Hobby Lobby Closes Stores, Begins Layoffs Following 'God Is in Control' Remarks Amid Pandemic

[CatWoman]

Hobby Lobby Closes Stores, Begins Layoffs Following 'God Is in Control' Remarks Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Despite previous claims from Hobby Lobby owner David Green that a "vision from God" told him and his wife to keep the chain open, stores are closing and the company might be making it worse. According to The Frontier, the Oklahoma-based business has closed its stores in the state and then turned around to cut employee pay due to the outbreak while also terminating at least 32 employees in Hobby Lobby's art and creative department.

A letter sent out Friday to the affected employees noted that the layoff is permanent and encouraged them to seek unemployment benefits. They were also told that a company representative will stop by homes to deliver "personal belongings" and company badges or equipment.

"It is with a tremendously broken heart that I’ve been forced to take these unimaginable actions, and I genuinely hope you know that my prayers are with you and your family," Hobby Lobby Arts and Creative Vice President Darsee Lettin in the letter to terminated employees. "It has been such an honor having you on my Team. I truly and deeply appreciate your service to this Department and the Company, and wish you the very best as this calamity hopefully ends in the very near future."

The closing of the stores in Oklahoma is not a decision by the company but more a response to the state's orders shuttering all non-essential businesses. Several other states have seen stores close for similar reasons, including Texas, California, New York, and Maryland. The Frontier notes that stores have not closed in states like Minnesota, Arkansas, and Georgia.

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https://popculture.com/trending/2020/03/29/hobby-lobby-closes-stores-layoffs-following-god-is-in-control-coronavirus-pandemic/

[TheBlackAdder]

1. I guess he has to make up for those fines for stolen artifacts and getting burned on fake scrolls.

[Initech]

2. Fuck your "thoughts and prayers".

[Zambero]

3. Taking note of Liberty University's predicament perhaps?

I'm not sure exactly where God stands on all of this right at the moment. If I had to guess, he/she might volunteer that he/she can only do so much, given that too many stupid idiots are doing too many stupid things in too many places.

[bedazzled]

4. They just weren't making enough to stay open

Just like my job. If there were enough idiots shopping they would be open for sure. Fortunately the number of folks willing to risk life and limb for used clothing or pipe cleaners is rather small.

[Tech]

5. How much of the 500 billion will they be getting?

[GulfCoast66]

6. As someone who grew up Evangelical and even after stopping church attendance kept the politics

For several decades, I’ve come to one conclusion.

They worship their god because he is as big a dick as they are. And believing their god is like that gives them license to be the same way.

[atreides1]

9. Their God!!!

Is printed by the US Bureau of Engraving...and it isn't the Jewish carpenter that the Roman authorities crucified...

[GulfCoast66]

13. Amen Brother. Or sister.

I can’t imagine being desperate enough to work for a company whose owner sends out a memo calling his wife the ‘prayer warrior’. WTF does that even mean? Is she doing battle with satan and his Democratic minions when she prays?

Con man all the way. I don’t dislike religious people. Every one of my friends are religious. And none of them are worth 4.6 Billion.

[3Hotdogs]

17. I do battle with Satan every day. God wants me to stop playing with myself.

Lucifer wants me to keep on doing it.

I prays hard every day but Lucifer always wins.

[GulfCoast66]

18. Let your wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend help. Piss off both god and satan.

Maybe they will leave you here longer arguing over who has to take you.

[3Hotdogs]

20. I ain't got a girlfriend or wife. I'm too ugly and I'm broke.

I ain't got a boyfriend because Jesus don't like that stuff either and I don't want to piss him off any more than I already do.

But thanx for the tip.

[UTUSN]

7. So the holy owner is throwing his ex-employees to Caesar's unemployment cash.

This would be the fellow who battled OBAMAcare over "conscience" about birth control pills, who is said to run the empire without computers much to the angst of his managers, who could disinherit his beneficiary if any changes to the religiosity way of running things (computers) are made.

[Hugin]

8. I have mixed feelings about this...

Granted, David Green is one of the most colossal asses to ever cast a shadow on this Earth.

But, aside from that FACT...

1) Other large retail stores remain open, such as Target and Walmart, which are also owned or managed by their own colossal asses. These retail stores are still selling non-survival essential items. I bet you could buy a decorative throw or tchotchke, if you so desired.

2) As, I was in a Hobby Lobby two weeks ago obtaining, believe it or not, essential items I had determined I'd need for an extended self-isolation. The manager of that store was the FIRST person I saw ANYWHERE who was standing at the front of the store personally enforcing the six foot separation on patrons as they stood in line at the check out. I haven't seen anything like it since. She had also equipped all of her checkers with the best PPE she could manage. I was quite impressed by the level of effort.

So, the local stores and the employees were making a valiant effort.

I somehow doubt Green has had a change of heart... I suspect the reason for the closures has more to do with the bottom line and liability than any concern with his employees or the public at large.

