Michaels

This was my first time back here in many many years. I had just made a visit to the west end location as well and not much has changed. In some ways that’s good as I know what to expect, but in others, I feel this store chain needs a major facelift!
Yes, the crafty items are all there, but the aisles seemed messy, carts were left mid-​aisle blocking traffic and shelves, and all in all made the store look cluttered. One of the items I was looking for was out of stock but when a store employee scanned the product code, it said there were 8 in stock… I guess they were still waiting to be unpacked so she advised me to call back and return another time. Bummer, as it’s out of my way to just drive back something so small.
That being said, the employee was helpful in assisting me to find the item I was searching for in the first place.
The lighting in the store seems too dim and overall the store just seems old and worn down. Like I said, perhaps a facelift would be good for this store and the Michael’s chain in general.

I feel that I really can’t compare Michaels to anywhere else… If there are other arts/​crafts places out there similar — for gosh sake speak up! I truly love dreaming my way through this place, they have so many things that I would like to buy and create — but the pricing is crazy! The latest thing that frustrates me is that their App which I would download my coupons for — no longer works, and if you don’t «sign up» with your email, you are not getting any coupons!

For browsing, Michaels is a fun place to spend an hour, no matter where your interests may lie. Their prices are rather high, but between sales and coupons, I can usually get whatever I’m needing without breaking open the piggy bank. As others have mentioned, they truly have just about everything, although I find the one on 170^th has more art-​type materials than this one. The two stores are not set up the same, which I find confusing, but it means I discover new things while I search.
Do get on their email list to keep up-​to-​date with news and discounts — they send out emails a couple times a week. You don’t need to print out the coupons — you can either let them scan your smartphone, or just copy down the sku numbers and they’ll input them.
there’s a good selection of party-​favors items and lots of $ 1 colouring books, if you’re looking for kiddo trinkets
If you’re ever in the states, visit their Michaels for greatly reduced prices compared to the Canadian penalty slapped on here.

I shopped at MIchaels the day after Boxing Day, and they had their Christmas items for 70% off. They had an extra 25% off purchases on Boxing Day but I didn’t make it there that day. But the prices were still great! The selection wasn’t great as many items were offered for 60% off before Christmas but I was able to stock up on wrapping papers, some ornaments, and cupcake liners. They still had nice Christmas table displays that were marked down but they are marked up high and most crafters can make their own with a glue gun, greenery, and flowers.
What I really like is they have a price checker and it was close to the Christmas section. This made it easy as items were misplaced, or I couldn’t find the price and could easily check with the checker. I looked around at some of the other areas in the store, including kids’ books. I didn’t know they had a selection.
The line up to pay wasn’t too long as they had most or all of the cash registers open. Since my items were on sale, I wasn’t able to use a coupon, but it’s always nice to get 40 or 50% off one regular item when I need it.

Normally, I would give Michael’s a 3 star review.
Yes, yes — they are my go to place for crafts of all sorts but seriously the prices are out of whack! I get that I live in Canada now, but come on Michael’s corporate conglomerate multibillionaire people — if a spool of ribbon is $ 2.99 in the U.S. it doesn’t not need to be double that just because I’ve moved across the border.
Michael’s has a coupon every week for 40−50% off of almost any item in the store and you can even show it to them on their smartphone. If you don’t get flyers in the mail, not to fear — sign up for their e-​mail or go on to
for instant access to the coupon.
My most recent trip to Michael’s was for a birthday party my daughter attended which is what prompted me to write this review!
HOW COOL! The hosting birthday girl basically gets to pick out any project in the store and then they have a staff member assist the kiddos with completing the project. Now, my daughter is a wee one still so they made bracelets and necklaces but I read online about t-​shirt paining parties and all kinds of neat ideas.
The party lasted for 2 hours — so basically, 1 hour for the craft and 1 hour for cake/​presents.
I think this is a fabulous idea for an indoor party and heaven knows we have enough –40 below days here in Edmonton!
Three cheers for Michael’s offering birthday parties!

My girls love art and I’ll be as plain as I can… I can pick up pretty much anything I need for whatever my girls need from Michael’s. The prices aren’t always the best, you often have to fight to get them to recognize that the item you’re buying is discounted, and they have deceptive pricing from time to time, but if you know what you’re supposed to be paying, it’ll all work out. If I need something for my kids TODAY… then I’ll head here, otherwise buying online is often less of a hassle.

I don’t typically like shopping here. I feel that they are the masters in deceptive pricing. Every single weekend they offer a «50% off» coupon, just so that they can mark everything up at least 40% more than their competitors so that you feel like you’re gettting a good deal. I would NEVER pay regular price for anything in this store.
Today, I had a coupon and ventured in. After I had selected my «overpriced item» ($ 35.99 for 10 fabric paint pens) I wandered to the checkout. No word of a lie, there were at least 20 people ahead of me. I guess everyone goes craft shopping the day before Halloween. Anyways, the line was better than I thought. Everyone had been herded into 1 line, and then as cashiers became available, they took the next customer. No guessing as to which line would be faster. I usually pick the wrong one.
I was a bit upset when the cashier wouldn’t take my coupon. I guess the item I picked up was on clearance. At $ 3.99 they wouldn’t accept my ½ price coupon. I guess my frustration here is that if they would have labelled their products/​shelving appropriately I would have spent a lot less time trying to decide what to purchase. Overall, a decent experience.

This store is good if you feel like doing something crafty, but don’t feel like actually having to look for the supplies, because they’re all together at the store. They’re pretty expensive for what you get, but at least you’re pretty sure you’ll get it. The problem is that almost every time I go there, there’s a problem at the register! What is it about the customer service there that is so lacking?!? It’s crazy! I mean, they’re usually backed up, and take forever checking people through, and then they often mess it up and have to start over! Maybe I just have back luck, but they’ve done it enough times to me that I feel like I have a valid comment here.

I’m a crafty gal and love going into Micheals. Believe me, they have craft supplies for everyone, even the uncrafty! I laugh because my husband likes going here. Beads, scrapbooking supplies, silk flowers, stamps, frames, kids crafts, yarn, and seasonal items are just a few of the things found in the crafters treasure trove known as Micheals.
Micheals has an extensive scrapbooking section and often have items you can’t find anywhere else (like the Martha Stewart line). The displays are normally quite orderly and clean making it easy to browse and find what you’re looking for.
Micheals has a custom framing department that can help you mount and frame your pictures, artwork or handiwork. My mom had a cross stitched piece framed here and the quality of the work was well worth the price.
This is a good place to come if you’re stumped on what to do to occupy kids, whether you need craft supplies, a craft project or inspiration. They also have craft classes on the weekends for kids and adults too.
Micheals also carries baking embellishments, cookie cutters and supplies that are difficult to find elsewhere. I love coming here for their fall and Halloween decorations and their stock is different from what you’ll find in other stores and there is so much of it. Needless to say I spend a bit of money.
Some things are pricey but regardless of where you go you’ll find things higher and lower priced so get what you want. If you wait it’ll be gone.