- These are the top 10 shopping secrets
Hobby Lobby does not want you to know.
Welcome back to the channel.
I'm the YouTube Deal Guy, Matt Granite.
From the super secret markdown schedule
to scoring a double sale
based on the day of the week you shop.
plus I'll help you learn some serious price-matching hacks.
I'm gonna bring you all inside my local Hobby Lobby.
Today's video is not sponsored in any way.
And if you like this content,
please give this video a thumbs up.
I heard from many of you asking me to make this video
because, let's face it,
Hobby lobby is not exactly an inexpensive store.
So let's begin with shopping secret number one,
based on what I've heard from you guys,
you love the feeling of shopping inside a Hobby Lobby,
but you prefer the prices at Michael's or Joann's.
Know the price match hack is the first shopping secret.
A lot of people are unaware
that Hobby Lobby will price match
and give you a direct competitor's price
for an identical item,
as long as you print the competitor's ad
and bring it in with you.
And that includes Michael's and Joann's.
This price match hack applies to list prices,
not percentage off prices,
so if you see the exact DIY jewelry kit
at Michael's or Joann's at a lower everyday price
and Hobby Lobby is more expensive,
you can choose to shop at whatever store you want.
Just make sure you come equipped with that printed flyer.
And I have found the customer service at Hobby Lobby
receptive of my price match requests.
Shopping secret number two,
understand how Hobby Lobby operates around the holidays.
And that includes 4th of July.
Let's start with 4th of July.
Well, most stores will reduce their holiday decorations,
which includes Mother's Day, 4th of July, and Christmas,
which I'll explain in a moment,
a day after that holiday passes.
Hobby Lobby typically reduces all of its items
a week before that holiday.
So that means you have a one-week advantage,
which is great if you're a procrastinator
or a particularly quick crafter.
That would mean Hobby Lobby is one of the best stores
to go to the last week of June
to score 4th of July discounts.
And in the 10 days or week leading up to Christmas,
you can actually score all of the best reductions,
while all of the other competitors to Hobby Lobby
typically post their reductions a day after the holiday,
which doesn't help a lot of people.
Before I explain how to really read
one of those reduction tags at Hobby Lobby,
shopping secret number three
is know how to work the store's return policy
to your advantage.
There's no doubt about it,
Hobby lobby has a decent return policy.
You get 90 days to return with the receipt
and 60 days without a receipt.
But if for any reason you ordered or received your gift
through hobbylobby.com,
you never get a refund on the shipping charges
if you try to make your return through the website.
So whenever possible,
you want to bring your online purchases
back into the store to deal with customer service.
If you were shipped something
that was incorrect or defective,
ask the in-store customer service agent
to also refund the online shipping charges,
which they often oblige without any issue.
Shopping secret number four,
this often untapped section of the store
is also an area from which you can rent.
That's right.
If you don't want to buy,
you can also rent from the wedding section at a Hobby Lobby.
While it is true you can find some items
that look like Hobby Lobby products
at the Dollar Tree for a fraction of the cost,
the frequently unmatched section of any Hobby Lobby
is the wedding decor section.
While the wedding products are not a great buy online
due to the shipping fees,
which I'll explain in a few minutes,
Hobby Lobby has incredible wedding decor,
and they will also offer wedding rentals,
which many people may not realize
actually exists as an option.
Before I expose the top day of the week
to shop from Hobby Lobby to score some additional savings,
shopping secret number five
is understand how those red reduction tags really work.
Many of us will get excited when we see
that red reduction tag on a product at Hobby Lobby.
But my suggestion to you is
if you see a lot of that same product in a particular area,
meaning there's not exactly a huge fear of it selling out,
don't buy an item with just one red reduction tag on it.
When Hobby Lobby is trying to move inventory,
a few days later they will typically
lower prices even further,
which is indicated by a second read reduction tag
on top of the first.
The two red reduction tags typically means
you are seeing an item at its rock bottom price.
And of course, if you play your cards correctly,
something like a black cat or a unicorn adult onesie,
just as I was searching for in store
to spice things with my wife,
totally joking, by the way,
can be yours at its lowest recorded price.
Shopping secret number six,
know the best day and time
to unlock the most discounts at Hobby Lobby.
Typically, every store has a more special day of the week
from which to shop.
For example, like in my Home Depot shopping secrets video
I explained why Sunday is the prime day
for that hardware giant.
For Hobby Lobby, which is closed on Sundays,
Saturday evening as sometimes where you can
shop from the sales for the upcoming week
just by being in the store when those prices are posted.
Not only is a Saturday night a quieter time to shop,
but you lock in all of the discounts from the week
to which that day is attached
and the possibility of shopping the deals
from the next week.
It's like a double whammy with all of the selection
laid out right in front of you.
Before I expose the Hobby Lobby
top secret markdown schedule,
shopping secret number seven is don't fall for the hype
or what some call deceptive advertising.
