Question:
It bugs me when I'm buying fabric, and the Fabric-Cutter-Person:
a) ... notices (or I notice) a dirty spot a few inches from the edge of the fabric, so they cut off the strip (including the spot), and throw it in the trash can. If they're just going to throw it away, why not give it to me and I'll see if I can wash the spot out? Even if it won't, I most likely can find a use for the rest of the fabric strip. (This happened just this weekend! )
b) ... measures out the yardage of fabric that I want, and there's only a few inches left on the bolt. Not really enough to put in the remnant bin, but too much to throw away ... yet into the trash can it goes. Again, why be wasteful?
Sometimes (if I notice in time) I'll ask before the fabric hits the trash can, but wastefulness bugs me.
Answer:
If the fabric cutter person OWNED that business they'd be negotiating a reduced price for that piece with you...or just outright giving it to you. Especially if you're a regular customer....
Only an idiot (or someone forced to do it by 'the boss') would cut off a strip (no matter what the size) and throw it out.
These are probably the same folks who cut crooked and help you 'lose' a few inches of every piece by their inaccuracies...
Grrrr. Guess it bugs me too.

Answer:
when I was working and Jo Ann took over they would make use charge you per inch for that "piece of trash".
I agree its stupid. It was getting tossed out anyway.
When it was HoF I could offer it to you at 50% off or we made a remnant out of it.
When I was buying I wouldn't play their game. I just told them to trash it.
Answer:
I was told they did that because at the checkout, if the cut doesn't look right, the clerk will re-measure. If it's wrong, the cutter gets in trouble. Therefore, they can't give you those extra few inches. Guess is sorta makes sense. Keeps the cutters from being overly generous with their friends.
There's one fabric store here that used to give you the fabric at the end of the bolt if it was less that a certain number of inches. They would have to write on the ticket that they gave you the end-of-bolt fabric.
Then there's another store that won't cut if it's too close to the end of the bolt. They make you buy it all or they won't sell it to you. That's stupid.
Answer:
I used to cut fabric.
One thing to consider is the fabric does not belong to the person cutting it. Shoplifting is a major problem for retailers and most of it is done by employees. Giving merchandise to someone without their paying for it is shoplifting. This can and does get people fired depending on the management. I know of at least one store where cutters are expected to account for each inch of fabric or are spot checked.
Where I worked we were generous. If something was cut crooked it was always in favor of the customer, or we would give you the three inches with the spot. That said I did not like to do it. It's the "give 'em and inch and they'll take a mile" problem. More than once I heard, "Well, last time I was here they gave me..."
Answer:
Originally Posted by BlondeSense I used to cut fabric.
One thing to consider is the fabric does not belong to the person cutting it. Shoplifting is a major problem for retailers and most of it is done by employees. Giving merchandise to someone without their paying for it is shoplifting. This can and does get people fired depending on the management. I know of at least one store where cutters are expected to account for each inch of fabric or are spot checked.
Where I worked we were generous. If something was cut crooked it was always in favor of the customer, or we would give you the three inches with the spot. That said I did not like to do it. It's the "give 'em and inch and they'll take a mile" problem. More than once I heard, "Well, last time I was here they gave me..." Apparently my post was misunderstood. I'm not asking employees for "pilfered" fabric. I'm asking that ... rather than throw perfectly good fabric in the trash can ... why not let it go to good use instead of throwing it away? I would pay a percentage of the regular price, deducting a reasonable amount for the spot ... but don't just trash the whole strip. Let's talk!
If I'm being "short", I'm sorry. I'm tired, and it's waaaay past my bedtime. But I just don't understand wastefulness.
ETA: You (general "you") might see a 4" x 44" strip ruined by a 1" dirty spot. I see 8-10 4" quilt squares, cutting around the spot. To a quilter, that's a LOT.
