sockmonkey

Why not just drive there? I was there this summer and they had all of their fragrances out on display, along with some jars and containers that were not on their website. I also received free samples while I was there. I loved being able to sniff all of the fragrances and I took notes of my favorites for future reference. The person working there was super helpful. Just give them a call and make an appointment to make sure someone will be there to meet you. I think a twenty minute drive will definitely be worth your time.

The sale ends 9/26/06.

How long would it take for you to refill it? Would it be on the spot, or would the customer turn it in and pick it up three days later? I don't think most people would be interested in having to making more than one trip to get a container refilled. If you fill it on the spot, then you would have to wait for it to cool and keep the customer waiting. What if you pour it and your wick isn't centered properly, or for whatever reason, something funky happens to your wax. I personally don't see any benefit of offering refills. I believe most of the expense for a candle is in the container, and I can't see providing refills as a profitable option.

F.Y.I., Snowdrift Farms has natrasorb on sale for $6.30 per lb. (reg. $9). I have no connection with them, but I know some of you were talking about it the other day. I thought maybe this information would be beneficial to some of you.

I believe brambleberry.com also carries SFIC.

Just because people say they donate money to charity doesn't mean a large portion of the profits ever go to charity. There are a lot of "charitable" organizations where the majority of money raised goes to salaries for the people running the organization, the fancy cars they drive, and the fine homes they live in, etc. When you decide to donate to a cause you should find out up front what percentage of the money taken in actually goes toward helping the people they say they help. I have read about one group where about only $.10 of every dollar donated goes toward the charity. I agree that $350 does sound pretty high for a first year event in a mall. I wonder how that compares to what your own kiosk would cost you. Also, I wonder if there is a Yankee candle store in the mall, or any other dealer that could have a negative impact on your sales. I typically hate it when a mall has any type of show set up in the middle of everything. I never shop at them, because usually the type of stuff they have there is crap.

But pots are so much easier! The problem I had with tubes is that I would fill them and as they hardened they shrunk, showing a hole in the middle of the tube. I know other people suffer from the same thing and have been advised just to pour more over the top once they've hardened. That's just too much effort in my opinion.

Is that for black & white labels, and are they waterproof (if needed for your products)? If you're doing any kind of volume, it will be a giant pain in the butt to bother cutting them out. Also, if you're cutting them yourself, you're likely to get some jagged edges now and then, which look unprofessional. Before I invested in a major purchased with Kinko's I would buy some label stock and try cutting them out first to see how they come out.

A co-op group is an excellent idea--if you can find people in your area. The way co-ops happen here, it is a benefit, but with people spread all over the country, sometimes shipping can make it less of a bargain for some. You can try to reduce advertising costs by partnering with your neighbors (the more the better) and doing joint mailers or newspaper ads. If you have other gift type items, take advantage of cash and carry shows to save on minimums and shipping. Another thing might be to evaluate your business and what days of the week are most profitable for you. Of course, in retail I don't think anything is set in stone. But, if you are paying employees to staff the store when sales don't cover their wages, perhaps you would be better off to be closed that day, and maybe extend your hours on other more profitable days. I will try to give this some more thought.

http://www.buywax.com/product.asp?specific=jrjoqoe4

The good thing about this is that at least the potency of the fo will be diluted in the bath water. The amount you have calculated isn't that much over what most people use I don't think.

I went for those Nashville Wraps cub plastic bags. I had my company name stamped on them in gold foil. The compliments never end every time I whip one out. I wanted somthing sturdy enough so I never had to worry about a heavy candle falling through the bottom of it. They were quite expensive with the foil stamp, and frankly, I don't think it was worth it, but they do make quite an impression. If I were to do it over I would simply get a plain frosted cub, or maybe even a kraft bag with the twisted handles (whatever theh officially called). I hate those cheap plastic t-shirt bags. When I ran out of my cubs I had to substitute those, and I swear, no one left here without everything being double bagged. Those things are flimsy!

The name is The Lotion Studio. I generally have pretty ordinary, middle of the road packaging. I try to go for simple packaging. I really don't know what you would call it. It's not a modern trendy look, nor is it country/primitive. I guess, it's kind of boring, but since I sell things in my store and I wholesale it to other stores I try to keep the packaging so that it can fit in with a variety of styles. My new "Butt Tickler/ Fizz-takes" are being packaged in kraft tin-tie bags with a window. All I have done to the bag so far is use a strip of that sheer netting material (I can't think of the real name for that material right now) to tie a scoop on to the side of the bag. I tried to make it look a little "girly." So, I don't know if that little bit of information helps or not. It's right in front of me, and it's not inspiring me with any names! Thanks to everyone for the suggestions so far. I hope you'll keep them coming.

This is just sad...after all the names I freely toss out there, and all I get is two replies. Don't make me keep all of my future gems to myself now.

WSP sends them with every order.

Help! I need a name. As I became bath bomb challenged in my last thread, and a helpful hint didn't work for me, I decided to take my crumbled bath bombs and simply sell them as a fizzy bath powder. Here's the new problem...I can't think of a decent name/description for it. I don't need a company name, just something that says what it is, other than calling it fizzy bath powder! :rolleyes2 Can anyone give me some suggestions? (I hope!)

I tried the alcohol, but wasn't pleased with the way it left my mix smelling and it didn't hold anyway, so I added more FO and I'm just going to bag it up as a fizzy bath powder. (You'll see a new thread related to that shortly.)

I don't know where you've been shopping (or eating) Eugenia, but everywhere I go receipts just show the last four digits of my cards, and this was a practice in place well before July.

I don't believe that would have been me using technical terms! My labels are for laser printers. I don't know if that will make a difference or not. Sorry, but I haven't a clue as to whether you can use the spray on the clear labels. Based on what I said earlier, it seems like it would work; but, what do I know?

So I was making bath bombs, and I get a phonecall. I stopped what I was doing--leaving my mixture uncovered. When I returned, I finished packing my bombs into their molds and waited to release them. When I released them they fell out and crumbled back into powder. This has never happened before. I'm guessing it's because it got too dried out while I was taking my little break. Does anyone know if: 1) I could just add a little oil to re-moisten it again and then put it back in the molds? 2) I should just package it as a fizzy bath powder? 3) All is lost?

Call back and ask to speak to her boss. I bet she can respond then.

That looks like a good site. Thanks.

In addition to taking it up with the manager, I would go higher up the chain--like to their corporate headquarters. If you're feeling really po'd, contact a news channel. That is a real security issue.

I don't know about the labels you have, but I bought some of those white, "waterproof" labels from rippedsheets.com, and I can tell you that when fragrance oil got on those it was purely a smudgy mess. I switched to crystal clear labels--even though they were not listed as waterproof or smudgeproof, and I have not had a problem with smudges at all. Before I started using them, I tested them by pouring running water on them, spraying them with alcohol, and wiping lotion and fragrance oil on them and nothing smeared! Have you already tried doing that?

Are these really meant as soaps for actual use? If so, I would be concerned about the spices you have on them--especially if it includes cinnamon.