In the last few years, some businesses have claimed that they’re having difficulties finding workers.
The phrase “nobody wants to work anymore” became something of a meme on the internet, with many business owners claiming that laborers were simply not willing to work for the hours and for the pay that they were willing to offer them.
In some ways, this was true; data showed that, rather than not wanting to work, modern workers simply place an increased value on their time. This means that they are less likely to take jobs that are inflexible, that pay low amounts, or where they believe they will be mistreated.
Additionally, while businesses were claiming that they had difficulties filling roles, applicants were claiming that businesses were refusing to hire, leading to the term “ghost jobs” being coined.
Now that the labor market is recovering, many workers have found that, rather than hiring new workers, companies are simply counting on their current, limited workforce to do the work of an entire team, as appears to be the case in a recent video from TikTok user and Joann Fabrics shopper @k4r4boo.
Where are all of the employees at this Joann Fabrics?
In a video with over 42,000 views, the TikToker shows the aisles of a Joann Fabrics location. They are filled with boxes, making navigating them impossible.
“Why does it look like this, you may ask?” the TikToker asks. “Well, according to the employees, corporate has decided to continue to send them the same amount of stock, but slash their hours for stocking.”
As the TikToker progresses through the store, she notes how filled every aisle is, dubbing the storage “a safety and fire hazard for customers and employees.”
“And I don’t want to hear a word against these employees because this is progress. Yes, this is progress,” she concludes.
It’s not just Joann Fabrics
Other internet users have claimed that popular chains have their aisles filled with stock, or employees that seem to be given too many tasks to handle.
For example, one Dollar General’s stocking problem got so bad that an employee made a video pleading with corporate to help them resolve the situation. A Dollar Tree customer also showed a store that had, similar to the aforementioned Joann Fabrics location, been filled to the brim with boxes.
Furthermore, some have noted how stores like Target, which lock up a significant number of items, now task their employees with assisting customers, unlocking cases, and stocking shelves, which can leave areas of the store underserved and employees exhausted.
The TikToker responds
In a TikTok DM conversation with the Daily Dot, the TikToker said that she first noticed the issue in July 2024, only taking the video to show how hard the store would be for her sister, who is a wheelchair user, to navigate.
“I was looking for a specific item and it was supposed to be in stock at that store. It was not on the shelf so I asked an employee,” she stated. “Every time I have returned to the store the boxes are in a different configuration so the employees are actively working to clear it but they said that they simply don’t have the hours.”
She also shared that an employee told her the problem was worse behind the scenes, noting that she was told that emergency exits were blocked.
The TikToker continued by detailing what solutions she would like to see the store implement.
“I would like to see corporate reduce the stock being sent to stores and increase hours in order to get the stores back to a safe level of boxes,” she wrote. “As a crafter, Joann’s is one of the few stores that have fabrics available for sale in person and I would hate to see the company go out of business.”
For the time being, she says that the Joann social media team has reached out to her saying that they would investigate the situation.
@k4r4boo Craft store of nightmares. #joannfabrics #costumers #retail #unsafe #corporateamerica ♬ original sound – K4R4BOO
Commenters say it’s common
In the comments section, users claimed that they’ve experienced something similar at their local Joann Fabrics as well as in other stores.
“Our local JoAnn just opens four hours late on random days, which I’m assuming is the manager’s way of avoiding this,” said a user. “It’s infuriating and we all know it’s 100% corporate refusing to adequately staff the store.”
“I work at a Joann’s. It’s been literally soul crushing back breaking since they cut all the full time employees before the bankruptcy. They also just cut hours for Black Friday week,” alleged another.
Joann Fabrics filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March, after the company laid off many full-time employees the year prior. The company announced a restructuring in April to exit bankruptcy, per Reuters.
“Report it to the fire dept! i worked at joanns back when hancock went under and a fire martial citation was the only way we got corporate to STOP overloading us w freight and give us more support,” suggested a third. “I filed an osha complaint too bc of unsafe conditions.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Joann Fabrics via email and the TikToker via TikTok comment.
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