On July 1st Veronica and I went into the Virginia Beach/Chesapeake area for various reasons. After we got done doing our errands we decided to stop by the Joann Fabric store that is located at 1733 Parkview Drive, Suite 15-A in Chesapeake, VA 2330-2630 757-420-4128. Veronica is into sewing quite a bit and we decided to go to both Joann Fabrics and Hancock Fabrics. Prior to our leaving home to go to these stores Veronica had checked on line to see what discounts each store was offering. Much to her surprise, we were going to be at Joann Fabrics during their highly advertised Military Discount Days. Military Discount Days can only be used in the store and offers a 20% discount off of a customers total bill.
So who is eligible for this special discount? Well as it is advertised on
Joann Fabrics Web Site this is who qualifies(this is taken in its entirety directly from the web site):
In-Store Only
Get 20% off your total purchase during designated Military Discount dates.
Who Qualifies?
Military service members and eligible family members. You must present proof of your military service, past or present, or Military Dependent ID upon checkout to receive discount.
Includes regular-, sale-priced & clearance items
Exclusions Apply
Limit one total purchase discount per transaction. Cannot be combined with any other discount or coupon. *Offer excludes previous purchases; all gift cards; all patterns; irons; AccuQuilt Go!® products; sewing machines & sewing machine department merchandise; remnants; Simplicity® machines; all papercrafting machines, cartridges, dies, printers & accessories; all magazines; all As Seen On TV items. Valid at any Jo-Ann store. Not valid at Joann.com®.
So who is eligible for this special discount? I am considered a veteran and spent 2 stints in the U.S. Army. I was honorably discharged and given a DD214 upon my leaving the military service, with an honorable discharge I might add.
Below is the description of what a DD214 is as written on Wikipedia on line.
The DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, generally referred to as a "DD 214", is a document of the United States Department of Defense, issued upon a military service member's retirement, separation, or discharge from active-duty military.
Since I fit the criteria of who qualifies for this discount...my DD214 was my proof of past military service. There is nothing written on Joann Fabrics web site pertaining to what they consider as "proof" of a persons past or present military service. The DD214 is considered an official military document.
After completing our shopping at this particular Joann Fabric store. I started the checkout process. It was during this time that I presented the cashier with a copy of my DD214, which I had brought with me to utilize the Military Discount Days and get the additional 20% off of our entire total bill for our qualified purchases. Upon giving my DD214 to this cashier, the cashier told me that I would have to show a Military ID in order to qualify for the Military Discount. When I read what was written on the ad for this discount and pointed out that no where was it written that to show proof of military service past or present, a person had to show a Military ID. This cashier then got her store manager involved in this situation. Upon meeting the manager, I explained to her and showed her what was written in their ad and then presented her with my proof of past military service in the form of my DD214. After explaining my position on this situation, the manager stated that "it isn't good enough" as she was holding my DD214. I then reiterated what was written in Joann Fabrics advertisement and what was written on line. Veronica and I had brought the paper advertisement and showed the manager what was actually written about this Military Discount and who qualified. After further discussion and showing the manager the written basis for our qualification for the discount, the manager finally relented and allowed me to partake in the Military Discount Days 20% off discount. I walked away from that store with mixed feelings about the whole situation. Not only did I have to present my position, argue and stand firm on my position but I had to show proof of who I actually was so that they could make sure that I was actually the person listed on the DD214. That proof came in the form of my having to show my North Carolina DL that had my photo on it. I think what really angered me was the fact that even after showing these people an official and legitimate Department of Defence form , the manager told me that it was "not good enough" for me to qualify for the Military Discount Days discount. When I finally was allowed to use this discount, it came to $4.20. I spent approximately 7 years in the US Army. I served my country for that time period and yet I left this Joann Fabric store feeling that my service to my country was "not good enough" or worth $4.20 in the eyes of those that work at Joann Fabric. That $4.20 comes to approximately $ .60 cents a year for each of the years that I spent in the military. So according to this store manager, the time I spent in the military and serving my country was "not good enough" for a $ .60 a year discount. This is a pretty sad state of affairs for a store that is in a location that has a very high military/dependent residency(Oceana AFB, Langley AFB, Camp Allen, Fort Eustis and Naval Station Norfolk which is the largest Naval Base in the world)and most likely gets a large amount of sales from these military personnel and their dependents. Shame on you Joann Fabrics for making a big deal and advertising your Military Discount Days discount and then making Veterans jump through hoops in order to utilize a discount and not honoring what you have written and advertised.
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2 comments:
I applaud you for standing firm and at the same time am appalled that they made it such a hassle. The company, as a whole, should be educated on what constitutes "proof" of the bravery of our American men & women who choose to serve or have served in our military branches.
I thank you for your service.
Good for you to stand up to Joanns. I had a similar experience fighting with Joann’s customer service. The original posting about using the Veterans ID (which we do have after a bit of a struggle to obtain that too) said it could be used in conjunction with a coupon. When I went to our local store I was told that the computer could only apply one discount. I was buying sale yarn with a 20% off entire regular and sale priced items coupon and expected to add the 15% discount as well. When told that the computer cannot apply two discounts to the same purchase, I asked what advantage military persons have when there are 20% coupons available so frequently? I contacted customer service and eventually wrote a letter to Christopher DiTullo, Chief Customer Officer. After hearing no response for a month, I made a follow up call to his administrative assistant. The outcome is that they corrected the website but veterans still receive no additional benefit over what everybody else can get.
My prior dealing with Joanns dealt with the store charging state tax (6.25% here in MA) on yarn. The only exception here in MA is rug yarn but I had suddenly started paying the tax on all other yarn (it had been tax free a few years earlier). Since I make about 240 hats for charity yearly and I live within easy walking distance of our local store, I am now in there frequently. I was questioning the illegal tax with every purchase but of course the employees are powerless to do anything except what the computer allows. I was getting continually annoyed til I decided to contact customer service. After numerous emails back and forth over the span of a month, the situation was finally corrected for me and all other yarn crafters.
In short, I do not find Joanns to be particularly customer friendly, especially toward veterans who should receive additional benefits for their service. I miss AC Moore which was conveniently located here and my “ go to” store before closing as they were much more customer friendly.
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