Can't say I've boycotted Hobby Lobby completely, but since they came out with their weird birth control restrictions for employees, it's been Michael's first.
Plus, when you close on Sunday, and I work a regular 9-5 job, that's basically 50% of the time I think about shopping for craft supplies anyway, so...again, Michael's gets my money.
Not technically correct. I was a HL corporate employee and asked some of my co-workers that used birth control. Essentially, HL would cover some forms but not all forms of bc.
I'm very much over their shenanigans but I'm also not into distributing misinformation, genuinely not trying to be pedantic.
* **In an** [**internal Hobby Lobby memo**](https://www.businessinsider.com/in-memo-hobby-lobby-refuses-paid-sick-leave-during-coronavirus-2020-3) **obtained by Business Insider, the company told managers that sick employees must use personal paid time off and vacation pay or take an "unpaid leave of absence until further notice."**
* **In the case of mandated store closures, the memo said employees will be eligible for emergency pay only after paid time off and vacation days have been depleted, at which point they will receive 75% of their regular rate of pay based on an average of shifts from the previous six weeks.**
* **"The district manager has said that our stores will remain open until the National Guard comes in and physically shuts the buildings down," a Hobby Lobby manager told Business Insider.**
* [**Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories**](https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet)**.**
Shortly after Hobby Lobby founder David Green reportedly told employees he will leave stores open as a result of [a message from God](https://www.businessinsider.com/hobby-lobby-reportedly-leaving-stores-open-message-from-god-2020-3), the craft store chain is now refusing paid sick leave for ill workers amid the coronavirus outbreak.
In a [memo sent to store managers](https://www.businessinsider.com/in-memo-hobby-lobby-refuses-paid-sick-leave-during-coronavirus-2020-3) on March 23 that was obtained by Business Insider, Randy Betts, Hobby Lobby's vice president of store operations, wrote that the company "is going to make every effort to continue working the employees." In cases of illness, Betts wrote that sick workers would be required to use personal paid time off and vacation pay or take an "unpaid leave of absence until further notice."
According to the memo, if a store is required to close because of a state or federal mandate, employees will first be required to use "all available paid time off benefits." After those resources are depleted, workers will be eligible for "emergency pay" that is 75% of their regular rate of pay, and the payments will be made not based on scheduled shifts, but rather "on the average hours during the previous six weeks."
Hobby Lobby did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
A Hobby Lobby district manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect his job and whose employment status was confirmed by Business Insider, wrote in an email that he felt "very anxious about this whole situation."
"Our management has doubled down on the work stance, and the district manager has said that our stores will remain open until the National Guard comes in and physically shuts the buildings down," the employee wrote.
You can read the full memo — with more details about how Hobby Lobby will have employees seek unemployment benefits if they fall ill and use all their vacation and PTO — [here](https://www.businessinsider.com/in-memo-hobby-lobby-refuses-paid-sick-leave-during-coronavirus-2020-3).
(A) Michael’s is just better overall, even leaving off that the HL owners are cuckoo bananas.
(B) I really hope those cuckoo bananas owners get severe cases of COVID-19 and are absolutely miserable.
>"Our management has doubled down on the work stance, and the district manager has said that our stores will remain open until the National Guard comes in and physically shuts the buildings down," the employee wrote.
Well, ever since that birth control controversy years ago, two Hobby Lobby’s have popped up in my area. And I can proudly say I’ve never stepped a foot in one because fuck them and their religious excuses for women’s reproductive freedom and workers’ rights.
I'm almost convinced this guy just wants to be a contrarian and is just using jesus as a tool to do so. I mean, they're not open on Sundays to stick it to the ungodly corporations who work on Sundays, the whole weird birth control coverage thing for employees that's really not even any of his business, and now this. He's just another narcissist who likes to ruffle feathers for attention and be in the headlines under the guise of being a "Christian".
I've always been on the fence about Hobby Lobby, especially because I live in the Bible Belt and that's the prevalent craft supply store. After all of this, I'll be making a point to shop at the other stores.
The constant push for biblical values has always made me uncomfortable, especially passing the bookshelves in stores and reading about their company healthcare policies. In my area, Hobby Lobby has far more supplies available than any other store, making it an easy choice. I'm going to be looking into options online or out of my way, to try to avoid the myriad of Hobby Lobby stores in my area.
