Michael’s is the largest arts and crafts retail chain in America. It’s one of the first places I’ve shopped for craft supplies. Though it is a very convenient place to shop, I feel they can go a long way in terms of sustainability.

I’d like to mention a few of their practices I feel make a positive impact for the public overall. They have discounts for three categories; teachers, senior citizens as well as veterans. Michael’s has also partnered with Boys & Girls Club of America and Project Sunshine. Two charities that help children to expand their imagination and have a creative outlet.

In 2019 Michael’s signed the “Open to All” business pledge. This is basically a statement saying that an important goal of their business is to be able to service all types of people irrespective of a variety of factors such as race, religion, sexuality etc. This applies to staff and customers alike. 

To improve their ethical standpoint they could do some of the following. Michael’s wouldn’t be considered the worst employers but they could improve benefits to their employees like health insurance or wages; this would incentivize better performance on their part as well. 

Considering their shipping procedure, decrease the amount of plastic used during packing. Make more environmentally friendly products available to the public as a majority of their items are not and many crafts are not salvageable after the fact. They have mentioned starting an energy conservation plan in the past but there hasn’t been much of an update to that so showing that they follow through with potential plans would also have a positive effect.

Overall, I think Michael’s is a decent place to go that could be improved with a few changes here and there. The main issue I see is a lack of commitment to the environment which in this day and age is very important.