sockmonkey

http://www.pjtreasures.com/cfg/cactus.html

How exciting for you. Ah, we can say we knew you when! I agree, you should post a pic of the ad when it comes out.

For wholesale, the norm is usually 50% off retail. However, there are some who only offer 40% or even 30% off retail. Some have pricing that starts at 30% off, but the more your order, the greater the discount, up to 50% off.

Here are some changes I would make: Under "Scent Descriptions, change from "descriptions of each scent is coming soon" to-- descriptions of each scent are coming soon. Under "Specials", I would change "Soy Grunggy Pillar" to--Soy Grungy Pillar, or even Grungy Soy Pillar. Under "Soy Melting Tarts," that business about the throw to--Use with an electric warmer to enjoy a wonderful scent without the flame. Under your jar candles you referenced something about a blast of fragrance. I don't think it's a good idea to mention the word "blast" in association with your candles. Maybe you could try something more like--With every flicker of the flame your senses with thank you as the fragrant aroma of your candle gently fills the air. Also, the photos of your jar candles are not doing them justice. If I were you, I would work on the photos to remove some of the glare from the flame. The photos of the pillars look pretty good though. One last thing...on your forum site you have "opinion" spelled wrong. These are just a few minor changes. You'll soon have your site looking perfect.

Was it embossed, or "raised" logo, or printed on the lid? If it was embossed you will have to have those custom made, and I'm sure it would involve quite a large purchase. If it was just silkscreened on the lid, many container and packaging companies say they offer that service.

More information about what kind of lids/jars you have would be helpful. Glass lids? Metal Lids?

What a foolish mistake for him to try and badmouth his competitor. Didn't I suggest he might do such a thing after he bragged about his low prices!

Oh God! I had a lady come into my shop and try to sell me those things. I told her that since I already sell Yankees I didn't plan on adding another line. She told me if I tried them I might want to switch and offered to give me a sample. Well, since she was buying stuff in my shop I felt like I couldn't be rude and at least acted like I would be willing to give them a try. What she brought for me to try was a large jar that had been burned down to about 1" from the bottom of the jar. That jar was so black with soot I couldn't believe it. I'd never seen anything like it. Of course I never bothered lighting the thing. The thing that I found so ridiculous was the fact that she didn't have enough sense to at least try and clean up the jar before she gave it to me. What kind of impression did she think that would make?

It's smart of you to review previous orders. For those people who placed large orders at this time last year, did they ever place re-orders? I'm wondering if maybe the orders were for mother's day. Have you analyzed what they were buying.? Did most of them buy several different items, or focus mainly on one product? It might be too late for a mother's day special, but perhaps you could make a gift combo pack. It could be something as simple as putting a scrub and a lotion together in a pretty organza bag. Advertise them as quick purchases for gifts on the run--perfect for the upcoming wedding, graduation, and summer seasons. Hopefully, it will achieve a couple of different things. One, it will look like something different and new and will generate immediate sales. Two, if they haven't tried one of the items included in the combo pack before, this will introduce them to it and they may begin to purchase it on a regular basis. Another option is to get them give them tiered discounts. Buy one case save 5%. Buy two cases save 10%. Buy three cases and save 15%. You could make it mix and match, or require that discounts only apply to cases of the same product. So much for my brainstorming tonight. It's late!

