Happy Candle Day!
Yes! It is finally here!
That one day a year where people stay up late, or get up early and wait in LONG lines to grab their favorite Bath and Body Works candles at sale pricing.
This year the cost was $9.50 and while that fifty five-cent increase from last year's pricing put a frown on many faces, you wouldn't know it from the lines and crowds that filled sidewalks, malls, and stores everywhere.
The lines here were long...I never knew we had that many people in town.
I crossed the store's threshold and tried to make my way through the crush of people and body care stocked tables to find the round and small square tables with candles on them. They were scattered throughout the store and with small gaps between the tables and tower shelves, we shoppers had to maneuver carefully.
Previous years the tables were in the front of
the store and it was so much easier to grab what you want and get out of there. Years ago, I was the first through the door at 7 or 8am. Was it a lack of interest then? I am not sure. If you saw the number of people pushing to get in this small store today...well, I know you get what I mean because I have been looking at some social media posts and you too have had the same circumstances in some areas.
In a matter of moments, before you could make your way to the tables, the most wanted candles were gone. I expected as much. I had candles in my cart last night and with a few site issues in trying to get them checked out, I gave up and decided to grab them in-store to use my coupon. Candles sold out online around 1 pm I heard.
I grabbed a Sweater Weather candle from the wall and carefully put it into my bag. I couldn't get to the crates because another group of shoppers came in from the front and were pushing us all to the cash wrap area. In the area by a shelf tower, I asked the woman with numerous filled crates if I could pass ( I said Excuse me ) to get to the other side of her to make my way to the other tables. She looked at me and said, No. Now she wasn't in line, she was taking a headcount on crates of candles. I didn't ask for a candle, her firstborn or a pint of blood. Just excuse me, may I pass. No? Um, Okay. I mean, I am not a small woman if I move past you I will move you.
With the women pushing me from behind because they were being pushed and the rude person with her pile of crates not letting us through, I took my lonely candle out of the bag, hung up the bag and made my way out.
I walked through the mall and went back to TJMaxx while I waited for my brother to join us.
After some time we tried once more to get into the store and look for candles but the lines were still long so we gave up.
We left the mall and decided to go see the reindeer that visits our area every year during Birthday week and the sweet little eight-month-old deer they brought this year put a smile on my face.
Then it was off to our birthday dinner celebration and more shopping.
The stores out of town were crazy too. Filled to the rafters with shoppers holding crates of candles standing in long lines with long faces. One sales associate in this store held a sign that read, " Line Forms Here." I smiled at her and she said she had the easiest job in the store.
I found a crate here and looked for a few candles to grab. These shoppers were kind and moved as you tried to pass them but the candle selection was gone. These round tables and walls were getting bare and the sales associates and manager frantically moved things around to fill in.
A couple asked me which candles I had found and if I had any holiday scents I preferred and we got to talking about candles versus melts. I finished grabbing five random candles and got in line. I saw my husband pacing outside of the store along with the other " my wife drug me out into candle day" husbands. This store had the center area designated as the checkout line and the manager came and directed people on the other side of the round body care table that broke up the flow to keep the lines in order to the four registers and two portable handheld cashiers.
I was directed to the left side and there was a woman in front of me as we all took half baby steps inching our way closer to salvation. A sales associate was at the cash wrap directing us all like a policeman in an intersection. The woman in front of me moved up two-steps and the associate said to her, "Where are you going, you aren't in line." I thought...oh no here we go. She told her she was where she was told to be and the associate told her to get to the end of the line.
I nearly dropped my crate when I saw her face and she turned to the associate and said, "No I am not going to the end of no line."
The associate looked at me and I whispered to her the manager sent us here...because she did... and she told the lady to proceed to the register. A portable cashier then asked if I was paying with a card and took care of me. There were no coupons given today and I was told the reusable totes were gone early in the morning. Just as she said it a person walked out of the backroom with a few totes and when we both looked at her, the associate told me that they were for her, shes a worker there.
I cut my losses on this Candle Day and wanted out of the chaos. Easier said than done trying to get a large shopper bag through shopping customers holding crates of candles.
I must say...the sales associates were incredible today and worked so hard in keeping the shelves stocked with product and the customers as happy as they could be. Every worker I saw didn't stop running around or answering questions the entire time I was there. Today was much worse than Black Friday was for sure.
When we got back into town my husband asked if I wanted to check the store here one more time. I did and it was still crowded but the tables that were filled were completely empty. The walls were picked through and a few older candles were filling in here and there.
I saw the associate who was by herself in the morning to open and she told me she was concerned to open the gate with so many outside of it. And the minute she did, the store was flooded with shoppers.
Hopefully, tomorrow when the other candle collections ( $10 off candles tomorrow ) come out I will be able to grab a few that I wanted. Either on sale or not I wanted the pretty glass Rose Water and Ivy candle for my aunt as a gift to go with the Winter Florals Ballerina Rose Candle I grabbed today.
And I may trade in my Sweater Weather for a different scent. That grey wax is not really to my liking but I have to think about it.
So many years ago when I began this journey into Bath and Body Works I found that I wanted to collect their candles as well as burn them. Over time I have been thinning out my collections while grabbing only a few here and there that I want to burn and enjoy now.
On a day like today, I would buy bunches of candles filling bunches of paper tote bags...when today I grabbed only five candles.
I think disappointment had a little to do with it ( DANG IT I wanted that store bag)...HAHA...and when I say that by no means do I think any of this craziness it is life-altering sadness...HAHA. I am fineeeee. Just sharing my perspective on my trip.
I shared this morning a little about how crazy busy the store was and that I left with nothing and a reader on Facebook responded that I always have something rude to say and asked am I ever happy. HAHA.
Trolls leaving me negative comments asking am I ever happy. Now that is funny.
I will get my photos from today including the reindeer added later, I want to check out some of your social media posts of your hauls first and it is already late.
Thank you so much for sharing some of your thoughts and your shopping experiences with me. I really appreciate it...
Have a great night...