Lots, dollar stores, and even Goodwill. There is a Goodwill by my house that has an agreement with Target to take their old stuff and their returns. That way, the stores can still make a profit. Also, corporations can get tax deductions if they give old merch to a charity or school. If you are really mad, just don't shop there... they are the #1 retailer in the world, so they don't seem to be suffering for customers! Thanks for speaking out on Craftster- a lot of people need to know about this kind of stuff, and maybe if enough people say something, they will change how they do stuff.

[Radioactivecrafter]

What I don't get is if they are making room for new patterns why would it matter if you bought some?

[Amethyst]

I know, it's really sad, isn't it? I used to work in a "sewing and notions" store (I loved that store) and it was just me and my boss. She was supposed to get rid of about 30 patterns, and it seemed like such a waste.

[jadey_mcshadey]

They're just covering their butts. If everyone knew that if we all stopped buying the patterns, they'd donate them to goodwill or whatever, no one would buy any patterns from them. It's like how newsagents distroy their old newspapers and magazines. They have to return the barcode and distroy the rest, it's their agreement with the publishers. They're not even supposed to give the old magazines to hospitals or even their staff.

[nico-tiro]

its terrible out there...  i think walmart sucks yes.

my boyfriend does office recycling, so he picks out tonnes of fresh virgin paper intact in their paper packages even super large poster size in different colors. furniture!, random new stuff like my cutting mat! and my cutting table!  and the best is he does recycling in chapters so we get all the best art, design, everything good magazines
WITH THE COVERS RIPPED OFF (so chapters can send the covers back and gets reimbursed)
its insane we have sooo many insane insane precious magazines. art forum, domus, couture fashion mags a whole season ahead! etc.

i buy second hand a lot. like just as much as i buy new things. bt recently i have been getting pikon/peeved at second hand places for being just as or even more expensive than new stuff. thats totally ok with me but even super junky dirty places. its weird. im definately definately more mad at the selfish gobbling monster corporations that are f^ck)ng us over.

[Misa]

I wonder if it's like the "If you've recieved this book without its cover on, it has been marked as destroyed, and neither the publisher nor the author has recieved any money for it." ... basically, do the pattern companies not get money for ones not sold?

[LRS]

My guess is that it is just like book publishing, just as jadey_mcshadey described.

If books are not sold, the store needs to return them and get credit.  The cost of packing and shipping books is prohibitive, and the publisher will not be able to sell them to anyone else (because they're shopworn or because the title just isn't selling.)  The publisher says "Rip off the covers (or the bar codes) and send them to us to show that they were not sold.  And promise that you will destroy the coverless books."  The store returns the covers and gets credit.  If the store sells or gives away the coverless books, they are stealing from the publisher because they already got credit.  The publisher doesn't want them given away because people will learn not to buy books - just wait and you can get them free.  To be fair, most publishers do give away lots of books.  But they do it in ways that they can control who gets them. 

I suspect that the pattern companies work the same way.  Once the pattern is discontinued, they probably get credit for unsold patterns, under an agreement that they will be destroyed.  It hurts to know that perfectly good patterns are torn up, but it's probably necessary and probably a policy of the pattern companies, rather than Walmart.

It's not a great system - but it seems to work. They need a way to sell patterns so that they make enough profit to keep developing new patterns, the stores make enough profit to give over all that floorspace to patterns, and the prices stay low enough so that we can all keep buying patterns. 

LRS

[aschnebly]

I guess I have calmed down a bit, but I will be writing Walmart... I am just sad that they threw all that stuff away it just seems like a waste in every sense of the word.  Maybe I could have asked for the torn up peices to use as bedding for our rat... atleast it would be better than just trashing it!