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Yankee Candle - How do they Survive? (1 Viewer)

Chemical X

Chemical X

Footballguy
saw a TV commercial for yankee candle and it dawned on me, are they the new radio shack? piles of stores but no one actually goes to them. I mean, it seems like you can buy candles pretty much everywhere, including any dollar store.

have you been or do you know anyone that frequents them?

 
My wife is an assistant manager at our local store. She's been there for 11 years. I think they survive by paying their employees jack shight.

 
One word: Fundraisers.

This probably keeps the company afloat right there. I know my daughter's dance academy does one each year and we usually have to spend at least $100 on stuff.

Give me Bath and Body Works candles any day over these guys.

 
The mall stores are generally small and have lots of inventory that is cheap to make, high quality, and almost never spoils. They don't need a big staff, there's no real problem with theft, and everything is extremely high margin.

Even if nobody bought anything from the stores, they do go in and smell a few candles once in a while, so when they sell through other channels - fund raisers, an end cap in another retail store, catalogs - people know their brand and their products well enough to make an impulse buy.

Plus they were the first to really explode in the industry. They started as a single store in an old wooden building in my home town and everyone wondered why people would buy fancy candies. But they had classes where kids could make their own candles with unscented wax and a wick and parents loved that.

Fast forward 20 or 30 years and they have an enormous retail store, with a model train room where it's always snowing and you can buy elaborate train sets, a toy store, every candle in their inventory and a bunch of home goods, decent food and random entertainment including an animatronic oompapa band with my late great uncle's likeness preserved for decades. They've had Santa come in on a helicopter, cops have to manage traffic and the parking lot is full year round. At one point, the owner even built a huge car museum next door to show off his personal collection. It's a huge small town success story from a rural farming town in Massachusetts.

 
I feel the same about Hallmark stores.

Then a couple years ago my coworker and I were at lunch and he needed to get a card for his wife's birthday and as I was driving I said want me to pull over into this CVS?

He said no, he has to go to Hallmark for a card.

If it's not a card from Hallmark it's not the same.

1 card and $8 later I understand how they stay in business now.

Women are programmed to believe a card is not as special unless it's from Hallmark.

 
jomar said:
My wife is now anti-candle. We have those rock light looking thingys and an oil defuser or two
Click to expand...
we have wax warmers everywhere. It's all good until you knock one over and give yourself a good waxing.

Courtjester said:
One word: Fundraisers.

This probably keeps the company afloat right there. I know my daughter's dance academy does one each year and we usually have to spend at least $100 on stuff.
Click to expand...
:yes: hate those things.

 
lmao

I just realized I lit a candle this morning at my desk here at work.

It's a yankee candle I purchased from a co-workers fundraiser.

"Beachwalk"

 
bostonfred said:
The mall stores are generally small and have lots of inventory that is cheap to make, high quality, and almost never spoils. They don't need a big staff, there's no real problem with theft, and everything is extremely high margin.

Even if nobody bought anything from the stores, they do go in and smell a few candles once in a while, so when they sell through other channels - fund raisers, an end cap in another retail store, catalogs - people know their brand and their products well enough to make an impulse buy.

Plus they were the first to really explode in the industry. They started as a single store in an old wooden building in my home town and everyone wondered why people would buy fancy candies. But they had classes where kids could make their own candles with unscented wax and a wick and parents loved that.

Fast forward 20 or 30 years and they have an enormous retail store, with a model train room where it's always snowing and you can buy elaborate train sets, a toy store, every candle in their inventory and a bunch of home goods, decent food and random entertainment including an animatronic oompapa band with my late great uncle's likeness preserved for decades. They've had Santa come in on a helicopter, cops have to manage traffic and the parking lot is full year round. At one point, the owner even built a huge car museum next door to show off his personal collection. It's a huge small town success story from a rural farming town in Massachusetts.
Click to expand...
Thanks Gekko

 
bostonfred said:
The mall stores are generally small and have lots of inventory that is cheap to make, high quality, and almost never spoils. They don't need a big staff, there's no real problem with theft, and everything is extremely high margin.

Even if nobody bought anything from the stores, they do go in and smell a few candles once in a while, so when they sell through other channels - fund raisers, an end cap in another retail store, catalogs - people know their brand and their products well enough to make an impulse buy.

Plus they were the first to really explode in the industry. They started as a single store in an old wooden building in my home town and everyone wondered why people would buy fancy candies. But they had classes where kids could make their own candles with unscented wax and a wick and parents loved that.

