Uncommon Scents Just Might Make Sense

Let the fundraising begin!

Even before the start of school, my high school freshman brought home his first fundraising packet to support his marching band.  Frankly, I was relieved when I saw that the band chose Yankee Candle as their first fundraiser.

As a parent of school-aged children for more than twelve years, I’ve seen a wide variety of fundraisers, from candy and cookie dough to pretzels and wrapping paper.  While I know that the Sally Foster wrap is a great moneymaker for the school, I have a hard time asking friends and family to shell out $10 for a roll of paper when the Christmas Tree Shop has perfectly nice paper for one third the price.  People point out that the Sally Foster paper is of a much higher quality.  All well and good, except it’s still going to be ripped off the present and thrown in the trash.  We can’t even recycle it at our transfer station; it needs to go into the pit with all the other items destined to spend eternity slumbering beneath a landfill.  When the company changed their fundraisers requiring people to purchase Sally Foster gift cards in increments of $10, it was time to kick Sally to the curb.

I feel much better about my son selling Yankee Candles.  They are a quality product, they come in a variety of scents, and even if you’re not a candle fanatic, chances are good that someone you know someone who is (my mother).  Looking through the catalog I also noticed hand soaps, air fresheners, and greeting cards (and wrapping paper, but let’s skip that page, shall we?)   At $25, the jar candles are a bit steep, but there are plenty of smaller items that sell for as little as $6. 

I remember my first Yankee candle.  When we purchased our house, our realtor gave us a Hazelnut Coffee candle as a housewarming gift.  The same candle had been burning in the home when we first visited it.  Not long after, I purchased another Yankee Candle called Buttercream Frosting.  It had a fantastic smell, but I kept craving cupcakes whenever I lit it. 

Speaking with my friend Maria last week, I asked if she’d be interested in purchasing a candle to support the band.  She agreed and asked me which food-related scents were available, since the fundraising catalog doesn’t offer all the smells found in the store.  I rattled off names such as Gingerbread, Apple Pumpkin, Sage & Citrus, and Vanilla Lime.  “Don’t you have one scented like onion rings?” she asked, causing me to crack up.  “How about Buffalo Chicken?” she continued.  Well, why not?  What’s better than walking into the house and smelling something delicious?  My kids can tell the minute they walk in the door whether we are having spaghetti or sausage soup for dinner.  What about those of us who prefer the smell of Garlic Bread to Christmas Cookie or Cranberry Chutney?

As we riffed through a number of possible choices, we naturally segued into all the potentially rejected scents that failed to make the catalog:  “Well-worn Uggs”; “Halitosis”; “Formaldehyde”; “Hockey Pads”; “Nursing Home”; and my personal favorite: “Aft”.

This started me thinking about another niche for Yankee Candle: scented candles designed to drive folks away.  Are your houseguests overstaying their welcome? Light up “Full Litter Box” and watch them pack within minutes.  Late night dinner guests not getting the hint that it’s time to go home?  Ignite “Quincy Low Tide” and watch ‘em run.  Book club always wants to meet at your house?  Spark up “Raw, Rancid Chicken Breast” and they won’t set foot in your living room again.  Just think of the money to be made. 

I’m guessing the folks at Yankee Candle won’t be calling me anytime soon to capitalize on my brilliant marketing schemes.  But for those of you who would like to purchase candles with more pedestrian scents such as Balsam & Cedar or Pumpkin Pie, you know where to reach me.