While it recently got some heat for price discrepancies, Hobby Lobby is generally recognized as an affordable retailer. But while the store's price tags on furniture and seasonal decor may seem enticing when you compare them with the likes of Pottery Barn or Anthropologie, a former Hobby Lobby employee says you can still do better. In fact, she cautions that you should never pay full price at the craft retailer. Read on to find out why.
RELATED: 8 Best Things to Buy at Hobby Lobby.
Some seasonal items go on sale right away.
Copyright @queentayshops / TikTokIn a Jan. 23 TikTok video, @queentayshops, a user who posts shopping and fashion vlogs, explains that she used to work at Hobby Lobby and offers some "insider" info and ways to save money. According to the TikToker, as long as you know the sale schedule, there's no reason to pay full price for most things at Hobby Lobby.
First and foremost, some seasonal items come in and are immediately marked down, she says. In the video, she pans to a 40-percent-off sale for items in the "Spring Shop."
"So, 40 percent off—when you see it in the spring, or like fall or anything, it comes in and is immediately marked 40 percent off. This is just an incentive for you to buy things quicker—it's just like, a scare tactic because they come in and are never, ever sold at this price," she says in the video, holding up a tag with the full-price amount printed on it.
She then pans to the sale sign and says, "This is literally just marketing."
RELATED: 8 Warnings to Shoppers From Ex-Hobby Lobby Employees.
There are biweekly sales in several departments.
Copyright @queentayshops / TikTokWhile seasonal items are regularly a steal, planning out when you shop can also help save money at Hobby Lobby. According to @queentayshops, different items go on sale every other week, including wall decor, candles, fabric, flowers, and toys.
"So if you see a mark for full price, leave, come back next week—and when I say next week, I mean the next Monday from you," she suggests.
Furniture is always on sale.
The Image Party / ShutterstockIf you head to Hobby Lobby for furniture, you may have noticed that this department is consistently offering discounts. According to @queentayshops, that's intentional.
"Furniture is always 30 percent off. That's that same marketing scare tactic, trying to get you to buy things. You never pay the actual price on the sticker," she says in the video.
In text overlaying the TikTok, @queentayshops points out that Hobby Lobby "could just put the lower price as the regular price." However, seeing a sale is more attractive to shoppers, who then feel incentivized to buy while they can "save money."
"They let you fall for it," the TikToker writes.
In addition to furniture, she says that throw blankets regularly go up to 75 percent off "because they never sell." In the video, throws are 50 percent off, along with doormats, pillows, and rugs.
Certain items are never marked down.
Copyright @queentayshops / TikTokWhile you can get most products while they're on sale, @queentayshops warns that items with yellow and red stickers aren't ever going to be marked down. (However, it's worth noting that, from the footage in the video, sticker prices are lower than the original prices on the packaging.)
"Anything with this type of sticker that says, 'Your Price' and is yellow—never marked down," she says. "These will never be discounted in the sales."
She also points out that some brand sales don't apply to every product. For example, Master's Touch has a sale every other week, but products with the yellow sticker aren't included.