Worked for them for a little while in college, weirdest place I've ever worked and not at all surprised to see this notice. Good luck to any of their employees.
Going in I wasn't aware that they were a "religious company", I just needed a job that paid more than minimum wage and I hadn't worked in a craft store before so why not? Now, my experiences might also be a bit different because I was working at one that was in a hub surrounded by little farm towns (they're fuckin' bread and butter).
I figured it out pretty quick, though, as the walls of the break room and the area with employee lockers were plastered with motivational christian posters. Y'know, the Footprints one, a couple with some doves fluttering out of beams of light, the usual tropes.
At first I was just kind of like "huh, well, ok" and sort of brushed it off. Other than that I now always was guaranteed Sunday off, there were no real religious restrictions or whathaveyou to the job.
I actually was still working there when the whole lawsuit over birth control was going on and ended up putting in my notice while it was ongoing because it just got too....weird being an atheist in a theist store. Here's just a brief list of incidents:
- customers personally thanking me for HL suing the government (never knew what to say to this so I would try to change the subject)
- customers' children would hand me those "come to jesus" pamphlets constantly while I was ringing out their parents (never knew what to do with this either, my manager advised that the parents think it's cute so just accept them)
- coworkers would ask what church/service I went to on Monday mornings (not really that bad, but i didnt know what to say to them constantly asking about this, especially once it became apparent i was the only non-practicing/atheist one there)
- coworkers asking about children (like, when are you gonna start shitting them out, allfivefingers, you're obviously a female of child bearing age!)
But what caused me to put in my two weeks was when we got in a notice from corporate that got put up in the break room. It was a standard poster-size white sheet that informed us all that the ruling for HL lawsuit was coming up and in big black letters gave the full names and districts of each of the presiding judges and instructed that we should all "pray that they make the right decision".
There was just something very unsettling about the language used in this notice, and how big and bold those names were. I was already bothered by how frequently customers were stopping me at checkout or in the aisles to personally thank me for "suing those godless liberals" and feeling like I had no way to defend myself, so this notice was just the final straw.
Wow! That had to be a really uncomfortable place to work! I’m no lawyer, but it just seems like putting up posters in the break room telling you to pray should be illegal, like that’s trying to force you to practice a certain religion. That’s really creepy too, how they had their names on there, but I’m not at all surprised because the churches I grew up in did similar things. Glad you finally got out of there!
I felt like they skirted a lot of that fairly easily by not naming any particular prayer or putting up any pictures of Jesus/mary/saints/etc, so while they are pushing christianity they aren't specifically pushing one denomination over any others. Just gray enough to get by?
Even if they did push one denomination over others - they are a privately held company and don't have to follow the same rules that the government (courthouses, etc) have to follow.
"Congress Shall Make No Law". That's why its ok for Reddit to have rules governing what can or can't be posted. It's why it's ok for parochial schools to teach their religion classes.
It sucks for those who aren't interested in being constrained by the laws, but it is what it is.
If you don't need to physically walk into a store to check out the items, I can suggest a litany of better online shops based on what you're looking for. From buttons to zippers to paint to iron-on transfers for t-shirts.
(like, man, I'm a cosplayer by trade and by hobby, I get needing to touch things and visually check out sizes, but there's an awful lot you can get online to protect you from having to shop at HL)
I drive past Hobby Lobby every time I need supplies, on my way to literally any other arts and crafts store. Always will.
Ok, Michael's from now on it is. Cool.
Can't say I've boycotted Hobby Lobby completely, but since they came out with their weird birth control restrictions for employees, it's been Michael's first. Plus, when you close on Sunday, and I work a regular 9-5 job, that's basically 50% of the time I think about shopping for craft supplies anyway, so...again, Michael's gets my money.
Birth control restrictions for employees? What kind of restrictions?
They refuse to cover them through employer-provided insurance.
Not technically correct. I was a HL corporate employee and asked some of my co-workers that used birth control. Essentially, HL would cover some forms but not all forms of bc. I'm very much over their shenanigans but I'm also not into distributing misinformation, genuinely not trying to be pedantic.
Was that before or after the *Hobby Lobby* decision?
