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Hobby Lobby doesn't cater to "our people"


TouchMeFall21

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FYI, an update from the mayor of Marlboro's Facebook page...

Marlboro Residents:

Today I had conversations with both the owner of Marlboro Plaza and senior executives at Hobby Lobby. I made them very aware of the concerns that were being raised by our residents. The Company assured me that they will revisit there holiday item buying in our area and would address any employees who gave the impression that somehow Hobby Lobby would not be welcoming to any segment of our population. Below is the email I just received from Hobby Lobby concerning that discussion. I am hopeful that the Company's stated intent will be fully realized.

"Dear Mayor Hornik,

Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. is currently working with our buyers over our merchandise selection. Our customers have brought this to our attention and 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.

Marlboro is a great city and has wonderful people and we are blessed to be apart the community.

Vince Parker

Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc."

So there's that. I'm actually in agreement with many of those who say that it's a store's prerogative to stock whatever they want--the Bed Bath and Beyond by me, for example, doesn't stock Chanukah items, so I know not to go there for Chanukah items (their loss--I'm in an interfaith marriage, so they're losing my business for Christmas items as well!). In this instance, it was the overall tone (combined with everything else we know to be true about Hobby Lobby) that made it so offensive. Also, it can't be stated enough... they must have done ZERO research into the area before they opened the store. Per the original article (and I don't know this exact statistic to be true, but it feels about right), the surrounding community is nearly 1/3rd Jewish. Why would you alienate the very people your business depends on?

Interestingly enough, I have a friend who used to work for a Michael's in the area, that's right on the border of an ultra-orthodox community. Michael's corporate used to marvel at their specific location, as their sales patterns were totally out of whack with virtually every other Michael's in the country--after Christmas, their next biggest holidays were Purim and Sukkot. So they stocked appropriately. Not that I believe that Michael's has any special affinity for the Jewish community, but they know their community. It just makes good business sense.

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I don't get offended when Hanukkah is excluded, because it's not that important of a holiday. I also choose not to participate in many Christmas activities, and have heard comments like, "but there's a menorah there too." Yea, so what? It's the Christian part I'm excluding myself from, but good on you for the menorah. :roll:

As far as Hobby Lobby goes, I agree with the comment that they need to train their staff on how to better respond to those inquiries. But it doesn't have a negative impact on me just because they don't stock the items.

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Smart businesses learn to cater to local market conditions. My local supermarket does this brilliantly. They'll have Midnight Madness sales right before Passover, arrange special hours to accommodate religious customers during the holiday (when shopping time is sometimes reduced to a matter of a few hours - last year, the first 2 days of the holiday, when you aren't supposed to be shopping, were followed by Good Friday, which was followed by the Jewish Sabbath, which was followed by Easter Sunday, for a total of 5 days when religious Canadian Jews would be unable to shop for groceries during their most food-obsessed holiday. The supermarket owner became a local hero by opening at special times.), put out separate flyers for each ethnic community, stock extra Asian foods for lunar new year, extra curry and basmati rice for Diwali, extra halal items for Eid, etc.

I'm fine with Hobby Lobby remaining stupid, though. I read their website, and looked at the organizations that they support. Those organizations are far more focused on missionary activities than service.

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Very good point.

I'm reluctant to assert that every store has to cater to every religion. I know WalMart and Target carry a lot of Christmas decorations but I've never really paid any attention to what other kinds of Holiday decorations they stock because I'm an atheist and only care about secular decorations. I wonder if there was a large Jewish chain of shops would they have to sell crucifixes?

There are so many reasons to hate Hobby Lobby but which decorations they sell seems a bit weak.

I don't know about Walmart but our local Target usually has a small Hanukkah selection around the holiday time. It's down in in the candle aisle. I just happened to notice when I was there a few years back.

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Can non-christians work there?

Not that any non-christian would want to.

One of the managers at my local Hobby Lobby is Muslim and wears a headscarf but does not veil her face.

Hadn't heard the Hanukkah story. I haven't been to HL for quite a while, but now I'm tempted to stick my head in and see what they have in stock.

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FYI, an update from the mayor of Marlboro's Facebook page...

Marlboro Residents:

Today I had conversations with both the owner of Marlboro Plaza and senior executives at Hobby Lobby. I made them very aware of the concerns that were being raised by our residents. The Company assured me that they will revisit there holiday item buying in our area and would address any employees who gave the impression that somehow Hobby Lobby would not be welcoming to any segment of our population. Below is the email I just received from Hobby Lobby concerning that discussion. I am hopeful that the Company's stated intent will be fully realized.

