caspharm

An online shop usually has less overhead than a brick and mortar store. It also depends on the market for a certain item at a time, like for groceries, it may be a seasonal effect, or how much buying power (i.e. quantity the store can purchase) like WalMart that buys large quantities, or when a new line comes out - then the old line gets marked down. However, I am sure that chains will adjust their prices to their audience to some degree.

Also, look at what stores are where. Large chains, including the Dept stores, will always research where their audience is before moving into an area.

Most LQS are independent and do not have the buying power the chains have. Therefore, they will pay a higher wholesale cost, which then means their customers pay more. They also usually can't get the same kind of rent or utility deals the larger guys get.

Wonnie

Sorry, but if I can go to one LQS and get quality, name brand fabric for $6.96 to $9.96 a yard and go to another one of similiar volume that sells the same quality, name brand fabric for $11.95 to 15.95 a yard I'm looking at someone who wants to charge as much as they can get away with and if they end up closing, so be it. If you lower the price it increases volume sold. How are you making money if you price something at $12.95 a yard and noone buys it as opposed to the person who sells it at $6.95-$9.95 a yard and sells all of it. What is the rationale?

On a recent thread I read where one woman said she made 21 charity quilts a month...really? She must be a whole lot better off than I am when you consider she not only pieces the front but buys the batting for 21 quilts and the backing as well. It's to the point where some won't even be able to make quilts for charity anymore.

justflyingin

And the LQS isn't unique in this situation. The same goes for hardware stores, small home-owned restaurants, etc. It isn't just LQS. I think a lot of people who own LQS just have no idea how to run a business and how to get the sales in there. I can't say that I know the best either, but if they are marking up the fabric 2x their cost (for example, they pay $3, we pay $9/yard), etc. there seems like there should be room for more sales than they typically have.

But if they are happy with their amount of volume, then who am I to say anything? Most of us need to watch our outgo and at $12/yard we have had to severely cut our purchases--and possibly not even go into LQS due to the temptation factor. At least that was me last time I visited the states. I went into a couple of LQS and spent $100 at each one. Then, I just couldn't afford to go in anymore--they were just too tempting, but so expensive.

purplefiend

I hardly buy any fabric any more, its just too expensive for what I'm getting. The fabric seems like its getting narrower than it was before. I have a big fabric stash and I'm using more of it lately.
Sharon

Zinda

Same thing in South Korea when I visited several years ago. I found some of my "prized" pansy fabric for less than $2.00 a yard and was paying a round $9 here in the states.

Rose_P

It's that same labor that's producing most of the fabric in your local shop, but there are a lot of people between that fabric plant in Asia and the shelf in your lqs - lots of people who helped get that piece of fabric into your hands and expect to make a living doing it. The shop has overhead that is presumably way higher than the vender in Thailand has, too. The cotton is often grown in the US, then shipped to Asia where it's processed, woven and dyed. So you're paying for a round trip in addition to all the laborers.

Both of our lqs's have closed in recent months, and this is an affluent area that easily supports all sorts of marginal businesses. We have plenty of quilters, too - more than 250 in the local guild. If you like having a shop near you, I wouldn't recommend a boycott. You will not succeed in driving the price down. You'll simply risk forcing them to give up or operate online only.

There's a book, The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy, and while it's not quilt fabric, a lot of the same factors are at work in the fabric we use. Ironically, t-shirts are often ridiculously cheap. One reason the LQS can charge more is that the big box stores that sell lots of t-shirts don't bother to compete in selling quality fabric. That's because they don't find it economical to have a worker on hand to meet the relatively little demand. Almost everybody buys t-shirts, while few people buy fabric these days. The best thing you can do for the price of fabric is to get lots and lots of other people interested in the hobby.

redbreast

Good Question! I guess it is the same reason that everything else is so high in the United States. All along the way need to take their bite out of the price. As for boycotting the Quilt stores--you know what happens then. The quilt stores go out of business because they cant make a living. I have had two wonderful stores close for that very reason. I really miss the store so what is the answer I wish I knew.

ManiacQuilter2

Isn't THAT the truth. Just like the price of gasoline !!

katesnanna

Nobody goes into business to make a loss. We have free choice as to whether we pay the asking price or not. Go back to the start of quilting in USA which is what most of us think of when quilting is mentioned. Didn't your pioneers use what ever was available.
I agree it's a shame the prices keep going up but, the LQS and distributor have import duties,taxes, overheads , employees wages and lord knows what else to pay before they get the fabric on their shelves. Here in Australia the price for a metre of fabric is $20.00 and upward in the LQS which I can't afford if I'm giving the quilts away. I will go out of my way to check out fabrics & prices should I hear about bargains & sales. Not too far.
I've been buying from the states for years. I've bought from Online stores, bricks & mortar shops and individuals here on QB as well as eBay. I have never had any problem except two instances here in Australia when I was first using ebay. These days I mainly buy from online stores or bricks & mortar shops in USA. Just recently BFF & I bought a box of Fairy Frost which was selling for $3.60 or $4.40 a yard. This is our favourite fabric. I love doing machine embroidery on Fairy Frost. Over here it cost $25 - $30 a metre.
Apart from that I hadn't bought any fabric for ages. I have a huge stash for which I'm grateful as my circumstances changed and I need to be more frugal with my dollars. BFF has had some fabulous finds in the Op shops. I've bought some fabulous fabrics from other members right here on the QB. Remember, where there's a will there's away. OK you may not be able to buy the latest collections but with a little research you can still quilt.

Happy quilting to everyone.

Stitchit123

I have not bought ANY quilting fabric in what will be 3 yrs come 2/26/14. Well I needed a lousy 1/2 yd of the same orange fabric from JoAnn's 2 wks ago and it was going to cost me more then the 5 1/2 yds.I had originally bought. I decided on a different border. My stash will last me the rest of my life and if I do run out of yardage there will always be all my 1yd and smaller pieces and the ever increasing supply of scraps..