One of the benefits of shopping in-store is knowing exactly how much an item is going to cost…right?
While internet shopping can be plagued with things like shipping and handling fees, the in-store shopping experience is a straightforward process. You find the item on the shelf, look at the price, bring the item to checkout, then pay that price plus tax.
However, recent Michaels shoppers say that the store is changing this age-old paradigm. Specifically, shoppers say that the chain is removing prices off of their items. But is that true?
Is Michaels Really Getting Rid of Price Tags?
In a video with over 2 million views, TikTok user Krista Shaw (@kristashaww) explains that she just left a Michaels location “empty-handed.”
The reason? According to Shaw, the location is simply “no longer putting prices on anything.”
“I’m like, picking up all these picks and ribbons and stuff. I’m like, ‘Wait I don’t know the prices on anything,’” she recalls.
Shaw says she approached a worker and asked if they could scan the items for their prices. The worker allegedly responded, “I don’t know why they’re doing that, but, no, we don’t have the scanners anymore.”
She then attempted to use the Michaels app to scan the items, which also didn’t work.
“Guess you just find out at the register,” she says. “No, that’s insanity.”
Shaw closes by saying that she’s done shopping at Michaels, stating, “Back to Hobby Lobby I go.”
Does Michaels Have Dynamic Pricing?
In the comments section, users said that the reason the price tags disappeared was the emergence of “dynamic pricing.” This is when a store will actively change prices due to demand. For example, a restaurant may increase the price of a dish around meal times, then decrease it during down periods.
“Yup. They are now doing dynamic pricing. I won’t buy anything that way,” wrote a user.
“Dynamic pricing is another phrase for price gouging,” offered another.
So, is Michaels really using dynamic pricing? It does not appear so — at least, not in the way that people might think.
Michaels’ Pricing Issues
The reason behind Michaels’ decision to ditch price tags seems to be rooted in a recent problem stocking their shelves for Halloween.
As reported by Bloomberg, some working for the store claim that items were ordered for the season prior to the enforcement of tariffs under the Trump administration. As a result, employees were tasked with blacking out all previous prices, adding new prices, and then offering discounts. Bloomberg writes that this resulted in curious pricing. For example, “a bag of plastic skulls that had cost $4.99 was increased to $19.99, before being ‘discounted’ at $7.99.”
Seemingly in response to this inability to accurately calculate and change prices—and, as many employees claim, issues with getting enough hours and staff to properly handle all of the tasks at the store—many locations of the chain have apparently decided to forgo prices altogether.
That said, many online do not believe the claim that tariffs are to blame. Some insist that the store is engaging in dynamic pricing practices, though there’s little evidence that this is presently the case.
@kristashaww @Michaels Stores what the heck is going on ? #michaelscraftstore #christmasdecor ♬ original sound – kristashaww
Michaels Employees Hate The Pricing System
On Reddit, users have filled threads with complaints about the failure of their store to price items. According to them, it causes confusion, issues with customers, and more.
“What TF is corporate THINKING? I am losing my mind trying to keep people happy!” reads one post on the r/MichaelsEmployees subreddit.
“About half our Christmas stuff is still unpriced because we only have 3 price guns and not enough time to price it and get it all on shelf in the allotted time,” detailed another. “We are told to just get it out and price it later, but of course later never happens because there’s only three of us in the store and it’s mad with customers.”
“Getting real sick of people treating me like i am personally responsible for unlabeled seasonal items,” reads a further post. Commenters under this post also claimed that their stores got rid of their price checking devices. Per one commenter, this has resulted in an “endless stream of people coming to the registers asking for a price, only to say ‘nah I don’t want it.’”
The Mary Sue reached out to Michaels and Shaw via email.
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