What do you burn when........

[blacktieaffair]

You set up at a craft fair or show or home party.. or even in your B&M if you have one?

While I am kicking around doing seasonal scents, I've found that I have one bakery blend in particular that everyone going nuts over ( Snickerdoodle Latte of all things ).

Do you go seasonal? Or just pick whatever you're in the mood for?

[JanetsCandles]

Unfortunately many of my craft shows won't allow people to burn anything in the booths. I usually am burning a tester here at home so when anyone comes to see what I've got, it leads into other sales just from that.

[blacktieaffair]

Thanks Janet and you just reminded me I needed to have stated that a tad differently so here goes LOL

Ok, what do yall burn OR spray or sit out (for those places that wont allow you to burn ) !

Thanks Janet, I really needed to have put it THAT way !!! I know what you mean about the testers, I have a basket behind me that has probably 50 different scents in it and I will burn different ones every day ( ah the joys of being a FOHO ! )

[ksranch]

One of the stores I'm in has a melter going all the time - usually when I come out with a "new" scent I give them some to put in it.. works like a charm - whatever it is it gets people buying it. but other than that she just uses whatever she's in the mood for..

[redraider]

The shows I have done have been fall/holiday shows. There are an assortment of different wax melts i burn. But whenever I put out the Cinnamon Vanilla the people flock to my booth and I sell out of those. I try to be mindful of the booths around me and ask them to please tell me if there is something they don't like. I want to keep them happy so they won't complain about me to customers. Last year each morning one of the ladies from the booth next to mine would come over and pick out what she wanted to smell. I also change scents every couple of hours just so none of us get tired of particular one. But for sure Cinnamon Vanilla everytime. If it were a spring/summer scent I would definately do Butt Naked(or whatever you wanna call it). It has a strong throw but not overpowering.

[NaturallyTru]

I don't burn anything at the shows. People are always saying how good it smells walking up to my booth, so I never saw the need. I am however taking a sample warmer next show. It amazes me how many do not know what a melt is! I think I answered that question 25 times yesterday. The shows I have been doing do not allow sales of anything not handmade, so I can't sell warmers. But it looks like I need to have one there to show people.

[redraider]

Definately take a warmer and put something in it. That way you can give them your card and sell them a warmer afterwards.

[Candybee]

I do a lot of outdoor shows and burning a candle often doesn't work as the scent just diffuses with the air whether its windy or not. I do occasionally burn a seasonal candle but more for demonstrating the way the candle glows (I use palm wax) when it burns.

For indoor shows it works better burning for scent but again a lot of indoor shows I do are arena type venues and the scent dissapates into the vastness of the domed ceiling.

So I don't burn candles at many shows unless I am trying to demonstrate the candle glow. At home I tend to burn candles more for testing and don't use them as much for personal use anymore as I have an elderly cat that is sensitive to some scents.

[EnvyCandles]

Hands down, we set out Love Spell aroma beads at the end of the table closest to the customers. This ALWAYS brings people! Many people say they can smell it from many many booths away. I personally HATE LS, but, it sells soo well.

I have not been to show that allowed a candle to be lit, and I generally do not want to have any melts melting because I want people to be able to smell whatever scents they choose.

It just so happens that the aroma beads get the wind draft down the aisles...

[blacktieaffair]

LS huh? Interesting! I love it, on a every once and a while basis.. I guess I was just thinking that maybe some sort of bakery scents would work more than others.Thanks for everyone's input !

[TraciS]

Creme Brulee in a crock pot. It is my best seller but harder to sell when all you have to go by is cold throw. People come with noses in the air at every show and so far it hasn't ever bothered anyone like the Blueberry did when I tried it

[Traveler]

Most shows we do are just too big (arena types, like Candybee mentioned) or are outdoor shows where the scent just pretty much dissipates with the breeze. BUT on those few occassions where we have been in a smaller, more enclosed space we have noticed that customers LOVE BW's Honey Gingerbread - which smells identical in our wax to AH/RE's Amish Quilt and Celtic Moonspice so if you have either of those scents...maybe give them a try. :-)

[SliverOfWax]

I don't typically open teaser threads where the title doesn't define the subject, but since I did open this one, not only have I not burned candles at public functions, but I've gone around blowing out lit candles or asking management to put them out.

When I was doing shows, I carried Victoria's Secret spray perfume and sprayed a little around every so often. I used to do probably close to 50% types and could steer people to the scent I had just sprayed.

Now that I have a store, I keep wickless candles on warmers. I randomly choose the scent. Just whatever I grab.

[blacktieaffair]

Wow that, IMHO, takes a lot of balls to go around blowing out candles at other vendors booths, if that is in fact what you just said. I would never mind be asked nicely by someone to turn off the scent that was a vendor and close by(but then again I always walk around to every vendor anywhere around me and sometimes on the next isle over), but I find that very rude, to just walk up and do something like that at someones place of business that is not your own. A customer always has the option of walking off, just like at a mall that has a perfume store or BBW in it.

So, if I read that correctly, its ok for YOU to go around blowing out candles for whatever reason, at someone's place of business.......and its also ok for you to subject your clients to something of YOUR choosing whether they care for it or not?

If you don't mind me asking, what do you do, when someone goes up to your warmer and turns it off without so much a by-your-leave?

Just curious how you handle that situation, as I've never ran into anyone that took such liberties. I guess I've been lucky in the fact that the people I have ran across, seem to realize that , just like going into that perfume store, or BBW ,.... they are going to encounter a scent that someone else has sprayed, that they didn't care for.. but they ignore it and look around anyway because they've came in to find things for themselves.