"Dear Mayor Hornik,

Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. is currently working with our buyers over our merchandise selection. Our customers have brought this to our attention and 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.

Marlboro is a great city and has wonderful people and we are blessed to be apart the community.

Vince Parker

Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc."

I know it is just a typo, but they do certainly seem to want to set themselves apart from the part of the community that isn't Christian, don't they?

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I think w/ any place they need to stock what their customers r going to need. Their r Shoprites (grocery store chain) all over New Jersery the ones that r in a large Jewish community have a huge Kosher section where as the ones that r not don't.

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i live about 20 min. away. When I heard they were in Marlboro I thought, that's interesting. Let's see how the local populace( including non-evangelicals who do not appreciate being preached at) react to their business model.

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Hold the phones. Where the hell is a good Christian woman supposed to get her supplies for her Hanukkah: Festival of Jesus Lights and Easter Passover Dinner? What will spiritually-gifted people like Lina do?!

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i live about 20 min. away. When I heard they were in Marlboro I thought, that's interesting. Let's see how the local populace( including non-evangelicals who do not appreciate being preached at) react to their business model.

I'm in New Jersery also I was also suprised that they would open one in Marlboro.

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Hold the phones. Where the hell is a good Christian woman supposed to get her supplies for her Hanukkah: Festival of Jesus Lights and Easter Passover Dinner? What will spiritually-gifted people like Lina do?!

If there is one thing we know about Fake Jew fundies, it is that they have an ingenious ability to create Fake Jewish holidays despite a lack of actual Jewish ritual objects. For example, Tabby's Passover celebration in which she used Ritz crackers instead of matzah.

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If there is one thing we know about Fake Jew fundies, it is that they have an ingenious ability to create Fake Jewish holidays despite a lack of actual Jewish ritual objects. For example, Tabby's Passover celebration in which she used Ritz crackers instead of matzah.

They really ARE crafty!

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Smart businesses learn to cater to local market conditions. My local supermarket does this brilliantly. They'll have Midnight Madness sales right before Passover, arrange special hours to accommodate religious customers during the holiday (when shopping time is sometimes reduced to a matter of a few hours - last year, the first 2 days of the holiday, when you aren't supposed to be shopping, were followed by Good Friday, which was followed by the Jewish Sabbath, which was followed by Easter Sunday, for a total of 5 days when religious Canadian Jews would be unable to shop for groceries during their most food-obsessed holiday. The supermarket owner became a local hero by opening at special times.), put out separate flyers for each ethnic community, stock extra Asian foods for lunar new year, extra curry and basmati rice for Diwali, extra halal items for Eid, etc.

I'm fine with Hobby Lobby remaining stupid, though. I read their website, and looked at the organizations that they support. Those organizations are far more focused on missionary activities than service.

If they want to be stupid, thats fine. My money will just go elsewhere. I will not step foot in a particular Kroger because they refuse to stock passover items. I requested them, was promised them, and when the time came I was told that the store decided not to stock them because they did not believe they would be profitable. They offered me some Matzoh that said "not kosher for passover" in huge letters on the side of the box. Thats fine, its been 6 years and every saturday I drive right by that store to Publix a mile away. They have appropriate food for every Jewish holiday.

I wont force a store to cater to me, but if they choose not to my money goes to someone who will.

As a side note... Costco rarely has anything for Hanukkah. Once I saw a big bag of gelt, but thats all I can remember. I highly doubt that it has anything to do with trying to keep out "those people," just a marketing decision due to limited items. They generally have Purim and Passover food. I love me some costco!

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I've only been in a Hobby Lobby store once. It was ten years ago before I graduated from high school. A relative suggested to my mom about buying grad party decorations there. We went and bought stuff there. I remember the store being a dirty. There are a few HL stores in the city I live, but I won't go ever go them.

I agree with another person who said that the "we don't cater to you people" thing is awful. I have also seen Hanukkah stuff in a Target store.

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There is a hobby lobby within walking distance from where I live. I have not found a reason to go there yet. There is a Michael's across the street from HL and I know where the good yarn store is. I have everything I need without having to step foot in HL.

I love Michael's! We don't have a Hobby Lobby nearby, but I certainly wouldn't go if we did.

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I don't know about Walmart but our local Target usually has a small Hanukkah selection around the holiday time. It's down in in the candle aisle. I just happened to notice when I was there a few years back.

Ours also has a Passover section. I bought a kids melamine Passover seder plate there when my son was attending a Jewish school. Ours has a pretty sizable Chanukkah section as well; I used to get party supplies for the school's Chanukkah party there.

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I'm in New Jersery also I was also suprised that they would open one in Marlboro.