Now as a shopper, I frequent many stores
where many products appear to constantly be on sale.
But there is currently a class action lawsuit
against Hobby Lobby designed to examine
whether items can always be on sale
and whether this advertising tactic
is deceptive to the customers.
So understand that if you see deals on furniture,
wearable art, and custom framing,
you are not exactly getting a discount.
These items are constantly advertised as being on sale,
while in actuality there is not much of a reduction
tied to all of these so-called great prices
that you see the store.
Shopping secret number eight.
To succeed at Hobby Lobby, know the secret price schedule.
Or not so secret, given that I am publicly explaining
all of this on my YouTube channel.
And if you guys are so inclined,
please subscribe to this channel,
turn your notifications on.
I promise to hook you up with secrets
for all of your favorite retailers.
Grab a pen.
Here is the schedule.
For anything jewelry-related, once every three weeks.
That includes the jewelry shop Swarovski,
Hobby Lobby charms, that 50% off sale point
every three weeks will be the best you can do,
including during the holidays.
That markdown schedule does not apply
to Hobby Lobby wall and home decor,
which is shopping secret number nine, AB-AB.
Bear with me for a moment, I will explain.
A lot of people often categorize Hobby Lobby
as more expensive than other retailers
when it comes to home and wall decor,
but it really depends on what week you're shopping.
The home and wall decor products
are only competitively priced at Hobby Lobby
every other week.
So they essentially follow an AB-AB discount schedule,
which is why if you shop on an off week,
you won't be overly impressed by the prices
of the home and wall decor at Hobby Lobby.
Shopping secret number 10,
before I get to some bonus tidbits
tied to the website and the Hobby Lobby app,
know how to get a price adjustment
and work it to your advantage.
In the proceeding example, I explained how Hobby Lobby
wall and home decor drops in price every other week.
If you are not aware, Hobby Lobby offers
a 14-day price adjustment guarantee.
So let's say you don't want to pay any attention
to that AB-AB schedule.
Buy on an off week when items are at the higher price
and possibly more widely available
in your color choice or stock,
because we all know that when items are not on sale,
they kind of just sit there on the shelf.
Seek a price adjustment the week after
when all of those items drop in price
and are not as widely available
and you have 14 days to lock in the lower price.
That's right, Hobby lobby has
that 14-day retroactive price adjustment guarantee
where if the price drops within the 14-day period,
you can lock in the lower price.
So my suggestion is work it to your advantage
if you want to shop on a particular day or week
and not pay attention to all of the scheduling components
that I previously mentioned.
And now for the bonuses of shopping secrets
Hobby Lobby does not want you to know.
Bonus number one, avoid the Hobby Lobby website
at all costs, unless for any reason,
you have a free shipping coupon code.
Hobby lobby has beautifully laid out stores
organized by color and palette, and it's awesome,
but they have one of the worst shipping structures online
that I have ever seen.
If you were to spend $100 on hobbylobby.com,
you are looking at a $16 shipping fee.
A single item has an almost $7 shipping fee
if it's under a hundred bucks,
and there is no cap on their shipping.
So even on furniture, it might be cheaper
to rent a U-haul for the day in some cases
than it is to have Hobby Lobby deliver
anything from their website.
Hobby Lobby bonus shopping secret number two,
be aware of the tiny prices tied to many products.
Let's use this advertised mini spoon tong example
as part of their weekly flyer.
You'll often see some tantalizing prices
tied to what Hobby Lobby categorizes as mini products.
After having had a chance to survey these products in store,
they look more reminiscent
of what I would hand my three-year-old daughter
for her play kitchen.
They are tiny, smaller than my hand in many cases,
and they are priced that way for a reason.
Bonus number three, understand the power
of the Hobby Lobby shopping app.
Many of us relate to Hobby Lobby as the stores
that we go to as parents or store that our parents went to,
but they are trying to appeal to a new generation,
and they are heavily advertising
some of the top incentives on their app.
On their app, you can also find coupons,
not as good as that constantly available
40% off Hobby Lobby coupon
we used to see all holiday season long,
but you will do well with the app.
And I highly recommend having it handy,
even if you're in the store about to complete a purchase.
And bonus shopping secret number five,
know all of the eligible discounts at Hobby Lobby.
If you are an educator, an ambassador of a school,
church, or charity, you can score a 10% off discount,
which is actually quite good
given the Hobby Lobby employee discount is only 15%.
So you're within 5% of what their store employees would get
just by being associated with one of those groups.
Now, I'd like to thank you for being associated
with the group of people that watch my videos.
If you've made it this far into the video,
huge thank you to you.
If you like this content,
please give this video a thumbs up.
If you are subscribed with your notifications turned on,
I'd love to tackle more store secrets or hacks
for your other favorite retailers.
Leave me a comment.
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Drop me a line.
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Thank you for watching.
Bye-bye.