walmart pricing

[Candlelady4ever]

I wonder what kind of wholesale pricing Walmart gets from other candle venders to sell their candles so cheap. Sometimes I have doubts about my wholesale prices and think Im too high. Does anyone else worry about this?

[shutterbugg]

I wonder what kind of wholesale pricing Walmart gets from other candle venders to sell their candles so cheap. Sometimes I have doubts about my wholesale prices and think Im too high. Does anyone else worry abut this?

No You shouldnt worry about this, and i will tell you why,, walmart candles suck.. They are only half wicked... At least the ones i have always gotten where..A true candle lover will take your candles over walmart candles any day!!!

[Sherie]

Yep, what Leslie said!

[Candlelady4ever]

Yes but.........if you add 3 or 4 times what you have in your candles and sell wholesale at that price is that enough of a profit to keep selling ? Is that a normal price. What is fair or normal??? This may be too personal or a stupid question. Im always second guessing if Im doing the right thing.

[chris77]

If you're selling one candle, then no it's not enough profit. Wholesale accounts make money through volume. When I worked at Mervyn's, after all of the deductions we only made 1 cent off of levi 501 jeans. However, they were the best seller at the time and it was a money maker due to the volume sold. Understanding though how fast the plants can produce the jeans it's definitely not worth selling a candle for 1 cent profit....but you get the picture. Pouring one wholesale candle compared to pouring a dozen or so. The profit adds up.

Chris

Yes but.........if you add 3 or 4 times what you have in your candles and sell wholesale at that price is that enough of a profit to keep selling ? Is that a normal price. What is fair or normal??? This may be too personal or a stupid question. Im always second guessing if Im doing the right thing.

[LynnS]

I was at Wal Mart Sniffing candles.Yes that was what I was doing.Had to know what they smelled like.Well they did smell kinda good but not like the ones we make.Just not quite as strong and just not like the real thing.Like the Oatmeal Raisin cookie smelled not as strong as ours would.I had to keep sniffing but when people just open my jars they smell them.Even before they open the jars.Also I know how high the flames get on those candles.The votive I got was enough for me.

I did notice though the price I saw was just $4.96.I sell mine for$5.00.Only 4 cents off.Looks like a 8 ounce JJ.I think they do have some unique jars and have never seen them but from what others have said they are made out of the country.I did last year see a company from Tenn and the candle made me sick.I mean smelled bad.I did not see those candles this year or just missed them.Maybe some problems.I do so want to buy some of these candles but have enough in candle supplies as it is.

LynnS

[sudsnwicks]

Well they did smell kinda good but not like the ones we make.Just not quite as strong and just not like the real thing.

LynnS

I know what you mean. They smell a bit 'off'. Not sure how better to describe it, it just doesn't smell like the ones we make. Not so much that the smell isn't strong enough, but there is sort of a plasticky smell in there. Besides a lot of commercial candles don't have much smell when they're lit, and they don't last as long either. So, there really isn't a whole lot of comparison between theirs and ours, and that's why the pricing is different.

[LynnS]

Isn't that the truth.A smell you just can't pinpoint.Maybe a FUEL smell???

I now I just about had to stick my face in the candle and smell over and over before I could get it.The scent just didn't jump out at me.You kow what I mean.

Thora

[LynnS]

OOPPPS made some boo boos on my post(above).Getting late.I best get to bed.

LynnS

[scrubzz]

Don't know or remember all the details exactly, but I remember having read once that regardless of what it is - candles, clothing, housewares or whatever, Walmart buys in such huge quantities that they not only get incredible price breaks, they demand even more of a break or they won't buy from that company! Some major manufacturers even make certain items just for Walmart that aren't offered elsewhere - I remember specifically reading about this on some of the firearms Walmart sells - For example, Walmart may sell a Remington shotgun model xyz that can be found nowhere else except Walmart.

And they aren't the only major company who does this - once upon a time I worked for a company that is a major manufacturer of parts for the auto industry - Some of the items they made they actually LOST money on just to keep Ford happy and continueing to do business with them on all their other parts - Stories were told of places that refused to actually cut prices on items that Ford ALREADY had a contract with them for and Ford honored that contract, but when it ran out they didn't renew it or any other contract from that company and the smaller manufacturer went out of business.

When you are THE major player you can get away with things the average company wouldn't dream of.

[sockmonkey]

You can't compete with Walmart in terms of price. There's no way, plus, why would you want to? You're creating a hand made product--not some mass produced item. People who get their candles from Walmart don't know what quality candles are, and apparently don't have the budget for them.

If people are happy buying $2.99 or $4.99 candles from Walmart or the Hardware store, let them. If they think those candles smell great--let them go on believing. For many, they convince themselves that they smell good only because they're cheap. If people who could afford to buy your candles don't think they are worth spending extra money to buy a personal luxury for themselves well, that's too bad--you'll never change their self esteem.

I've had people come into my shop and tell me they prefer Dollar General Store candles over Yankee. So why did they walk into my store? It says right out front "Yankee Candles."

But, I've also had converts who have come to my shop and told me they used to buy generic candles, but won't burn anything buy Yankess now; because the other candles were a waste of money because the couldn't smell them when they were lit.

I know people here hate Yankee candles, so there's no need to get into an argument about how lousy you think they are. I'm just using that as an example to show that there are people willing to spend money on premium candles and people who aren't. Don't waste your time fretting over the cheapos who will not part with their money for good candles. They're Walmart loyalists, and that's fine. People who will buy your candles are an entirely different demographic.

[Barb_513]

When I worked about 3 years ago I was an auditor in the grocery market. Every once in a while we would get some odd invoices and they would be for clothing or candles and such. Usually the mark up was only 33% to 46%. Now when I left the industry big chains (ie. Kroger, Walmart) were starting to try to make the rules more than they were letting the vendors make the rules.

It was an amazing eye opener and when I started my daughter was about 3 years old. I refused to buy Gold Fish crackers because I found out how much they really cost lol Of course then I realized it's everything at the store not just the gold fish. That's my 2 cents.

[Scented]

Scrubzz we read the same thing lol!

We've scoped out the candles and tried to do the sniff thing. Some of those things just had nada for scent, wicks were way off and it's a wonder we're allowed in a Wal-Mart any more since we always comment about how unsafe it has to be, inevitably with customers wanting to buy that product.

One of the things we noticed was their 3x3s and 3x6s don't even look as big as ours.

[Glowlite]

One of the things we noticed was their 3x3s and 3x6s don't even look as big as ours.

I noticed that too. Tall wise they looked about 6" but they looked thinner and where lighter than mine. Smelled like poo too. LOL