EATA: Maybe it's a good thing I don't own a fabric store (ha ha). Anything under 1/4 - 1/3 yard, I'd just GIVE to the customer. There's a demand for fabric around here. All we have is Hobby Lobby and Hancock's (expensive!!!) and Walmart (used to be good, but poor selection at the moment). Too bad I don't have the $$$$ to open a fabric store, or I would definitely consider it. DH and I discussed that very idea earlier today!
Answer:
Our local Joanne Fabrics will offer the few remaining inches at ½ to ¼ price depending on the amount left and the original price. Usually if there is a mark or dirt spot, they start measuring after that spot and include it with what amount they cut. I've never seen any of them cut off and throw away any. They would rather sell the small amount left for a discount than have to measure and mark it for the remnant bin.
Answer:
Originally Posted by moonrise Apparently my post was misunderstood. I'm not asking employees for "pilfered" fabric. I'm asking that ... rather than throw perfectly good fabric in the trash can ... why not let it go to good use instead of throwing it away?...Anything under 1/4 - 1/3 yard, I'd just GIVE to the customer. I don't think I misunderstood you. As a quilter I agree with you 100%. I certainly understand how useful four inches can be. It does seem silly to throw fabric in the trash when it is usable and wanted.
There are two parts to this. First, if the cutter was told by management to give the customer only the amount asked for and no more, than yes, it is pilfering. Going against policy and giving store property to someone who didn't pay for it is pretty much stealing. It wasn't the salesperson's to give away and getting caught doing so could get them into trouble.
Second, is this a silly rule? Why not give the customer that extra six inches? It seems reasonable, doesn't it? Well, a couple of reasons. PITA customers. Once word gets out, if they know six inches is OK they are going to argue and push for eight making it more difficult for the clerk to say no. Or those who will "discover" those spots to get extra fabric. Management will always prefer a black or white "I'm sorry, its not our policy" they can monitor than to have a list of "well this is OK, but not that" that dishonest customers or clerks could manipulate.
While I agree with you it is silly to toss usable fabric, I understand managements position.
Answer:
Many, many years ago when I was in high school and my Mom managed a JoAnn Fabrics I would work part-time for her. One of the things I did when we were slow was to take all the really small scraps of fabric and small scraps of trim, bag them up in plastic bags, and we sold them as scrap bags for Barbie clothes. This was not a JoAnn's sanctioned activity but boy did we do great with those things. We sold as many as I bagged. Anything 1/4 of a yard or larger gut bundled up and but in our remnant bin which also did very well.
That being said, I think way back then we used to offer extra fabric remaining on the bolt to the customer at a discounted price. I have never had a clerk at our JoAnn's today ask if I wanted remaining fabric on the bolt at any price. But, then again, our JoAnn clerks are so surly and ill-tempered I'm not surprised. I recently bought some white quilt fabric and when I pointed out some soiled areas at the start of the bolt the clerk was absolutely incredulous that I expected her to cut away the soiled area because I didn't want to purchase it. She fully expected to include that part in the yardage I purchased and pay full-price for it.
Aside from Wal-Mart we have a tiny discount store (Alco) that has a small fabric department. When you want fabric cut you have to ring a buzzer and one of the employees reluctantly comes over to cut your fabric. They are actually pretty nice kids, they just seem to dread cutting afbric. I've come very close to offering just to cut my own fabric while they supervised. They have a very small space to work in and when you purchase more than one continuous yard they often have difficulty figuring out how to measure it. The last time I went in I had a teenage boy probably about 18 cut my fabric. He could not have been more pleasant but was absolutely clueless about measuring the fabric. But he was so nice you couldn't really get upset. And I must admit he measured a pretty generous yard! A couple times when there's only been a few extra inches of fabric they have always just given it to me.
We also have a Ben Franklin in a neighboring town that I don't get to very often. They have a nice little fabric department and the employees seem quite knowledgable. I've never encountered the extra fabric problem there so I don't know how they handle it.