Hobby Lobby Hacks So Good You'll Never, Ever Pay Full Price

Say what you want about Hobby Lobby (and people do), but it is the most consistent craft store around in terms of sales and deals. The retailer follows a very simple pattern with their sales schedule, alternating putting different departments on sale from week to week. It’s simple, but it works when determining how to save money at Hobby Lobby. Because you can easily know when an in-store visit is needed based on when specific Hobby Lobby deals are in play. 

And that’s a good thing because Hobby Lobby did away with their once beloved 40% off coupon years ago. It’s one of the biggest points of contention in the Hobby Lobby vs. Joann vs. Michaels debate among crafters, because the latter two still offer coupons. 

So let’s get into all the Hobby Lobby hacks, shall we? And text HACKS to 57299 for smart-shopping tips to use at all of your favorite stores.

What happened to the Hobby Lobby 40% off coupon?

Hobby Lobby discontinued coupons in Feb. 2021, so the regular 40% off coupon is no longer. The retailer says this decision was made in an effort to instead lower prices across the store, no coupon needed. With that in mind, here's how to save money at Hobby Lobby...

1. Plan your shopping trips around the Hobby Lobby sale schedule.

If you want the best Hobby Lobby hacks, you must cozy up to their sale schedule. Now thankfully we have a very thorough guide to the Hobby Lobby sales calendar. It will help you plan each visit to the store because you'll know exactly when each department goes on sale.

And if you are ever unsure of where we're at in their sales cycle, just check the Hobby Lobby weekly ad. It swaps out every Sunday and is available both online and printed in-store.

TIP: Download the Hobby Lobby app (iOS / Android) for quick access to current Hobby Lobby sales.

Aim to save at least 30% off your purchase, but shoot for 50%.

Many items are 30% to 50% off every other week. The only trick is that your item might be having its “off” week on the particular day you’re in the store. If that happens, know your item will be on sale the following Monday after the weekly ad changes on Sunday. These are the categories that are 30% – 50% off every other week:

• Floral (arrangements, ribbons, and more) — 50% off

• Home Decor — 50% off

• Fabric by the Yard — 40% off

• Wedding — 40% off

• Art & Art Supplies (paint sets, easels, canvases, and more) — 40% off

• Sewing — 40% off

• Bestselling Books — 40% off

• All Yarn — 30% off

Shop at Hobby Lobby on Saturday evenings when the weekly sales overlap.

Take this one with a heaping pile of salt, because not all stores do this. However, some stores switch over from one sale week to the next on Saturday nights, around closing time.

While they’re making the switch, you can take advantage of the sales for both weeks.

That means practically the entire store is on sale. The rule of thumb is if you see a sale sign in front of an item on Saturday night, whether it’s this week’s or next week’s, they will honor it.

Tip: Hobby Lobby store hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and the store is closed every Sunday.

2. Look for red tags, which indicate permanent clearance prices.

When you see a red tag, it’s probably an item on the Hobby Lobby clearance wall, although these items can be found throughout the store, too.

This isn’t necessarily a final markdown, as there can be multiple red tags with lower markdowns on an item. But it does mean it’s a 'reduced' price, so if Hobby Lobby ever brings back their coupons, you won't be able to use one on it for additional savings. It also means it’s never returning to regular price.

Note: Hobby Lobby furniture clearance takes for-ev-er to reach its absolute steepest markdown.

Check for big clearance events in January and May.

Twice a year Hobby Lobby does a big markdown sweep. This happens in January and May. They can be considered clearance events even though they aren't labeled as such. You'll find tons of red tags not just along the clearance wall but throughout the entire store. And literally no department is untouched. They'll mark down home decor, yarn, art supplies, toys — you name it.

Sleuth out Hobby Lobby clearance online, but think before you buy.

You can also find Hobby Lobby clearance online. Some of these items will reach up to 90% off, so go ahead and dig whether in-person or virtually. However, unless it's a discount so big you can't pass it up, consider shipping fees before purchasing online (and Hobby Lobby's shipping fees are astronomical — more on that next). You don't want shipping fees to detract from how to save at money at Hobby Lobby.

3. Shop HobbyLobby.com on Sundays when they have free shipping on orders $50+.

You're going to hear us complain about Hobby Lobby shipping fees a lot because, well, they are rough. When you shop HobbyLobby.com, you’ll pay for shipping based on how much money you spend.

Shipping starts at $7.95 for items priced $0.01 – $15 and increases from there. For example, if you spend $100 online, you’ll pay $14.95 for shipping.

