Are you a Joann’s Fabric fanatic? Here are seven secrets to shopping there to maximize your savings!
There are a few stores that I frequent on a regular basis. One of those is Jo-Ann Fabric. I feel like there’s always something I need to get there, and I typically end up leaving with more than I went in for. It’s just one of those places that you can’t escape with just one thing!
Around where we live, Jo-Ann’s is pretty close to several other craft stores, but it’s just about the only one I go to.
They have the best selection of fabric, and I think they almost always have everything I need. I remember going to Jo-Ann’s all the time with my mom when I was growing up, and, to be honest, I think we almost always go there at least once when I’m visiting.
You could probably say I found my love for JoAnn’s from her!
Since we are having a handmade Christmas series this whole month, I thought I’d share a few ways to shop at Jo-Ann Fabric and get the most bang for your buck.
You can get craft and sewing supplies, gifts, and even supplies for making yummy treats, so I think this is pretty essential information for the upcoming holiday season!
Joann’s Fabric Best Shopping Tactics
Joann’s Fabric Coupons
My philosophy for shopping at Jo-Ann Fabric is this – always use a coupon and use as many as you can. If you walk into that store without one, then you’ve already made one mistake!
There are so many ways to coupon at Jo-Ann’s, it’s silly not to have at least one. Not every coupon can be used on every product, so be sure to check the fine print, but I think you can definitely save a bundle.
You can use a different coupon per product you are buying, so you definitely want to round-up all the coupons you can!
Text Club
If you have a phone (even if it’s not a smartphone), this is the easiest way to save some extra cash. I think I get a coupon every week from them, and it’s usually a pretty good one.
For instance, last week I got a 25% off entire purchase, including sale prices! Most coupons exclude sale prices, so that was pretty awesome. Some of the fabric I was getting was already 40% off, so that additional 25% made it even more affordable.
You can register your number here.
Mobile App
I love my JoAnn’s Fabric mobile app. It has a few different features, but the coupon part is the best. There’s always a handful of coupons at all times, and it’s very handy — especially when you forget your other coupons at home!
The only downside is when you don’t have very good service on your phone, you might have a hard time pulling up the coupons. For whatever reason, Jo-Ann’s stores always seem to have bad service. Don’t ask me why!
There is an app available for both iOS and Android devices.
Joann Smiles
This is a new program Joann’s recently started. It’s a rewards program meant to help out frequent shoppers. You need to download the mobile app, and then whenever you checkout, make sure they scan the Joann Smiles barcode.
Eventually, you will start to get personalized coupons, cashback offers, and more. It’s pretty cool! You can read more about it here.
Ibotta
I just found out that Ibotta has Jo-Ann’s rebates! If you haven’t been using Ibotta, download it now. You get cash back for certain purchases. I’ve seen great rebates, such as 10% back for your whole purchase.
It’s a free app for Android and iPhone devices. This can be used on top of all your other coupons, as the rebates are done after you’ve made your purchase.
Plus if you are a new user, you can get $10 back after your first qualifying rebate!
Joann’s Online Coupons
There are always coupons available on the Jo-Ann website. While this is usually the last place I go to get coupons (just because I don’t like wasting our ink), I definitely print one off when I have quite a few different items I am going to get. There’s usually two or three that you can print off.
You can go here for their printable coupons!
Mailer
I can’t remember if it’s every month or every week, but Jo-Ann’s sends out a great ad in the mail that not only alerts you to current deals, but it’s full of coupons as well.
I always look forward to my mailer coming in the mail each week. You can sign up to be a VIP member (and get 10% off every purchase), and it looks like you can actually sign up for their text club, birthday club, and email club there as well.
They sometimes send out coupons in email form, as well, so that’s a great thing to sign up for as well.
Competitor
This is one of my favorite ways to coupon — using competitor coupons! I almost always use a coupon from either Michael’s or Hobby Lobby when I shop at Jo-Ann Fabric.
I believe that as long as the other stores sell a similar product to what you are using the coupon on, you can use the coupon.
For instance, Michael’s doesn’t sell fabric, so you can’t use a Michael’s coupon on fabric, but you can use it on most everything else.
All in all, coupons are essential for successful Jo-Ann Fabric shopping! I’ve been known to use between 5 and 10 coupons at a time there. It really makes things more affordable.
Discount Programs
Jo-Ann’s has a bunch of programs you can sign up for that will give you a discount. I used to be a part of their student program, and I believe I got 10 or 15 percent off of all my purchases. I know they have a senior citizen discount program, a birthday club (I got a 20% off my entire purchase postcard in the mail for that), and a teacher program. These may vary by store, so just talk with your local store to see if you qualify for anything!