[blacktieaffair]

Also, one other thing I'd like for you to clarify for me since you said the subject of this was a "teaser" and didn't "define the subject".

What part of , posting in the Wickless forum, with the title " What do you burn when" didn't define that I was wanting to know what others burned when doing something?

I apologize to you, if you feel I should have named the thread " Im curious as to what each of you burn in your booths or stores or at craft shows in order to draw peoples attention to your scents. "

But I kinda thought that was overkill, too long, at pretty redundant .

I guess I mistakenly thought that the subject WAS in the title as a phrase.

So, could you please tell me how I could have improved the subject title. I'm definitely willing to listen to your expertise, and there's the possibility that others feel the same about this subject thread title as you do, and I would like to improve myself so this doesn't happen again.

TIA

Edited June 14, 2012 by blacktieaffair

[redraider]

Ok I am not going to get in the above part however, When I pay a booth rental fee of $900 and I have Scentsy just around the corner from me with 10 warmers going at once you better believe I am going to have something burning in my booth!!! Do I burn candles? No. That would be dangerous and also with the draft in the convention center it could get blown out any way. I have one warmer that I keep a tart going in at the front of my booth for everyone to see and smell. Customers can smell my 1 tart going in my one warmer over the Scentsy booth with 10 warmers and each full of wax. That is how I get people to buy my products when they have never heard of me. I don't have to make any claims over Scentsy. My product does it on its own. Also makes it hard for the Scentsy rep to run down my product. If any other vendor had the nerve to turn off my warmer I would be getting management involved myself. My money paid for the booth and those are my products in it. Don't like my stuff, don't come to my booth.

[SliverOfWax]

Wow that, IMHO, takes a lot of balls to go around blowing out candles at other vendors booths, if that is in fact what you just said. I would never mind be asked nicely by someone to turn off the scent that was a vendor and close by(but then again I always walk around to every vendor anywhere around me and sometimes on the next isle over), but I find that very rude, to just walk up and do something like that at someones place of business that is not your own. A customer always has the option of walking off, just like at a mall that has a perfume store or BBW in it.

So, if I read that correctly, its ok for YOU to go around blowing out candles for whatever reason, at someone's place of business.......and its also ok for you to subject your clients to something of YOUR choosing whether they care for it or not?

If you don't mind me asking, what do you do, when someone goes up to your warmer and turns it off without so much a by-your-leave?

Just curious how you handle that situation, as I've never ran into anyone that took such liberties. I guess I've been lucky in the fact that the people I have ran across, seem to realize that , just like going into that perfume store, or BBW ,.... they are going to encounter a scent that someone else has sprayed, that they didn't care for.. but they ignore it and look around anyway because they've came in to find things for themselves.

lol.

It's either blow the things out or call the fire department. It has nothing to do with the scent and everything to do with being against the law.

[Maggie]

I never did an indoor show where you were allowed to burn a candle. For many reasons... mainly the fire code doesn't permit it, but even if they did kids could get burned, someone could knock it over and start a fire if you were busy with other customers, oh and depending on the scent it could overpower the room. People selling food items don't appreciate it even though their stuff is wrapped. At one show a little boy opened EVERY jar candle on my display and his mother said...don't mind him because he loves to smell candles. He was picking them up and rubbing his fingers over the top. Then he didn't put the fitment lids back on...just set them on the top. I was pissed because I had to put them all back on. the mother didn't buy a thing even though the kid would say, Mommy I love this, buy this one for me. I can't imagine what he would have done with a candle that I had burning. I even asked at a show that was in a former school turned into a community center and I was set up in what used to be the gym and then the rest of the people were downstairs. Answer was absolutely not. Only one time did I burn a candle at an outdoor show...that was the one where a Hispanic guy fell in love with Hypnotic Poison (AWE who is now OOB) and bought all I had there plus ordered like 9 more. I did use my electric punched tin burner at a couple of indoor shows. One time the lady beside me was selling her homemade fudge (she had a licensed kitchen at home) and she said that IF I had a candle burning she would have asked one of the show coordinators to ask me to please put it out.

[SliverOfWax]

If any other vendor had the nerve to turn off my warmer I would be getting management involved myself. My money paid for the booth and those are my products in it. Don't like my stuff, don't come to my booth.

I'm pretty sure nobody said anything about turning off warmers.

[Nanasnecessities]

um, my comuter says this

<li class="navbit">Forum<li class="navbit">Strictly Scents<li class="navbit">Fragrance Discussion<li class="navbit"> What do you burn when........<li class="navbit lastnavbit">Reply to Thread

so you are not in the wickless section.

just saying

Also, one other thing I'd like for you to clarify for me since you said the subject of this was a "teaser" and didn't "define the subject".

What part of , posting in the Wickless forum, with the title " What do you burn when" didn't define that I was wanting to know what others burned when doing something?

I apologize to you, if you feel I should have named the thread " Im curious as to what each of you burn in your booths or stores or at craft shows in order to draw peoples attention to your scents. "

But I kinda thought that was overkill, too long, at pretty redundant .

I guess I mistakenly thought that the subject WAS in the title as a phrase.

So, could you please tell me how I could have improved the subject title. I'm definitely willing to listen to your expertise, and there's the possibility that others feel the same about this subject thread title as you do, and I would like to improve myself so this doesn't happen again.

TIA