Fortunately, Hobby Lobby runs “free shipping with $50+ orders" pretty much every Sunday (when the brick-and-mortar stores are closed). So if shopping online is a must for you, be sure to do it during those times!

4. Order large quantities of Hobby Lobby items in-store, not online, to avoid shipping fees.

Find an associate in the store and ask them if you can place an order for a large quantity of whatever you need. You can’t check online how much inventory the store has, but the store will place your order and you don’t have to pay for shipping.

One thing to note: Hobby Lobby does not offer bulk discounts. So you won't necessarily get a deal when you place a large quantity order in-store, but you will avoid shipping fees.

5. Ask for a price match — Hobby Lobby will match identical items from the Michaels or Joann ad.

Even though Hobby Lobby doesn’t play ball with competitor coupons, they will price match a direct competitor's price on the exact same items.

In order to get Michaels or Joann prices at Hobby Lobby, you must have a copy of the competitor’s ad, and the item must be an exact match. Plus, Hobby Lobby will only match a listed price that’s lower, not a percentage-off sale.

What that really means...

So if Michaels is having a 50% off sale on an exact paint set sold at Hobby Lobby, you cannot get the item for 50% off at Hobby Lobby using price match. But if Michaels lists a sale price on the paint set that’s lower than what the Lob sells it for, ask for the Michaels price

TIP: Price match can’t be applied to doorbuster prices, Cricut, Silhouette, Sizzix, Cuttlebug, Simplicity & McCall’s patterns, clearance, and closeout items.

6. Get a rain check for out-of-stock items to hold the sale price.

Here's the deal: yes, Hobby Lobby does issue rain checks but only when a specific item is on sale. For example, the weekly ad recently touted Master's Touch Alcohol Marker Singles on sale for $1.77 (reg. price $5.99). If you go to your local store and they do not have that specific item while it is on sale, you can get a rain check.

Then, once it’s back in store, you can bring in your rain check to pick it up and still get the sale price.

However, you cannot get a rain check on items that have a category discount (which are most of the sale items at Hobby Lobby each week). In this instance, if the weekly ad says “Entire Stock of Spray Paint” is 40% off, but they don't have the color spray paint you want in stock, that will not get you a rain check. It's only if the sale is a specific brand and the color you want happens to be out of stock.

Note: Hobby Lobby will not issue rain checks online, and rain checks issued in-store aren't redeemable online.

7. Ask for an additional 10% discount on damaged items.

We’re not talking about a microscopic scratch. But if your item’s got a pretty good blemish and it doesn’t bother you (or you could easily hide it when you get home), ask the cashier for the discount.

Like this gnome I found — his hand is chipped. I asked the cashier for a discount. She called the manager over, and the manager gave me an additional 10% off.

8. Inquire about a price adjustment if something goes on sale within 14 days of a purchase.

You know your item will go on sale in a week or two, but you just. Can’t. Wait.

Consider buying it and then bringing the item back with the receipt to get the sale price once the price drops. You HAVE to bring your receipt AND the item back into the store (even if you’ve already used it in a project!) to get the price difference.

Also, know that Hobby Lobby doesn’t price adjust clearance (“Reduced”) items.

Return new, unused items for up to 90 days.

Hobby Lobby’s return policy says that if you return an original, unopened item within 90 days (with a receipt), you can get your money back in the form of your original payment.

Without a receipt, you can exchange your item or get a store credit for the lowest selling price within the last 60 days.

Hobby Lobby won’t refund shipping charges in store, and they’ll only refund shipping charges for online orders if the reason for your return is their fault.

How to Get Extra Savings at Hobby Lobby

When you're looking at how to save money at Hobby Lobby, there are a couple of additional ways to secure discounts. However, these won't work for everyone.

There are discounts for schools, churches, national charitable organizations, and Hobby Lobby employees.

Unfortunately there isn't a Hobby Lobby military discount, but there are a couple of others you should know. Here's how they stack up:

• Hobby Lobby employees get 15% off their entire purchase, including sale items. Interested? Check out the Hobby Lobby job board.

• Schools, churches, and national charitable organizations get 10% off at Hobby Lobby, but you'll need to provide proof.

  • If you’re a teacher, bring an unsigned check from your school that’s made out to Hobby Lobby to get the 10% discount. Plan to sign it at the register after a manager approves the transaction — you must sign the check in-store to get the discount.

  • Another option is to bring in a credit card from the school, church, or charitable organization to pay. You can’t pay with purchase orders and this only works in store — you won’t get this discount online.