Michaels is always looking for a competitive edge — and its latest venture, a collaboration with Creativebug (a creator of online classes), certainly bears this out.

According to Michaels Web site:

“We believe Michaels is where creativity happens. With 1,262 stores (consisting of 1,145 Michaels stores in the 49 states and Canada and 118 Aaron Brothers stores) as of May 31, 2014 and $4.6 billion in sales in fiscal 2013, Michaels is the largest arts-and-crafts specialty retailer in North America. We also operate a market-leading vertically-integrated custom framing business. Our mission is to inspire and enable customer creativity, create a fun and rewarding place to work, foster meaningful connections with our communities, and lead the industry in growth and innovation.”

To enhance the customer experience in a unique and experiential manner, Michaels now offers online video-based classes (many free) developed by Creativebug. These classes cover a wide variety of topics in a down-to-earth conversational and how-to manner.

Click the image to access the online class page and see the extent of Michaels’ efforts to educate their customers in a fun way.