Hobby Lobby Under Fire as Shoppers Claim They're Being Overcharged

Hobby Lobby doesn't use barcodes, an ex-employee says.

In a TikTok video posted on Jan. 28, former Hobby Lobby employee Seth Workman, who uses the handle @arenclelle, explained that the retailer doesn't use barcodes on their products. Instead, employees manually enter prices.

Hobby Lobby's CEO David Green "really believes in just like the power of humans over computers," they said, noting that it's not due to religious reasons. "He just believes that humans can do work better and more efficiently than computers ... I don't know."

Workman went on to explain that Hobby Lobby sells its own branded products and products from third-party vendors. "If they buy from a vendor, they just put a sticker on it that says the price. If it's their own brand, then it has the price like printed on the packaging," Workman noted.

However, things get complicated because employees also have to remember weekly sales and manually apply them to orders. In the video's caption, Workman wrote that it's "literally so hard to check people out at that store."

Several commenters said they've been overcharged at Hobby Lobby.

Beyond sympathy for Hobby Lobby employees, this policy could also be a problem for shoppers—many of whom say that they've been overcharged as a result.

"This explains why EVERY time I go to hobby lobby I am over charged," a commenter wrote, while another said that they try and ask about sales, only to be met with pushback.

"Half the time they don't [give you the sale price] and when you question them they say it's not on sale so then you just say ok and pay more," they wrote.

Some TikTokers took things a step further and said they don't enjoy shopping in-store for this exact reason. "I hate going in there because I feel like everything is on sale and they never give me the sale price lol," a comment reads. Another TikToker advised shoppers to always check their receipts, as theirs is "wrong almost every time....They click away and charge me double."

One customer shared that barcodes would make them feel more confident when shopping at Hobby Lobby. "I wish they would just use barcodes so I know the prices are right," their comment reads.

Customers also complained about how long it takes to check out.

In addition to price discrepancies, Hobby Lobby customers called attention to wait times at the register.

"It takes forever at the register every time because of this," one shopper wrote. Another added, "This is why HL has such long lines ALL the time..It just takes forever to ring ppl up, the store isn't even busy."

Other shoppers said relying on people instead of computers is the exact opposite of "efficiency." "My Hobby Lobby would like a word about efficiency. Lined up midway through the store at all times," they wrote.

Workman did respond to one comment about the lengthy checkout lines, stating that it's because "ur cashier is either 16 or 60 & mentally running through this weeks discounts in their head."

Other employees chimed in as well.

Hobby Lobby employees echoed Workman's statements, outlining similar experiences. "Worked at hobby lobby for almost a year," a comment reads. "I had someone buy almost 2000 dollars worth of stuff and i [had] to manually put all of that in."

Others stressed that cashiers shouldn't be blamed if a customer does get overcharged. "We aren't more efficient [than computers]," one employee commented. "We were all written up weekly for mess ups on the register bc it's stupid and so outdated."

However, one employee did explain that cashiers are given "sale sheets" to reference at the register. Workman responded to this, noting that some locations actually "quiz their cashiers about the sales." The TikToker said Hobby Lobby could provide better customer service if employees didn't have to stop and double-check sale prices.

Best Life reached out to Hobby Lobby for comment on this store policy and overcharging complaints, but has yet to hear back.