[atreides1]

12. Okay

The Targets and Walmarts in my area sell toilet paper, paper towels, and food...I believe those items are considered essential to some people.

[Hugin]

14. You didn't read what I said...

They also have stores full of non-essential items they will happily sell you.

[questionseverything]

10. God is in charge and right now he wants us to

pay attention to science!

[Laffy Kat]

11. Too bad about the employees.

They should have known how expendable they were in that organization. The one closest to us had to close a couple of years ago because everyone was boycotting it.

[magicarpet]

23. One open last year just up the road. Was hoping much the same..

Might happen here, low sales volume due to Christian Nazi boycott,.. see ya,.. bye bye.

Here don't forget take your buybull with ya.

[TeamPooka]

15. Here's hoping God is now angry at Green and his wife for ignoring him.

[SWBTATTReg]

16. Non-essential? I beg to differ...there are supplies and such that can be used to make things that..

are essential, it depends on what the item being constructed is. It really sounds like to me that they don't want to pay the majority of their employees anyways, since basically their market has been slashed by a big chunk, that folks aren't buying the artsy stuff to make doo dads...

I don't understand this...

[Hugin]

21. +1

Yeah, a pipe cleaner could come in very handy for maintaining a ventilator or some fabric/elastic for masks.

People closing their minds due to their biases is not the exclusive domain of the Trumpanzees as this pandemic becomes even more politically polarized.

[SWBTATTReg]

24. Yes, that a good example too. I expect that the guy will come out and say that he's closed the ...

stores to 'protect' his employees. There are stores open in the area, but they are taking every precaution, i.e.. at a local grocery store, they hand clean/sanitize each shopping cart as it comes back in, and personally hand a cart to each new shopper as they come in. Some places also limit the number of people coming in, and of course most places not essential (quite a few of them) are closed, so movement of people is restricted. Of course some of the drive in (for food) are busy, I don't mess w/, I'd rather just fix something at home, avoid anymore contact than I need.

Be safe and take care!

[keithbvadu2]

19. God's judgement?

God's judgement?

Christianity and the Bible honored, enhanced, exemplified, glorified and displayed by theft and fraud by the Hobby Lobby Museum..

[Hugin]

22. Closing the stores isn't hurting Green or his Museum any.

His stimulus check probably already cleared and it was based on having employees and stores. Without those, it's pure profit, baby.

[Xolodno]

25. Whenever I hear Christian Business, Employer, Therapy, etc.

I avoid them like a God sent plague.

Christ was very specific....pray in your closet and don't advertise.

[TlalocW]

26. This asshat is worth $7 billion

He has 32,000 employees. The highest salary I could find is $340,000 a year. If he paid everyone the monthly equivalent of that salary so they could stay at home for a month, he would have $6.9 billion. If he paid them all their actual monthly salary/wages, after rounding, he would have $7 billion.

On edit: PornHub on the other hand is giving their employees and models a month's salary/wage and telling them to stay home and making its site free for a month because everyone's hands are idle, I guess.

(Deep breath) It's like RAAAAAA-EAAAAAIN ON YOUR WEDDING DAY!
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's a literary device you don't get anyway
And who would have thought it figures.

TlalocW

[Locrian]

29. Pornhub, free hands.... so many jokes, so little time - n/t

[KentuckyWoman]

32. You

[Historic NY]

27. Probably found outthey were going to be paying hefty fines.

[rustysgurl]

28. I take it as a point of personal pride ...

... that I don't shop there anymore.

The last time I was in a Hobby Lobby (a LONG time ago), the women manning the registers were working their kiesters off, while the guy in the vest who called himself a manager stood there and watched them work. I walked up to him and asked him point blank why he didn't open a register to reduce the line. His response? "I'm a manager -- that's THEIR job."

I've never been back.

I'm sorry for the workers affected, but definitely NOT sorry for this sorry-ass company.

[TlalocW]

30. I was in there a month and a half ago

On the off-chance that they would have fabric with a certain pattern - any pattern - with chocolate chip cookies because I want to sew a gift for a friend. If I found it, I was going to wrestle with my morality on whether giving my friend a gift was worth $20 to these ass-clowns. They didn't, but they had a complete bolt of fabric that Joann used to carry but currently doesn't have (and may never again) that I was wanting for some projects I wanted to make to sell. I couldn't afford the whole bolt so left without it (no cookie pattern either). Their treatment has shinied up my spine back to the point when they were interfering with letting their employees have health plans with birth control in them, and I won't go back.

TlalocW

[KentuckyWoman]

31. Hobby Lobby needs to go belly up.

They were once a good option for craft and art supplies. Now it is 90% cheap shit furniture and seasonal decor.

I feel for the employees. The shift to online instead of brick and mortar just got fast forwarded by Corona. Retail employee are going the way of blacksmiths.