From a reader:
“I currently work at Jo-Ann’s and I just wanted to let you that they no longer have a student, senior, or the vip discount program, also all discount programs are done through the app.
They still offer a senior discount day which is usually the first Wednesday of the month for 20% off your total purchase including sale and regular price items.
There is also a veterans discount available anytime for 15% off your total purchase of sale and regular price items just show your military id at the register.
I recommend downloading the app and making an account, Jo-Ann’s recently started a new rewards program called smiles which can be located on the app where you can earn specialized coupons based on what you purchase.”
Remnant Section
This is a great tip to know if you buy fabric a lot.
Jo-Ann has something called a remnant section, where they sell very discounted cuts of fabric.
These are usually the end (or remnant) of a ream of fabric, so it’s usually one yard or less.
However, I’ve found that they always have popular fabric in that section that is perfect for different projects I am working on.
My office/craft room is full of pieces of fabric I got in the remnant section.
This fabric is super, super cheap, and I can’t help but stop and look through the bin whenever I’m there.
In all the Jo-Ann’s stores I’ve been in, it’s next to the cut counter, but if you can’t find it, I’m sure an employee can help you out!
Shop after season
This is a good tip for pretty much any store — shop for deals right after a holiday! Most stores are anxious to get rid of the previous season or holiday’s merchandise, and it’s typically marked down a lot more.
Grab a Ticket!
This is essential when you find the Jo-Ann store you are in to be very busy, such as on Black Friday.
If you are planning to get anything cut at the cut counter, and it looks like there is a huge line, go grab a ticket!
This way, you don’t have to wait forever in line to get your items cut.
My mom started doing this after she went on Black Friday once, and I’ve always found it be pretty helpful.
Our local store is usually really busy, and when I do this, I always have enough time to get my fabric, and I end up only waiting for a minute or two in line. Much better than waiting aimlessly for 10-15 minutes!
Wait for the best deal
If it isn’t urgent, wait. Sometimes I’ll have a 50% off coupon, and then I’ll go in, and see the fabric I want is already marked 30% off. This is good usually, but when you have a great coupon, it kind of sucks. Sometimes I end up buying the fabric anyways (for instance, if it’s for a baby shower gift that I need the next day.) However, if it’s something that can wait, I
Shop online
Jo-Ann’s has some great deals online and you can typically find most of their in-store products online.
I’ve actually found some better deals online than going in store, and sometimes, it’s just more convenient. You can get free shipping on orders over $60, and if you shop through Ebates (which you should most definitely sign up for — see my best cashback sites‘ post for more details), you can get an addition 2% back in cashback!
Hopefully, you learned a few new tricks after reading this post!
I really do love shopping at Jo-Ann’s, and with the upcoming holiday season quickly approaching, now is a great time to take advantage of some deals there! If I missed anything, I’d love to hear your best tips!
From a reader on how to deal with poor Internet service in the stores:
If you have a smartphone you can screenshot your coupons ahead of time. I do this with all my retail money saving coupons before I ever leave my house.
Screenshotting my coupons has an added bonus as well, for I then organize all of my coupons into a retail coupons folder in my phone’s photo albums, which when you are a personal shopper, as I am, you can save a lot of time & most cashiers a lot of frustration because your coupons are all in one place and access to each one is seconds apart.
The screenshots are just like the originals and can be scanned as if they were. Hope this helps! ~Work Smart, Not Hard~ Rachel P.
Here are some other DIY posts you may enjoy:
DIY Toy Bag
Sewing Essentials for Beginners
Tips for sewing with minky fabric
Ann says
Hi Katie, I was wondering…I, too, love Joann’s but get frustrated about the coupon exclusions and wonder if you or any of the JoAnn employees who are writing in could tell me, and others, what brands are NOT excluded in the coupon exclusions, so that I could shop more directly and efficiently. That would be a great BIG help. Thanks so much.
Katie says
Hi, Ann! I’m not totally sure, but hopefully someone else here can chime in 🙂
Christina Lewis says
I think it’s also good to mention that the remnants will also reflect any current sales for that fabric! So if the regular bolt is 60% off, then the remnant is 60% off and then 50% off for being a remnant! (Multiplicative, not additive) i.e 10/yd – (10 *.60) = 4/yd – (4 * .50) = 2/yd. You can really good prices through this!
Katie says
Thank you! Great tip!