Yes Ron, people do include warnings on jar CANDLES. I have NEVER seen anyone include a warning or instructions on how to open an empty jar. Ever. I doubt people would take offense to a warning telling them to use both hands to handle the jar candle in order to avoid breakage. It makes sense. Jars can be heavy and slip; an empty jar--not so much. Telling Susan to use both hands and easily twist the lid and pull up seems rather silly. How else do you think she would be able to open it? Isn't there really only one way? By your lame directions on how to open a jar, it seems like you're accusing her of not having enough common sense to know how to open a jar. Since you didn't offer any excuse as to why the jar cracked or say this was an isolated incident, maybe you think she was acting like a baboon throwing it around the room to try and get the lid off and caused it to crack. Susan's post was one of frustration. I think she was merely looking to see if she was the only one who would be upset by your insulting reply. She tried to communicate with you directly, and you responded by giving her instructions on how to open a jar. You did not tell her that she received a defective jar. You did not tell her that had never happened before. You did not ask any questions regarding how the jar may have been handled that could have created the problem. You did not ask if perhaps the package it shipped in might have looked damage (perhaps creating a hairline fracture that no one noticed). When a business responds to your complaint with such an attitude as you gave her, do you think she would have had any interest in corresponding with you further? She got nowhere the first time. You had a chance to correspond to an "angry customer", who at the time was not even angry it seems! You just blew your chance. You said "The intent is to show concern for the well-being of the customer. How do I benefit from being "intentionally" rude to a prospective customer I have just sent a free sample? Who would do that?" You may not be intentionally rude, but you're sure not learning from your mistakes either. The majority of the people here seem to agree that your email was pretty off-base. I can't believe you can read all of these posts and still not find anything wrong with the way this was handled. It seems like you're being rather combative about the entire issue, and not really trying to provide great customer service or offer anyone any type of reassurance about that particular sample Susan had a problem with. Here's a golden opportunity for you though--instead of saying you were misunderstood, why not address the issue she had with her sample? Do you think it was defective, or do you think she doesn't know how to open a jar?

If you don't already give them a free sample of the products they purchase you could try that. You could have a contest for people who make purchases within a certain period of time. All companies who order during that time period will have their names dropped in a box from which one winner will be pulled and given a free case of something--or discount, or whatever you can dream up. If you wind up getting a lot of sales, giving away a free case (or a dozen, or whatever the qty. might be) shouldn't be such a hardship as buy one get one free, etc. Do you do private label? If so, maybe you could lower the cost of that for the month of May.

I just saw your post today. Did you ever get your jars? If not you can find them here: http://essentialsupplies.com/ The problem is they are in California, so unless you pay for expedited shipping it will take a while to get them. They also have lids. I agree, boy, those 12 oz jars are hard to find when you need them!

Sweet!

SDM was entitled to her opinion of the way she was treated by this company. Many also took offense to the letter she received from Ron. If Ron was made aware of this thread, then why didn't he address the issue with SDM herself and take his own advice he posted here, to in his own words, "please go to the source for clarification." Why didn't he send her another private email apologizing for what he believes was a misunderstanding. Don't you think she would have very likely updated us on that as well? You see, that scenario could have resulted in a happy ending, but no, by his comments here, I think all he did was add fuel to the fire. There's a thing called "public relations" that he needs to learn about. He obviously feared that this thread could cost him some sales. So he decided to come here and try to do some damage control, but what he did, in my opinion was cause more. He couldn't simply apologize, he had to get a plug in for his company, and at the same time, also take a stab at his competitor which should absolutely not be allowed by a supplier. BAD MOVE. If he wants to brag about price, quality, blah, blah, blah, let him put that info under "Supplier Announcements", not here. Then he further compounded the problem by smarting off to Michi, claiming she owed someone an apology. I think he owes everyone here an apology. If someone has an issue with customer service or a product, I think they absolutely should have a right to make a post about it here. SDM tried to let them know she had a problem--with a mere sample, mind you, and got a slap in the face in the form of Ron's email for letting them know about it. In her shock over the rude treatment she got, she shared it with us. Who wouldn't do what she did? She couldn't expect to get anywhere with the company after the email she got. I don't for one minute think he made his post here to make peace with SDM. It was nothing more than a pitiful plug for his company, and an opportunity to insult the rest of us by thinking we're too stupid to recognize it. "With regard to PRICE, one of my competitors was mentioned favorably several times. The next time you are on their site, quietly wonder why they price their frosted 12oz. Metro $.34 per jar higher than I do. Ask aloud why they place a $.20 cent premium on ALL their frosted jars when I only place a $.05 cent premium on SOME of my candle jars. I started FCJ with the small to medium sized candlemaker in mind. My jars are priced per case like you were placing pallet sized orders. If an order comes in before 4PM CST it goes out the same day. I not only provide wick information, I provide free wicks on all APOTHECARY candle jars with a two case order. Who else does that? "You must have been reading my words differently than they were intended". The next time you take offense at what you read, please go to the source for clarification. It was never my intention to embarass or insult you. PS Michi After comparing my price with the competition,you can understand why I cannot afford to give "kick-backs" Candlemakers use FCJ because of price, quality, and service ONLY. You owe someone an apology." T A C K Y.

