If you’re out shopping for craft supplies you’re likely to hit one of two stores: Hobby Lobby or Michael’s. So which one should you choose? Here is a comparison of the two stores so you can make your decision about which is best for your crafting needs.
Selection. Hobby Lobby stores are hands-down larger in square footage than Michael’s stores. Keep in mind, however, that Hobby Lobby carries much more than just art and crafts supplies. You can also purchase fabric and housewares, which take up a large amount of the space in the store. While Hobby Lobby does have more products (including craft supplies) than Michael’s, in my experience, Michael’s is a better store to find specific specialty crafting items in.
Price. Overall the prices at Hobby Lobby are simply cheaper on average than at Michael’s. Both stores, however, have excellent sales each week. Your best bet is to buy the items you want to find at whichever store has them on sale at that time. If you need some craft items immediately, Hobby Lobby is more likely to have the better price.
Store Organization. Because Michael’s stores are smaller, they are a bit easier to navigate. The item sections are clearly defined. Hobby Lobby is also fairly well organized, but because of the massive amounts of merchandise available at Hobby Lobby, specific items are sometimes difficult to locate. Hobby Lobby also still uses sticker price tags which are nice if you find an item that is out of place, however if there is no price sticker on the item you may be waiting a while to get a price check.
Customer Service. Sadly I have never had a ton of luck with customer service at either Hobby Lobby or Michael’s. I’ve faced difficulties using both gift cards and a corporate business card at Hobby Lobby and the lines always seem to be long to check out. The lines at Michael’s are typically even longer since I’ve rarely seen more than one register open at a time; however, I’ve never faced any other problems.
So which store should you choose for your crafting needs? If you are a serious crafter your best bet is to frequent both stores for the ultimate in selection and the best price. If I did have to choose between the two in a pinch, however, I would choose Hobby Lobby for the larger selection and typically better prices.
