To “showroom” is to take advantage of the services of a store with the intention of learning about all the benefits and features of a product and then go elsewhere ( often online) to purchase them for a discounted price. Can I be frank?…. this is SHITTY behavior.
In a quilt store this often takes the form of a customer coming in, looking over the new fabrics and then sometimes without even waiting to get out the door popping online and surfing the fabric discounters and ordering the fabric for a few dollars less all the while having taken advantage of the sales help, free coffee and time of the local quilt store that is doing it’s damdest to keep the doors open.
I think we all know what the Dowager Countess would have to say about this shameful sort of behavior and if right now you are feeling a bit antsy, flushed or guilty it might time to think about why it is important to put this practice to a stop if you want to continue to see local quilt stores as part of your city and state.
Sure, good fabric is expensive and I am never going to tell you to scrimp on quality. If you are bothering to do a project then why not invest in the very best. If your budget is limited work on a complex, intense quilting project that takes time and attention as opposed to “quilt in a day” sort of projects that are gone and done way too soon.
Your LQS can’t say this but I can. They can’t survive much longer when customers don’t put a priority on shopping at full price. There is NO SIN in paying full price. The margins on fabric are wicked thin leaving little room to discount when you have the costs associated with retail – rent and employees and taxes to cover all from the price of that charm pack that was $3 cheaper on that daily discount offer that shows up in your email box each morning.
Am I throwing some shade.. yeah I am. I am wildly tired of hearing people bitch about how few quilt stores there are anymore and then see them brag on Facebook about their newest package from online-deep-discounter.com. YOU CAN’T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS.
And maybe it is not you… maybe you are one of those amazing customers who understands how hard it is to run a quilt shop, and you use your fabric budget no matter how large or small to the benefit of your LQS… and if you are I THANK YOU!
I also understand that your local shop can’t always have everything, they understand that as well. So when you do shop online find another independently owned shop and buy from them and let them know just why…it will mean something to them. There is nothing wrong with having a quilt store in your mail box, just do your best to know where your money is going when you do.
Do your part online and in your guilds to squash the idea that LQS’s are out to screw over the average quilter. Call-out people on their cheap-minded behavior and be a champion of your local shop… they might not say it but right now they need you more than ever.
