Whether you’re a crafter or not, you’ve probably been in a Hobby Lobby before. No matter what you’re into, it’s an interesting place to shop. There are thousands of items, ranging from fabric to home decor, party decorations, knick-knacks, and crafting supplies, plus more.
With the huge range of products that it carries, it’s no wonder the chain has a dedicated fanbase. But even these people have different reasons for loving Hobby Lobby. Some might go to get art supplies, while perhaps others enjoy the sewing materials, home decor, or holiday items.
Unfortunately, these kinds of materials don’t run cheap. But there’s good news — there are tons of hacks and tricks you can use to cut the costs, no matter what project, hobby, or redecorating you undertake!
Every chain has its tricks, whether it’s shopping at a certain time to catch the best deals or stacking coupons. Hobby Lobby is no different. These 26 tips, tricks, and hacks will help you get all the crafting products you need for a fraction of the original price. Or they’ll point you in the right direction for finding the best products and knowing when to shop. So, grab your felt-tip pens and make some notes for your next trip.
1. Learn the sale schedule.
People who shop at Hobby Lobby frequently notice that certain items vary in price from week to week. This is because the chain follows a specific sale schedule. Learn when its sales are and you could get certain items for 50 percent off or more.
2. Coupons, coupons, coupons.
Hobby Lobby always has weekly coupons available for 40 percent off. The way the store does this is by offering a 40-percent reduction on any item in the store — with a limit of one coupon per person per day.
3. Learn about the wiggle room with the coupons.
But if you’re going to get technical, you can score more than one item a day by dividing coupons up among helpful friends or family members. Some dedicated Hobby Lobby fans have been known to send their kids through the checkout so they can score another deal.
4. Don’t waste your time shopping online.
Some stores have more incentives to shop online, but Hobby Lobby isn’t one of them. The deals you’ll see online are the same ones you’ll find in the store, so it all comes out equal in the end. The cons of shopping online are more limited selection and shipping costs.
5. Or do, but only if there’s free shipping.
If you hit up the Hobby Lobby website at the right time, you’ll find promos for free shipping with a minimum purchase amount. The chain does this four or five times every month, and it’s the only time that online might be a better deal.
6. Keep an eye out for clearance sales.
A couple of times every year, Hobby Lobby runs clearance sales, which means they want to clear inventory fast. This usually happens in January and then again at the beginning of summer and often includes home decor items that start at 50 percent off.
7. Strategize with coupons vs. sales prices.
Hobby Lobby won’t let you stack deals. That eans you can’t put a coupon on top of a sale price. But you can ask to use a coupon instead of the sale price. If you see an item for 30 percent off, you can use your 40 percent off coupon instead and save more.
8. Buy gift cards at Gift Card Granny.
Gift Card Granny is a site that sells discounted gift cards. If you use one to make your purchases instead of cash, you could end up saving between 10 and 12 percent on anything you buy — and of course, you can use coupons, too.
9. Buy your Christmas decor after the holidays.
If you want to save on your holiday decorations, shop one year ahead. Hobby Lobby marks its holiday decorations down 40-50 percent in the summer and around 66 percent in Novemner. After Christmas you can find things marked down 80 to 90 percent of the original price.
10. Shop ahead for next year’s holidays.
You can use this rule for every holiday throughout the year. Hit up the store a week or two after the holiday and you’ll find things discounted up to 90 percent.
11. Don’t skip the clearance section.
Don’t forget to check the clearance section the next time you’re at a Hobby Lobby store. You might find items that are marked down to a fraction of their original price.
12. Look for clearance spots around the store.
But the official clearance section isn’t the only one you should look out for at a Hobby Lobby. You’ll also spot other items marked as clearance throughout the store.
13. Use your Hobby Lobby coupons at competing stores.
Hobby Lobby won’t accept coupons from its competitors — but it does work the other way around. You can hit up other craft stores like Michaels and JoAnn Fabrics, which often carry the same inventory.
14. Hobby Lobby matches some prices.
Hobby Lobby will price match under a few conditions. You must bring the ad showing the lower price with you, and it must be the exact same item that Hobby Lobby stocks.
15. Schools, churches, and charities get an additional 10-percent discount
If you work for a school, church, or charity, you can get an extra 10 percent off of your Hobby Lobby purchases. But you have to have either a credit card or an unsigned check from the organization.
16. A Hobby Lobby Visa rewards card will earn you 5 percent back
A Hobby Lobby’s rewards card lets you earn five points for every dollar spent in the store. Once you get up to 2,500 points, you’ll receive a $25 gift certificate.
17. Don’t be afraid to haggle over damaged items
You won’t score any deals on items with barely-visible damage, but if there’s a significant imperfection, ask for a discount. You could get a discount of as much as 15 percent.
18. Place bulk orders in the store and save yourself a mountain on shipping costs
We’re used to putting in bulk orders on websites for things like family events, weddings, or parties. But you can do it in the store, too, and you’ll save yourself a huge sum of money on shipping.
19. Buy fabric.
You can use your 40 percent off coupon on top of reasonable prices. Hobby Lobby often has a selection of fabric that’s more attractive than what you’ll find at the competitors.
20. Don’t buy party supplies.
Unlike many of the other products in Hobby Lobby, party supplies aren’t usually discounted. That means that you’ll pay a higher price for the same selection that you’ll find at most other craft or party stores.
21. Hit the store up on Saturday night to take advantage of the sales.
Some Hobby Lobby stores switch their weekly sales on Saturday night, which means if you go just before closing time, you might be able to take advantage of both weekly sales.
22. Get a price adjustment after you buy.
If you buy an item that goes on sale within two weeks of your purchase, Hobby Lobby will honor the sales price. But take note: you have to bring the receipt and the item back to get a refund.
23. Ask for a rain check for out-of-stock sale items.
If your Hobby Lobby location is running a sale on an item but it runs out of stock, you can ask the cashier for a rain check. This’ll let you come back for the item when it’s in stock again and get it for the sale price.
24. Hit the store up on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings.
If you have free time right when Hobby Lobby opens, hit the store early on Tuesday or Wednesday. You’ll find zero traffic and fresh inventory that you can look at in peace.
25. Employees get 15 percent off.
That discount is on top of other sale prices. That might not be enough incentive to go get a job at Hobby Lobby yourself but you may want to make friends with some of the employees to see if they’ll hook you up.
26. Read the fine print.
It’s tragic, but it happens — you see a sale sign and think it applies to a whole section when it actually has a bunch of exceptions. Don’t be fooled. Read before you shop!
26 Hobby Lobby Hacks That’ll Change The Way You Shop
Cedric Jackson
07.30.19
Whether you’re a crafter or not, you’ve probably been in a Hobby Lobby before. No matter what you’re into, it’s an interesting place to shop. There are thousands of items, ranging from fabric to home decor, party decorations, knick-knacks, and crafting supplies, plus more.
With the huge range of products that it carries, it’s no wonder the chain has a dedicated fanbase. But even these people have different reasons for loving Hobby Lobby. Some might go to get art supplies, while perhaps others enjoy the sewing materials, home decor, or holiday items.
Unfortunately, these kinds of materials don’t run cheap. But there’s good news — there are tons of hacks and tricks you can use to cut the costs, no matter what project, hobby, or redecorating you undertake!
Every chain has its tricks, whether it’s shopping at a certain time to catch the best deals or stacking coupons. Hobby Lobby is no different. These 26 tips, tricks, and hacks will help you get all the crafting products you need for a fraction of the original price. Or they’ll point you in the right direction for finding the best products and knowing when to shop. So, grab your felt-tip pens and make some notes for your next trip.