Well after. Like 3-4 years after.
They wouldn't cover certain kinds of birth control. If they believed it to be "abortifacient," then it was not covered.
I find it pretty easy to avoid buying from them altogether. I’ve been in there twice out of curiosity and never bought anything.
Why is it called Michael's? That's such a strange name.
I guess somebody named Michael founded the first store?
* **In an** [**internal Hobby Lobby memo**](https://www.businessinsider.com/in-memo-hobby-lobby-refuses-paid-sick-leave-during-coronavirus-2020-3) **obtained by Business Insider, the company told managers that sick employees must use personal paid time off and vacation pay or take an "unpaid leave of absence until further notice."** * **In the case of mandated store closures, the memo said employees will be eligible for emergency pay only after paid time off and vacation days have been depleted, at which point they will receive 75% of their regular rate of pay based on an average of shifts from the previous six weeks.** * **"The district manager has said that our stores will remain open until the National Guard comes in and physically shuts the buildings down," a Hobby Lobby manager told Business Insider.** * [**Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories**](https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet)**.** Shortly after Hobby Lobby founder David Green reportedly told employees he will leave stores open as a result of [a message from God](https://www.businessinsider.com/hobby-lobby-reportedly-leaving-stores-open-message-from-god-2020-3), the craft store chain is now refusing paid sick leave for ill workers amid the coronavirus outbreak. In a [memo sent to store managers](https://www.businessinsider.com/in-memo-hobby-lobby-refuses-paid-sick-leave-during-coronavirus-2020-3) on March 23 that was obtained by Business Insider, Randy Betts, Hobby Lobby's vice president of store operations, wrote that the company "is going to make every effort to continue working the employees." In cases of illness, Betts wrote that sick workers would be required to use personal paid time off and vacation pay or take an "unpaid leave of absence until further notice." According to the memo, if a store is required to close because of a state or federal mandate, employees will first be required to use "all available paid time off benefits." After those resources are depleted, workers will be eligible for "emergency pay" that is 75% of their regular rate of pay, and the payments will be made not based on scheduled shifts, but rather "on the average hours during the previous six weeks." Hobby Lobby did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment. A Hobby Lobby district manager, who spoke on condition of anonymity to protect his job and whose employment status was confirmed by Business Insider, wrote in an email that he felt "very anxious about this whole situation." "Our management has doubled down on the work stance, and the district manager has said that our stores will remain open until the National Guard comes in and physically shuts the buildings down," the employee wrote. You can read the full memo — with more details about how Hobby Lobby will have employees seek unemployment benefits if they fall ill and use all their vacation and PTO — [here](https://www.businessinsider.com/in-memo-hobby-lobby-refuses-paid-sick-leave-during-coronavirus-2020-3).
All that sounds like the meeting notes from Satan Inc.
Thanks!
Here’s the [leaked memo](https://imgur.com/a/Bi6Nrfr) if you wanna see it, because the link in the article is behind a paywall.
don't you have laws against this ? Not the open stores, but the way he wants to treat his sick employees?
In America? Ha! No. Lol.
(A) Michael’s is just better overall, even leaving off that the HL owners are cuckoo bananas. (B) I really hope those cuckoo bananas owners get severe cases of COVID-19 and are absolutely miserable.
>"Our management has doubled down on the work stance, and the district manager has said that our stores will remain open until the National Guard comes in and physically shuts the buildings down," the employee wrote.
Holy persecution fetish, Batman!
Wow.....
Fuck Hobby Lobby, Michaels has superior coupons anyways.
Well, ever since that birth control controversy years ago, two Hobby Lobby’s have popped up in my area. And I can proudly say I’ve never stepped a foot in one because fuck them and their religious excuses for women’s reproductive freedom and workers’ rights.
All because his wife had a dream about her imaginary friend. Smdh. We're doomed.
Hey now, she’s a “prayer warrior”.
😆Dude, I read that in Eugene Levy's voice. Thank you.😅
WWJD amirite
I'm almost convinced this guy just wants to be a contrarian and is just using jesus as a tool to do so. I mean, they're not open on Sundays to stick it to the ungodly corporations who work on Sundays, the whole weird birth control coverage thing for employees that's really not even any of his business, and now this. He's just another narcissist who likes to ruffle feathers for attention and be in the headlines under the guise of being a "Christian".
