‘It’s just an expensive Dollar Tree now’: Worker explains what’s really going on with Hobby Lobby
A recent viral video posted to TikTok may shed some light on what seems to have taken the “Hobby” out of Hobby Lobby, according to viewers.
TikToker @astheworldburns3 stitched a video from a Hobby Lobby shopper asking someone to “please explain to me what is going on” with the store. “This used to be a craft store,” she said in the original video, panning her camera along shelves of ceramic dishes, glass and Tupperware containers, children’s bedding, exercise equipment, and T-shirts.
Viewers described an influx of home goods on the shelves, with pillows replacing spools of yarn and shoppers having better chances of finding cutlery sets instead of origami craft paper.
The explanation may lie in Hobby Lobby’s acquisition of much of Bed Bath and Beyond’s inventory after the company declared bankruptcy last year, the TikToker who stitched the woman's video said. KTXL reported that, by June 30, 2023, all 360 store locations were expected to be closed after the company struggled to find funding that allowed them to remain open.
That inventory appears to have found its way onto Hobby Lobby shelves everywhere, frustrating some viewers who once relied on the chain for readily available art and craft supplies.
“It’s flooding our stores. It’s been repackaged, rebranded—some of the stuff that they’re able to do that with,” AsTheWorldBurns, who is a Hobby Lobby worker, stated in the video, which has been viewed 2.1 million times as of Monday. He claimed that he and other Hobby Lobby employees did not appreciate the new inventory, either.
@astheworldburns3 #stitch with @Lyndsey Stamper ☀️❤️ #hobbylobby #bedbathandbeyond #fyp ♬ original sound - AsTheWorldBurns
“As someone that goes there for craft supplies, Hobby Lobby is like 1/2 Home Goods now. And it’s so odd,” one customer observed in the comments.
“They probably got it at a super discount and can sell it much lower than (Bed Bath and Beyond) and now the churchy *cough* ladies will buy it,” another user guessed.
“That store went out of business… what made them think anyone wanted their inventory in a different location! Fix it!” one viewer demanded, tagging Hobby Lobby’s TikTok page in their comment.
The Daily Dot reached out to AsTheWorldBurns via TikTok direct message and to Hobby Lobby via its website.
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