puma52 Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 (edited) Morning guys! I have rented a space in a beautiful building that caters to crafters. I will have all types of candles and product in it. The candles will include of course wax and also food type candles that have crumbles and embed wax designs. I know you all have seen where people have messed with candles...people love to run their fingers around the wick to somehow "release" the scent of the wax and it has happened to other candles I have made in the past. I think that that is very disgusting and very inappropriate for people to do that especially when they do not end up purchasing the product. The first thing I think of when I see one of these candles is that people have put their dirty fingers in it and it has marred the look of the candle and I certainly wouldn't want to purchase that one. I am thinking of putting a sign up in my space that says "Please do not touch the wax in candles. Help me to keep them clean and pretty looking for those who purchase them. Thank you kindly" then my signature. Does anyone here put signs up in their spaces regarding this matter? I am thinking that this could work two ways. First, people will respect the fact that I have worked hard on my product and care about it, so therefore will not finger the waxes and the second is that the purchaser will appreciate the fact that I care about them enough to ask people to not finger the wax and that they would feel secure that they are getting a clean product. All opinions appreciated! Let me know guys. Thanks! Edited April 25, 2015 by puma52 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcuset Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Puma, do you have "sample" jars out for your customers to smell/putz with? ... smaller ones? As a customer, it may work both ways. Some may be put off, but others may respect it. Hey, it's your shop & your work. I appreciate buying a candle without finger prints & smudges in the wax. I'd respect it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Fingers in the candles will be severed with a hatchet.Look, smell, no touchee the waxee. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justajesuschick Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 This is one reason I love my business being 95% online. I no longer do events. My business is all wax melts so I would bring testers of 50-75 scents. With a big label on each that says TESTER. Nearly every time, people dig into my wire bins to get a melt to sniff. I politely say, "I have testers here of every single scent-feel free to sniff all of them! If you find one you like I can get you a fresh one from here (gesturing to them all stocked in my bins" and they say, "Oh, that's okay, I found one here in this bin". They put it back and later I see a crumbled label, finger prints or a makeup nose print on the top of melt. That becomes trash. I cannot sell that to someone else. I do not even take my shaped melts. There is something instinctive in that people want to squish them or rub the texture somehow in the polypro bag. Try the sign and see. Otherwise, you may have to have a tester out and those for sale, sealed. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 Gawd I hate wax gougers! Can't tell you how irked I get when I open a candle and someone has literally gouged out a chunk or rift in the surface. Arghhh! I like Tops' direct approach. Or--- find one of those old fashioned wooden spanking paddles they used to use in schools or make one. Put a sign next to it that if you touch the wax you get a good paddlin! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 find one of those old fashioned wooden spanking paddles they used to use in schools or make one. Put a sign next to it that if you touch the wax you get a good paddlin! What if they like that? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 What if they like that? :laugh2: Then you have another problem! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puma52 Posted April 25, 2015 Author Share Posted April 25, 2015 Fingers in the candles will be severed with a hatchet.Look, smell, no touchee the waxee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puma52 Posted April 25, 2015 Author Share Posted April 25, 2015 :laugh2: Then you have another problem! You guys are killing me!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puma52 Posted April 25, 2015 Author Share Posted April 25, 2015 (edited) This is one reason I love my business being 95% online. I no longer do events. My business is all wax melts so I would bring testers of 50-75 scents. With a big label on each that says TESTER. Nearly every time, people dig into my wire bins to get a melt to sniff. I politely say, "I have testers here of every single scent-feel free to sniff all of them! If you find one you like I can get you a fresh one from here (gesturing to them all stocked in my bins" and they say, "Oh, that's okay, I found one here in this bin". They put it back and later I see a crumbled label, finger prints or a makeup nose print on the top of melt. That becomes trash. I cannot sell that to someone else. I do not even take my shaped melts. There is something instinctive in that people want to squish them or rub the texture somehow in the polypro bag. Try the sign and see. Otherwise, you may have to have a tester out and those for sale, sealed.What is it that people have to be so touchly feely with this stuff? I am sure that they could smell your testers perfectly and they can smell my candles/melts/everything else perfectly without fingering and tearing up stuff. Ackk! This is a great idea with the testers except I make so many different jar types and in so many scents, it would be futile I am afraid. The pillars and tart melts, votives etc will be in cello bags...so HOPEFULLY they will not tear into those...sigh... all I can do is hope that people behave. Edited April 25, 2015 by puma52 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puma52 Posted April 25, 2015 Author Share Posted April 25, 2015 I did decide to go ahead and put in the sign today when we took our first boxes of product to set up. I also put up other signs welcoming them in to shop and sniff and thanking them for shopping with my company. So hopefully they will balance each other out perfectly. We work so doggone hard to make these products, hopefully the sign will help. We shall see...... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topofmurrayhill Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 I did decide to go ahead and put in the sign today when we took our first boxes of product to set up. I also put up other signs welcoming them in to shop and sniff and thanking them for shopping with my company. So hopefully they will balance each other out perfectly. We work so doggone hard to make these products, hopefully the sign will help. We shall see...... I hope you at least left a hatchet lying out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted April 25, 2015 Share Posted April 25, 2015 How about those thick plastic dust covers? Placed under the cover, close to the wax surface, it makes them work to pull it out to touch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joym Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 A friend put up signs "the candles don't itch, please don't scratch" 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest OldGlory Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Well if it's not the customer it's the shop owner. I was in a small shop in Pigeon Forge. They leave the front door open. Well a SKUNK wondered in one day and spayed the store.So, what do you think they did?Go ahead and guess.They opened up my candles and crystals to help offset the stench.No, they did NOT buy them, and several were ruined. Not one word of apology, not one word of explanation. I found out thru someone else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puma52 Posted April 26, 2015 Author Share Posted April 26, 2015 I hope you at least left a hatchet lying out.You know Topofmurrayhill.....I REALLY think that this would be an awesome deterrent....I do need to go to Lowe's this week ....I would just leave it lying by the candles!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puma52 Posted April 26, 2015 Author Share Posted April 26, 2015 A friend put up signs "the candles don't itch, please don't scratch"This is AWESOME!!! It would definitely get the point across!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puma52 Posted April 26, 2015 Author Share Posted April 26, 2015 How about those thick plastic dust covers? Placed under the cover, close to the wax surface, it makes them work to pull it out to touch.I love all these great ideas!! I hope it helps others too..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 It may come to the point where we will have to start shrink wrapping the container tops! Seems to me I had this problem when I made soy candles. Now that I make palm container candles either I don't notice the tops being touched or its that the surface of the wax is so hard you can't gouge it or smudge it the same as with soy wax. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puma52 Posted April 26, 2015 Author Share Posted April 26, 2015 Well if it's not the customer it's the shop owner. I was in a small shop in Pigeon Forge. They leave the front door open. Well a SKUNK wondered in one day and spayed the store.So, what do you think they did?Go ahead and guess.They opened up my candles and crystals to help offset the stench.No, they did NOT buy them, and several were ruined. Not one word of apology, not one word of explanation. I found out thru someone else.Oh....THAT is BAD, BAD, BAD OldGlory!!! People need to respect others' hard work! Topofmurrayhill's hatchet idea IMMEDIATELY comes to mind..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandlekrazy Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 I guess it's just human nature...bad as it is! I have the same problem in my store. They open everything they possibly can and can't resist touching. I find more wax bits on the carpet than in my workshop, mostly from melts that I used to overfill. I've stopped overfilling so now they get less. I've tried having samples out & signs, they still have that curiosity. I open if no sample, but never touch. I guess that's because I know what goes into making them nice and smoothon top. I gave up trying.Maybe a sign that shows that hatchet and fingers Top mentioned with a warning? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonshine Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Screw the hatchet ....get a chainsaw! LolI have been using clamshells for my melts and even though I have TESTER ones people seem have the need to open a fresh one as if they don't believe the TESTER will smell the same....drives me crazy!!! My jars I do not have testers but when they open the to smell I simply say please do not touch the wax - but I never have a crowd of people to keep under control either so the hatchet or chainsaw should work..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcandleattic Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Maybe as Candybee said it is mostly a soy problem? In all the years I've done shows and had candles there this has never been a problem for me. Or at least (as she said) the tops are harder and more smudge resistant so I don't notice. I do like the hatchet idea. LOL It would be a conversation starter if nothing else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandlekrazy Posted April 26, 2015 Share Posted April 26, 2015 Maybe as Candybee said it is mostly a soy problem? In all the years I've done shows and had candles there this has never been a problem for me. Or at least (as she said) the tops are harder and more smudge resistant so I don't notice. I do like the hatchet idea. LOL It would be a conversation starter if nothing else. Oh yeah it's worse with soy, they see that the wax looks soft so they have to stick fingers in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted April 27, 2015 Share Posted April 27, 2015 Its actually soy and paraffin candles. The container wax is soft so folks like to run their fingers on it or gouge it. Had the problem all the time doing shows. Can't tell you how many times I had to heat gun the tops to level the fingermarks and gouges out. When I finally switched to palm no more problems. Palm wax is hard to the touch and you can't gouge it or leave fingermarks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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