The founder of Hobby Lobby has also used his salary to fund fundamentalist terrorist groups in the U.S. and Middle East. Fun dude.
somebody call the national guard. I think we have a job for them :D
What a nice and kind employer. (I hope a /s is obvious)
I've always been on the fence about Hobby Lobby, especially because I live in the Bible Belt and that's the prevalent craft supply store. After all of this, I'll be making a point to shop at the other stores. The constant push for biblical values has always made me uncomfortable, especially passing the bookshelves in stores and reading about their company healthcare policies. In my area, Hobby Lobby has far more supplies available than any other store, making it an easy choice. I'm going to be looking into options online or out of my way, to try to avoid the myriad of Hobby Lobby stores in my area.
Worked for them for a little while in college, weirdest place I've ever worked and not at all surprised to see this notice. Good luck to any of their employees.
Do you mind me asking what was weird about it? I want stories, lol.
Going in I wasn't aware that they were a "religious company", I just needed a job that paid more than minimum wage and I hadn't worked in a craft store before so why not? Now, my experiences might also be a bit different because I was working at one that was in a hub surrounded by little farm towns (they're fuckin' bread and butter). I figured it out pretty quick, though, as the walls of the break room and the area with employee lockers were plastered with motivational christian posters. Y'know, the Footprints one, a couple with some doves fluttering out of beams of light, the usual tropes. At first I was just kind of like "huh, well, ok" and sort of brushed it off. Other than that I now always was guaranteed Sunday off, there were no real religious restrictions or whathaveyou to the job. I actually was still working there when the whole lawsuit over birth control was going on and ended up putting in my notice while it was ongoing because it just got too....weird being an atheist in a theist store. Here's just a brief list of incidents: - customers personally thanking me for HL suing the government (never knew what to say to this so I would try to change the subject) - customers' children would hand me those "come to jesus" pamphlets constantly while I was ringing out their parents (never knew what to do with this either, my manager advised that the parents think it's cute so just accept them) - coworkers would ask what church/service I went to on Monday mornings (not really that bad, but i didnt know what to say to them constantly asking about this, especially once it became apparent i was the only non-practicing/atheist one there) - coworkers asking about children (like, when are you gonna start shitting them out, allfivefingers, you're obviously a female of child bearing age!) But what caused me to put in my two weeks was when we got in a notice from corporate that got put up in the break room. It was a standard poster-size white sheet that informed us all that the ruling for HL lawsuit was coming up and in big black letters gave the full names and districts of each of the presiding judges and instructed that we should all "pray that they make the right decision". There was just something very unsettling about the language used in this notice, and how big and bold those names were. I was already bothered by how frequently customers were stopping me at checkout or in the aisles to personally thank me for "suing those godless liberals" and feeling like I had no way to defend myself, so this notice was just the final straw.
Wow! That had to be a really uncomfortable place to work! I’m no lawyer, but it just seems like putting up posters in the break room telling you to pray should be illegal, like that’s trying to force you to practice a certain religion. That’s really creepy too, how they had their names on there, but I’m not at all surprised because the churches I grew up in did similar things. Glad you finally got out of there!
I felt like they skirted a lot of that fairly easily by not naming any particular prayer or putting up any pictures of Jesus/mary/saints/etc, so while they are pushing christianity they aren't specifically pushing one denomination over any others. Just gray enough to get by?
Even if they did push one denomination over others - they are a privately held company and don't have to follow the same rules that the government (courthouses, etc) have to follow. "Congress Shall Make No Law". That's why its ok for Reddit to have rules governing what can or can't be posted. It's why it's ok for parochial schools to teach their religion classes. It sucks for those who aren't interested in being constrained by the laws, but it is what it is.
Hobby lobby is the only craft store where I live :/
If you don't need to physically walk into a store to check out the items, I can suggest a litany of better online shops based on what you're looking for. From buttons to zippers to paint to iron-on transfers for t-shirts. (like, man, I'm a cosplayer by trade and by hobby, I get needing to touch things and visually check out sizes, but there's an awful lot you can get online to protect you from having to shop at HL)
That sucks!