- Money
- Retail
WORK OF ART
The closure comes after the store promised to lower prices for customers
- Josephine Fuller, Consumer reporter
ARTISTS have one less place to get their supplies after a popular crafts store shut down in Brooklyn.
Customers were heartbroken to find that Michaels Craft store at the Gateway Mall had closed.
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Sylvia (@sylvia_4224) went to the store to use her $5 rewards voucher before it expired.
"I was shocked to see that it had closed. When did that happen?" she asked on X.
The location was still listed on the app as her designated store, but Michael's social media team had to break the news that it had been closed for weeks.
The store still tried to make things right with Sylvia.
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"Please send us a DM so we can send a little something your way for the inconvenience," Michaels wrote on X.
The U.S. Sun contacted Michaels for more information on the closure and to see if any more stores are on the chopping block.
KEEPING CUSTOMERS HAPPY
Michaels promised customers that it would slash the prices on 5,000 items to help crafters make the most of their purchases.
CEO Ashley Buchanan recognized that continuousinflation was putting a damper on consumer spending.
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“It’s more important than ever to deliver exceptional value for every customer looking to stretch their dollar,” Buchanan said in apress release.
“By lowering prices on thousands of our most popular items, we’re making creativity more affordable and giving our customers even more reasons to choose Michaels.”
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Michael's didn't announce which items would be discounted but said decor, art supplies, and seasonal items would all be cheaper.
For example, prices of paint, markers, and pens have been reduced by 15%.
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Additionally, prices for vinyl, papers, stickers, and unfinished wood letters are now 20% lower.
Canvases are 35% cheaper, and t-shirts have been lowered by 40%.
"With these new lower prices, customers can be confident they’re getting the best value on the items they love at any time, even outside of sales, coupons, and promotional periods," the company wrote in a press release.
More on Michaels
Michaels promised shoppers that the recent appearance of AI images in stores was a mistake.
"This artwork was purchased from a vendor who licensed the original source material from an artist," Michaels said in a statement.
"Without our knowledge, the vendor added an AI-generated layer to the image."
"This is an unacceptable error that we are addressing by removing the product from our website and stores, and offering refunds to any customers who purchased it."
"Michaels will always support artists and will be taking steps to prevent this from happening again in the future."
SCARY SALES
Michaels was in hot water with shoppers after TikToker Jack Valentine (@flippedthrift) shared a video claiming the store sold AI-generated artwork.
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He showed a canvas depicting a ghostly bride dropped in white robes surrounded by wolves.
Valentine pointed out that the trees in the background were very grainy and that one of the wolves in the front had three legs.
To make it even more obvious, there were watermarks on the art.
"Sure enough, clear as day, right at the bottom, you can see a robot logo as well as a Freepik logo," Valentine noted.
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Freepik is a platform that offers graphic illustrations and has an AI art generator.
"As a store that specializes in selling art supplies and has a customer base of artists, you should be supporting real artists, Michaels," Valentine added.
Read More on The US Sun
Another popular store announced it would close nearly 300 locations.
Plus, see the cost-cutting move CVS is making after 900 stores closed.
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