Ooh, I've got to say something now! I think Ron's response was nothing but tacky in his email to SDM, and then to come here to try and publicly defend his product, and at the same time insult other members here was nothing but a bad move on his part. Yankee puts instructions on how to open their jars to PREVENT PEOPLE FROM DROPPING THEM. I have a store and sell Yankees, and I see how they handle them. It is NOT because the jar will crack when they pull the lid off. What a complete insult to even add that in the email. Yankee doesn't buy their jars from Ron, so why even try to associate himself with them. Then, for him to challenge the cost of another vendor's prices was competely unprofessional, even if a member mentioned or compared prices. But, since he suggests we visit their site and see why they charge more, maybe everyone should. Is it because maybe their jars are a better quality? Is it because they don't jack up the shipping to compensate for lower prices? I don't know. I've never bought from either company and have not spent the time to compare their prices, but I'm always suspicious when someone tries to put questions in a customers head to distract from the issue at hand.

I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate that you recognize your own weaknesses and know how to ask for help, and accept constructive criticism for what it is. If you need help with wording in the future you can PM me if you like. I have absolutely no problem helping people like yourself who show initiative and are sincere.

You're welcome to use the whole idea if you like. I hope it works for you. Just so you know, it's always easy to improve upon something that someone else has written. The hardest thing to do is to come up with the original idea!

Body Fudge? I think it's a cute idea, and I hate to say this, but when I hear body "fudge" my dirty mind starts to think of something stinky, if you know what I mean. Maybe it's just me.

I would suggest, since you plan on selling paraffin down the road, that you not reference ANYTHING that would reflect negatively against the paraffin. I would do something like: In keeping with the current trend toward more earth friendly, natural products, we are proud to offer soy candles. We think that you will find our soy candles produce a soft and long-lasting warm glow, with a wide variety of fragrances that add extra appeal to every household. In addition to the pleasure you will have burning our candles, you can also feel good about your purchase knowing that you are supporting American agriculture, because our wax is manufactured from the soybeans grown in the United States.

Maybe you should spend some time browsing through magazines or read some craft books or do some research on the internet so you can be inspired. I think you will take much more pride and feel a greater sense of accomplishment in something you develop on your own rather than getting all of your ideas from other people.

From Nature With Love has a catalog. It's a very nice one, but they charge for it unless you place an order over a certan amount, then it's free. I think it's a couple of hundred pages and gives very detailed explanations of essential oils, herbs, butters, fragrance oils, etc. and also includes some recipes as well. I think it's well worth the money, even if you don't place an order for anything else.

Yeah, I see it. Posted at 9:18 today. Woohoo! Thanks.

Maybe if she ever shares her tips you will.

GG (or anyone), do you know if the clear base sweats a lot? I used a honey base before, which was not SFIC. It was a amber, not perfectly clear, and I noticed that it "sweat." I hated it and I threw it in the trash. Since then, I have only used opaque goat's milk or shea butter m&p and never noticed a sweat. Do you think I will be likely to have a sweat problem with SFIC's regular clear base?

I'm not offended. I just felt obliged to say something because no one else would tell the emperor was not wearing any clothes.