KristinesShower

For just one account? I am confused with this one. I have many accounts across the US and Canada - the biggest wholesaler is in a town of over a million peeps.

We have one every year at the store and I've found that if you take a couple invitations to your local banks, grocery stores, etc - they may just copy them for you and put them into shopping bags of their customers!

*It helps when you shop at their grocery store or bank at their bank *

Utica - population 1,000 - El Dinkiville, aka PODUNK

Speaking from experience here - sometimes labels get switched and someone ends up with somebody elses box. Sounds like what happened to you.

I've ordered from RJ as well with no problems.

Why did you buy bathbomb mix if you wanted to make something else? lol

When I make mine, they fizz like crazy - you just have to mix the dry ingredients faster to stop the reaction.

When I started to do the bakery scents (sorry, this is out of my 30 scent line, but it is another brand all together that I sell in my store only), I did a poll on here and asked everyone what sold the best. I took the top 6...or was it 7? Can't remember, but took those popular ones and made only the popular ones.

It always helps to turn a deaf ear when someone is raving about a scent too so you don't get all excited and buy some lol

I settled with 30scents and had my customers, friends and family help me choose which ones to keep.

Thanks large you guys!!

I am looking for a pump that goes with a WIDE MOUTH gallon jug. Not the kind with the handle and a small opening, but the ones with the big mouth.

I've seen them before - usually at sports events or places that have vendors with food. They are for the ketchup and mustard & come with a big pump. Surely someone has to make these, they do exist lol

I have looked high and low (including locally) and can't find these anywhere! Does anyone have any suggestions or have you seen them anywhere?

I am interested in 50 of them, so no high minimums - I just can't use anymore than that. It is for a thicker product that has to be spooned into the container hence the need for the big mouth. (kinda like me )

I have an a la carte menu at my store that shows the pricing of everything in our store. The employees add all of the product together and whatever else the customer wants (each gift box, basket or container is individually priced), ask them if they would like it shrink wrapped and bowed which is also on the menu - then we discount the total price 10%.

This is the only method that works for me and the only method I was ever comfortable with.

Do you know what else is on the freebie list?

I don't do fo's unless they are in my regular rotation. Last time I got some ceramic light bulb thingies or something like that.

Is anyone having problems (or ordering) from CMS right now? I can't choose my free gift - it keeps taking me to an error page. I've emailed them already to tell them about the problem, but of course I want it ordered right now lol

Does anyone have their recent flier? I must have deleted it by mistake and I want to know what they have in the free bin

I know it is going to sound biased, but bathbombs are always my #1 seller. They just bring the crowds in with questions and once I give my little shpiel (sp?), they are sold on them. I also only bring the 4 and 6 packs so they have to buy either 4 or 6 lol

I bring 30 of each scent - 10 scents and never bring back any. The bathbombs are usually what pay for the booth fee, decorations, who I have to pay for that day and gas/food for the employees.

In IL we pay it every month on the 21st, but if you pay ahead you get a discount woot!

it sucks when you can't get to your site.

Especially on the biggest buying weekend of the year. I don't think I would be too happy with my server if it went down this weekend. I actually would demand they do something to either credit my account or something to that effect.

any self respective server better be as close to 24/7 365 as you can get, or you should run away as fast as possible.

Hey newbies out there, make sure you print this quote out and look at it while trying to build your business!

I'm not too computer savvy when it comes to servers and whatnot, but I thought that servers are supposed to be up 24/7 365?

Can someone educate me on that?

Since the holidays are coming (quicker than imagined!), I thought it would be nice to do a poll for retail orders. I just got one of the biggest orders I've ever gotten for retail Seems as if this woman was ordering for her whole family (and some friends too!)

What is your biggest retail order (all year, not just Xmas)

No offense, but are your friends insane or just cheap?

I get $7.99 for my 8oz mason jars and my shop is located in a town of just under 1,000 people.

I think all of us as candlemakers should take a stand and say we will not charge less than "X" for all jelly jars starting in 2007. Those of you charging so little are killing your own businesses & making it hard for the rest of us to charge a fair price.

How do you do it?

You stop coming on the computer and posting to the boards, reading interesting things that have to do with your business, and pretty much stay away from the computer.

Then if that doesn't work and you still feel overwhelmed - get some help!! I can't stress that enough. If I didn't have help, I would literally rip my hair out until it was all gone.

Right now I am sitting here on the computer tonite because I am out of a key ingredient to make my bathbombs with. I sit here with thousands on order, but I don't fret - because I know the delivery will be here on Monday and the cycle will start over again back on track.

You have to have gumption

You have to want to work and be grateful for the stuff you do accomplish instead of worrying about the things that need to be done

You need to make a list and ahere to it

Don't bitch about all the stuff that you have to do - just roll up your sleeves and dive in - things get done so much faster than way (and this coming from THE bitch herself - me!)

And last but not least - get help if you need some. You wouldn't believe some of the help you can get if you just ask around. Most of my holiday help works for product!!!

Good luck and get going!

Why would you even want to do something like that? Even if it was insured, the post office wouldn't give you one red cent if it broke.

We had a lady come in and teach my employees last year on how to properly package a box. Rule of thumb is always wrap each item separately (no brainer) and you must have at least 2" all the way around the box with padding - then the items.

Go to the USPS site and get yourself some free boxes, then make sure you charge the shipping right and you won't even be out any money anyway.

Honestly, I've ordered B&B from places that packaged everything in a flat rate envelope and it completely turned me off from the company. If you don't care how your items get to the customer, how good can your items possibly be?

All of my products are treated like babies because I take alot of pride in my stuff and want it to arrive the way that I package it. If your customers are paying for the shipping anyway, may as well use it!

You are not making money off your shipping are you? My next question would be why?

We are in a mall type thing where there are 3 stores and myself. We have all chipped in and done something all together (we had a band last year) and had an all day open house. There was the winery, the coffee place, me and the carver - and we did very good last year. Alot of locals dropped by and we had the open house to jive with one of the bigger celebrations in town, so we got some tourists too.

(We just had Xmas cookies and hot chocolate - alot of cash and carry items already wrapped for the holidays - they flew off the shelves!)

I've had a store (two actually in the last 3 years) and there are days when I wish I would have stayed at home, but if no one even darkened my doorstep I wouldn't be out money.

If you have online business that will keep you afloat, a store isn't such a bad idea at all. If I didn't have a website or any online business, I would be out of business for sure as I am in a small podunk community. I mostly got the store for production and since it was in a retail location, I figured why not have a retail part as well.

I never advertise on a site unless it gets good traffic and they usually have to prove it to me. I always ask for uniques and page views before I make a decision and there is also a PR page on google that tells you what their ranking is.

Just for reference, here are some places I have had alot of success advertising on (success meaning alot of visits from):

candletech (woohoo! this one always tops my list)

makeup alley (I don't pay for this one)

rarebird finds

product linker

little black boxes

I also get alot of hits from message boards like the Dish, Bpal and Lush (LOL how funny is that)

I'm literally 4 hours from BCN & it takes me 5-7 days to get my order - who knows.