A.C. Moore Arts and Crafts

Ever wonder where DMV employees work for funsies after retirement? They’re manning the registers at this store.
All I wanted was some magnetic frames.
It was a surgical strike — in and out. 3 minutes, and I’m done.
Getting to the registers, I ask a woman if she’s waiting in line, as she and her cart were jackknifed across 2 registers like a big-​rig in a snowstorm. She mumbles, «I’m waiting… «then more incoherent mumbling. Maybe there was something there about «her red stapler» — not sure.
I turn to the cashier (another older woman), who was watching this, and ask her if she’s helping Rainman over here. Even though she could have spoken up earlier, she reluctantly cops to being on duty. Ah – so refreshing.
In the middle of this transaction (that should’ve taken 2 minutes TOPS!), she offers to help 2 different customers and chats up the other cashier. You know. While this transaction is still going on. And Helpy Helperton has the multi-​tasking skills of a baby chimp with blunt head trauma, so that meant this BASIC CASH TRANSACTION actually ends up causing a line to form! (Literally, she stops counting out my change to hold a conversation with the goon standing next to her.). Meanwhile, she’s dealing with the customer RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER with sullenness and ineptitude.
How do places like this stay in business, again?

I’m crafty like a fox… and sometimes this crafty fox likes to get creative. This place isn’t a bad place to start.
A.C. Moore has a little of this and a little of that to fit the bill for just about any home crafter’s repertoire. I go here because they have a broad selection of yarn for my crocheting needs but I have also noted a wide variety of goods for scrap booking, jewelry making, cake/​candy decorating and paints. They do not carry fabric which is a slight bummer and keeps JoAnn the leader ’round these parts for sewing notions.
I always end up using my coupon from the paper or my phone if I end up purchasing a full-​price item. They also accept competitor coupons. They only let you use ONE coupon per visit unlike some other craft stores. Their prices, especially sales, can be very attractive. I scooped up some gorgeous afghan yarn for $ 2.50 a skein that normally runs close to five bucks. The sale cycles are slow to come around so I do stock up when I see prices I like on a specific item.
There is plenty of room to maneuver in the store which is nice. It always appears to be clean or well-​organized, for the most part. The clearance areas can get a little dicey but makes for more of a thrill to the hunt for the bargain when digging through the mess.
The staff is always very helpful here and check out is painless.
A.C. Moore shares a lot with Babies R Us and a party store. The plaza is smack in the middle of the Route 2 strip in Warwick. Can be tough to reach on a weekend with traffic. Once in the plaza, parking is a breeze.
The prices here are lower, on average, than what I see at Joann’s and Michael’s. Keeps this store my crafty supply spot of choice.

My go-​to spot whenever I’m doing anything crafty.
I’ve made a few nice scrapbooks with their supplies… nice selection of albums, papers, stickers, pens, stamps, etc. We’ve had a large picture custom-​framed here and they usually have coupons to make a project like this more affordable. Nice selection of frames, yarns, basically everything I’ve gone in asking myself, «I wonder if they’ll have it?» The answer has been «yes.»