I just read that they are planning to open one by QuakerBridge Mall (outside Princeton).

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In my area (metro NY/Long Island), it would be a challenge to find a mass-market store that DOESN'T carry items for the major Jewish holidays, Hanukkah/Chanukah and Passover at the very least. K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, every major grocery store, card stores, you name it. They all have a selection of goods, in some cases, quite extensive. Given the heavy Jewish population it would be stupid not to accommodate their Jewish clientele, purely for economic reasons. (Economic reasons are also why schools are closed for the High Holy Days and throughout Passover around here. Too many students and teachers would be absent for it to make sense to remain open.) I see this kind of accommodation all over the place on LI, for various religions and ethnic groups. For example, in areas with strong Indian populations, mainstream grocery chains carry a large selection of Indian foods, and so on and so on. True, you won't find some of the more exotic items, but every ethnic and religious group has its own stores that fill in the gaps (but these are often lacking some of the basics you'd find in the chain stores).

If a store, especially a chain as large as HL, opens in an area with a significant ethnic or religious population (which I'm sure they're aware of, since you just don't open stores by throwing darts at a map) and then proceeds to marginalize that population, well, as much as it's their right to do so, it just smacks of arrogance to me. While I wouldn't be offended, I would probably be annoyed and I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to patronize that store. I'd much rather give my money to a shop that actually values the people in the community, even if it only benefits their bottom line.

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Ours also has a Passover section. I bought a kids melamine Passover seder plate there when my son was attending a Jewish school. Ours has a pretty sizable Chanukkah section as well; I used to get party supplies for the school's Chanukkah party there.

The Target near me always has a pretty sizable selection for Passover and Chanukkah. I've never noticed anything extra for other Jewish holidays, but for those two Target does seem to make an effort.

We also have a relatively large Jewish population near here, so it makes sense that they would try to cater to the local demographics.

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In my area (metro NY/Long Island), it would be a challenge to find a mass-market store that DOESN'T carry items for the major Jewish holidays, Hanukkah/Chanukah and Passover at the very least. K-Mart, Wal-Mart, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, every major grocery store, card stores, you name it. They all have a selection of goods, in some cases, quite extensive. Given the heavy Jewish population it would be stupid not to accommodate their Jewish clientele, purely for economic reasons. (Economic reasons are also why schools are closed for the High Holy Days and throughout Passover around here. Too many students and teachers would be absent for it to make sense to remain open.) I see this kind of accommodation all over the place on LI, for various religions and ethnic groups. For example, in areas with strong Indian populations, mainstream grocery chains carry a large selection of Indian foods, and so on and so on. True, you won't find some of the more exotic items, but every ethnic and religious group has its own stores that fill in the gaps (but these are often lacking some of the basics you'd find in the chain stores).

If a store, especially a chain as large as HL, opens in an area with a significant ethnic or religious population (which I'm sure they're aware of, since you just don't open stores by throwing darts at a map) and then proceeds to marginalize that population, well, as much as it's their right to do so, it just smacks of arrogance to me. While I wouldn't be offended, I would probably be annoyed and I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to patronize that store. I'd much rather give my money to a shop that actually values the people in the community, even if it only benefits their bottom line.

Have to agree with you!! I went to college in Long Island. Do u mind me asking where on the Island do u live? I do of one town who did not give the students off for the Jewish Holidays till they got a ton of Jewish teachers and then started to because they would have any teachers. My sister is a teacher in Queens, NY she has an Orthodox co-worker. They are VERY accomding to her.

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My local big box chain stores are in Skokie, IL which is a super Jewish area. They all have significant kosher sections and carry stuff for the major holidays.

That being said...for a living I work in the wide world of retail real estate, and I can guarantee Hobby Lobby knew exactly what kind of market they were opening their store in. When your big chain stores are looking at dirt to build on or stores to open, they either have a research department or they contract the work out to a company that drills down into the nitty gritty details of who lives in this community. Apparently something about this area told them that even with a significant Jewish population that they would have a profitable store.

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I've usually been thwarted in my attempts to go to Hobby Lobby by them being closed on Shopping Day. And when I have gone, their nonexistent stock control system is so fucking ridiculous I regret it. Takes ages to check out, they can't check on stock levels for you, and no returns by swiping your card.

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I haven't gone to Hobby Lobby since I found out [link=http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/7/23/82357/4096/843/361219]it's not just a Christian but a Dominionist business.[/link]

Like I said - I'd be happier if Hobby Lobby did NOT start to stock Jewish items, because I'd rather not have the profits from Jewish items directly into causes which are directly at odds with our values and which may even be used to target people for conversion.

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