Hobby Lobby Review

Do you have any hobbies? If you do, then there is a good chance you have heard of Hobby Lobby department stores. This national store chain contains all sorts of hobby- related items and decorative ideas for the home and since it is a large national chain, it makes sense that it would also have an online presence. That presence is, not surprisingly, Hobbylobby.com.  

Online Store Commentary:
 
Hobby Lobby Online offers informational services about things such as gift cards, scrapbooking, project guides, e-mail subscriptions, credit cards, and more. This online site is strictly an informational site for the Hobby Lobby store chain. There are links throughout the site that take you to different places if you want to make a purchase. 

Even though I don’t actively partake in any type of hobby (mainly due to lack of time), I still like the occasional visit to Hobby Lobby department stores. Like I said above, Hoby Lobby is first and foremost a hobby store, but it also contains decorative items for the home and this is the main reason I have visited this store in the past. Like other stores, Hobby Lobby has an online presence and it was only a matter of time until I logged into Hobby Lobby online to see what it offered and what types of deals were available.

What I discovered when I logged into Hobby Lobby online for the first time was big surprise: This online store doesn't actually sell anything. It is nothing more than a service- oriented site with information about the store itself and its products and services. Visitors to Hobby Lobby online can take an online tour of the store, find coupons, sign up for e-mail reminders about special offers, locate a store in their area, and sign up for the Hobby Lobby Visa credit card. But there is no merchandise for sale. If an online purchase is what you want, there are links within Hobby Lobby Online that take you to Hobby Lobby's online affiliate, Craftsetc.com, and a link at the top of the home page that takes you to hobby-lobby.com, which is a separate site that sells model planes. But that is all you get- Hobby Lobby online doesn’t sell any of its own products. 

In spite of offering nothing for sale, there are a few semi- useful services offered at Hobby Lobby online. One action I took immediately was to sign up for the e-mail subscription. This includes a periodic e-mail from Hobby Lobby with a coupon good for use at any Hobby Lobby store for a specific item. This coupon is good for twenty to thirty percent off of your purchase, so it is certainly something valuable and worth checking out. There are also a few featured projects, complete with instructions and necessary supplies. However, one needs to keep in mind that these projects are usually kept in a downloadable file that can take some time to open. A link to the most recent advertisement flyer and a link to sign up for the Hobby Lobby Visa comprise the remaining services. 

Bottom- Line Viewpoint:

Hobby Lobby Online is nothing like the actual Hobby Lobby stores. It is nothing more than an informational source and the information it provides is minimal at best. Other than the printable coupon, there is little to get excited about at Hobby Lobby Online. Its minimal offerings are a huge letdown to someone who likes Hobby Lobby stores and likes to shop online.