Fast forward 20 or 30 years and they have an enormous retail store, with a model train room where it's always snowing and you can buy elaborate train sets, a toy store, every candle in their inventory and a bunch of home goods, decent food and random entertainment including an animatronic oompapa band with my late great uncle's likeness preserved for decades. They've had Santa come in on a helicopter, cops have to manage traffic and the parking lot is full year round. At one point, the owner even built a huge car museum next door to show off his personal collection. It's a huge small town success story from a rural farming town in Massachusetts.
Click to expand...
Been there while visiting family in western MA. My daughter loves the place and wants to go back.

Wife also helps keep them afloat although she is migrating to sensi candles now.

 
B Maverick said:
bostonfred said:
The mall stores are generally small and have lots of inventory that is cheap to make, high quality, and almost never spoils. They don't need a big staff, there's no real problem with theft, and everything is extremely high margin.

Even if nobody bought anything from the stores, they do go in and smell a few candles once in a while, so when they sell through other channels - fund raisers, an end cap in another retail store, catalogs - people know their brand and their products well enough to make an impulse buy.

Plus they were the first to really explode in the industry. They started as a single store in an old wooden building in my home town and everyone wondered why people would buy fancy candies. But they had classes where kids could make their own candles with unscented wax and a wick and parents loved that.

Fast forward 20 or 30 years and they have an enormous retail store, with a model train room where it's always snowing and you can buy elaborate train sets, a toy store, every candle in their inventory and a bunch of home goods, decent food and random entertainment including an animatronic oompapa band with my late great uncle's likeness preserved for decades. They've had Santa come in on a helicopter, cops have to manage traffic and the parking lot is full year round. At one point, the owner even built a huge car museum next door to show off his personal collection. It's a huge small town success story from a rural farming town in Massachusetts.
Click to expand...
Been there while visiting family in western MA. My daughter loves the place and wants to go back.

Wife also helps keep them afloat although she is migrating to sensi candles now.
Click to expand...
I used to live about 10 minutes away. It's amazing the traffic that place gets, even outside of this time of year.

The son of the original owner also started his own company called Kringle Candles along the same line, but using all-white candles.

 
Dickie Dunn said:
B Maverick said:
bostonfred said:
The mall stores are generally small and have lots of inventory that is cheap to make, high quality, and almost never spoils. They don't need a big staff, there's no real problem with theft, and everything is extremely high margin.

Even if nobody bought anything from the stores, they do go in and smell a few candles once in a while, so when they sell through other channels - fund raisers, an end cap in another retail store, catalogs - people know their brand and their products well enough to make an impulse buy.

Plus they were the first to really explode in the industry. They started as a single store in an old wooden building in my home town and everyone wondered why people would buy fancy candies. But they had classes where kids could make their own candles with unscented wax and a wick and parents loved that.

Fast forward 20 or 30 years and they have an enormous retail store, with a model train room where it's always snowing and you can buy elaborate train sets, a toy store, every candle in their inventory and a bunch of home goods, decent food and random entertainment including an animatronic oompapa band with my late great uncle's likeness preserved for decades. They've had Santa come in on a helicopter, cops have to manage traffic and the parking lot is full year round. At one point, the owner even built a huge car museum next door to show off his personal collection. It's a huge small town success story from a rural farming town in Massachusetts.
Click to expand...
Been there while visiting family in western MA. My daughter loves the place and wants to go back.

Wife also helps keep them afloat although she is migrating to sensi candles now.
Click to expand...
I used to live about 10 minutes away. It's amazing the traffic that place gets, even outside of this time of year.

The son of the original owner also started his own company called Kringle Candles along the same line, but using all-white candles.
Click to expand...
RBM would LOVE that place!

 
Chemical X said:
saw a TV commercial for yankee candle and it dawned on me, are they the new radio shack? piles of stores but no one actually goes to them. I mean, it seems like you can buy candles pretty much everywhere, including any dollar store.

have you been or do you know anyone that frequents them?
Click to expand...
Are you married? My ex-wife couldn't walk past one without 120.00 flying out of our checking account. And it's the candle, plus the base the jar sits on, plus the decorative top, plus the little metal matchstick holder to light them when the wax is really low. That right there is like 70.00 to have the kitchen smell like canteloupe plus her burned dinners.

 
If you guys took out the trash and cleaned your shag carpets once in a while, you might not need crappy candles to cover up your smelly ### houses :unsure: You folks must be the 39 air fresheners strapped to visor/vents/mirror family too.

Yankee Candles are wayyyyyyyyyy too strong.

 
I live about 45 mins from the factory in MA and my wife goes there at least 6 times a year. They send her all these coupons and deals, it's like a casino sending you comps. The candles do smell nice.

 
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