Ann says
Just be super watchful when having fabric cut. They are so afraid they might give you an extra inch or two that they try to cut it exactly 36″ (or whatever). If the previous cut on the fabric is not straight then you will not get a yard when it is squared up. Has happened to me more than once. I seldom buy fabric at Joann’s anymore for that reason. Go to a fabric store, they make sure you get a generous cut and won’t be shorted.
J Horton says
Watch the prices at JoAnns – more expensive with yarn & other items you can get at Hobby Lobby & Michael’s. I also intensely hate their receipts. I have been charged the wrong amount many times – always more than it should be. Every time that I leave JoAnns I’m telling myself how much .I hate JoAnns. I wish Hancocks were still in business.
Alexis says
I love JoAnn and Ibotta. Just so you know, JoAnn rebates aren’t always available to everyone. In a sewing group, we discovered that the people who frequented JoAnn the most and used the Ibotta rebate, the Ibotta rebate eventually disappears or the percentage lowers for the user.
Ofelia says
I currently work at Jo-Ann’s and I just wanted to let you that they no longer have a student, senior, or the vip discount program, also all discount programs are done through the app. They still offer a senior discount day which is usually the first Wednesday of the month for 20% off your total purchase including sale and regular price items. There is also a veterans discount available anytime for 15% off your total purchase of sale and regular price items just show your military id at the register. I recommend downloading the app and making an account, Jo-Ann’s recently started a new rewards program called smiles which can be located on the app where you can earn specialized coupons based on what you purchase.
Katie says
Thank you! This is super helpful. I appreciate you sharing it!
Susie says
Great tips! I love Joann’s, too. My suggestion for the phone coupon that is difficult to retrieve once you’re in the store is to take a picture of it. When you get to checkout just bring up in image/photo and have the clerk scan it. No connection problems to worry about! PS- I do this with 90% of my online coupons or bar codes for online purchases with in store pickup.
Gynni says
I’m a JoAnn employee and wanted to let you know about some changes to policies. Corporate has gotten rid of almost all of the customer discount programs. Student and VIP (for members of groups like AQG) are gone. We still do military, the customer only needs to show a military ID at the register. We also still have teacher, Girl Scouts, and 4H discounts but you can’t sign up for them in store anymore. You have to do so online and you get a barcode in your app. So no more discount cards, you must have the app for those programs now.
Also, the kind of competitor coupons accepted by a specific store location depends on which competitors are nearby. My store only allows Michael’s and Hobby Lobby as they are the only competitors within 50 miles of us. The next closest JoAnn, however, will take AC coupons because they have a store nearby. My store still doesn’t allow Michael’s coupons on fabric or notions because the local Michael’s store doesn’t carry them. And even though places like Wal-Mart and Menard’s will carry things we do, such as Cricut, we are not allowed to match their prices per corporate because those stores are not considered our direct competition.
Katie says
Thank you! This is so helpful!
Linda Thompson says
I just purchased a sewing machine online with in store pickup. Three dayes later the same machine is now $50 cheaper. Some stores offer a refund if the same item goes on sale for a cheaper price within two weeks. Does Joanns have a policy like this?
Katie says
You know, I’m not so sure about that! It doesn’t hurt to ask!
Shera says
Yes ma’am. If you go in within, I believe it is a week, you can get a refund and rebuy the product for the sale price. That is only for the joann stores that sell the machines outright. if it is a joann with a viking sewing center they will not do that.
Kathy says
Do I understand the Ibotta deal correctly? Can one purchase something already on sale and then redeem the Ibotta deal 5% cash back?
Katie says
You sure can!! It even works for items that aren’t even typically eligible for coupons 🙂
Mary Tipton says
I have a PO Box address and Joann’s will not send me coupons. (-:
Katie says
Oh no! That is so sad!
Bette says
No one has mentioned the 10% discount you get when you show your American Quilting Society card. I live in Grand Rapids MI and the AQS show has been coming here the last few years. I sign up to be a member and get their magazine, entrance to the show and when my card arrive there is an application to get the Joann’s discount card inside. I do get the mailings, and emails ( everyday)from Joann’s also.
Katie says
I had no idea about this! Thanks for sharing.
Darlene says
I enjoyed reading your information and the comments section was also helpful. I would like to see an update on this blog with all information from your readers added in. Also, I was online the other day pricing an item. I went into Michael’s and saw fabric- looks like they do sell fabric online.
Katie says
I will definitely try and update it. That’s a great idea! There really is some great information in the comments.