RANT OF THE DAY: Go home BBW, You're Drunk!

Is it just me or is BBW doing some really weird, random and downright bizarre things lately? Granted BBW has been doing out the box things since Slatkin left but I feel like lately it's gotten worse. And so far this fall season has been chockfull of several wtf moments.

First of all, the fall candles came out WAAAAAAYYYY too early, like earlier than usual and there was no rhyme or reason as to what was being released first; stuff just showed up randomly both in stores and online. I never understood why the various collections don't appear separately and in order - for example, Wine and Cork in August, then Harvest in September, then Pumpkin and Halloween stuff in October...nope not so much. Then you had all these various scents available, but no sale so nobody was buying anything. Which leads me to my next point...

BBW thru a curveball and released the new and improved Aromatherapy candles and got everyone and their grandma's excited. And people, myself included, were waiting patiently for a sale..cuz seriously, who pays full price for a candle?! Finally there's a flash $12 sale...and the friggin aromatherapy candles disappeared!!! Everybody was royally pissed off; the BBW Facebook and IG page were blowin up with an explosion of complaints. Their excuse was that the aromatherapy candles were "testing" and only a certain amount was made and released and that suddenly on the day of the sale there were no more and there weren't going to be anymore. Of course they all returned mysteriously about 2 days after the sale (although now they've disappeared again). Bullshit much BBW?!

Why were they testing? With the exception of Eucalyptus Tea, none of those scents were new! And why hasn't there been online testing before? Why weren't any of the "WB exclusives" online to test? Why haven't past failed test unicorns like Lavender Marshmallow or Malted Pistachio Truffle or Chocolate Bacon Cupcake tested online before?

And speaking of exclusives, we still don't have a clear picture as to what are exclusives and what will be in all stores. Lakeside Sunrise was supposed to be an exclusive and now it's online and in stores. Same with Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake as well as Red Radiant Maple. Brown Sugar Allspice has been making random appearances in BBW stores and supposedly Cranberry Pumpkin will be available as well. So that leaves Porchside Pumpkin, Apple Picking (3wick), Coconut Pumpkin, Pumpkin Milkshake and Pumpkin Sugar Cookie. Why do you need that many exclusives? In my humble opinion, if you're gonna do exclusives then there should be 1 exclusive per collection. There needs to be more consistency as to what should stay an exclusive and what will be released wide. It's not fair to those who don't live near a WB.

And speaking of consistency or rather the lack thereof, what's with the "scents coming out after Labor Day" debacle? The majority of your scents are already out so what's the point?! You know people are clamoring for Pumpkin Cupcake and Pumpkin Caramel Latte and Pecan Pumpkin Waffles, why make em wait?! And apparently there's product issues with some of those..what are yall doing that there are product issues? First it was Sunkissed Days and Beach Breeze and now PPW, PC AND PCL. And there were two different batches of Red Radiant Maple, one of which supposedly smelled terrible and the other completely different. Get it to-damn-gether already!

*sigh Y'know, I've never been a fan of the all pumpkin collections and I still fervently believe that it's been done to death - I think 3 years back to back is enough. Last year the collection as a whole was at it's best - nice packaging, beautiful labels and a variety of relatively new and interesting scents - Vanilla Pumpkin Marshmallow (which has become a fan fav), Pumpkin Sugared Doughnuts, and my personal fav Spiced Pumpkin Cider..which except for VPM, none of those returned. Instead we got a lot of random ish and all of them repackages..the worse offender being Pumpkin Milkshake, a repackage of a WINTER scent with no pumpkin or spice in it all. The only real new scents Pumpkin Sugar Cookie and Cranberry Pumpkin and even those smell vaguely familiar.

Also speaking of pumpkin, there was that ridiculous and borderline insulting $15 sale for Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin..really?! 15 whole dollars..for SWEET CINNAMON PUMPKIN?! REALLY?!!! And what made it worse were all of the basic bitches of America going nuts over this on social media and saying it was the best thing ever... "what a deal"..."now fall can begin"...WHATEVER! And now the Cork and Vine candles are $15..that is neither deal or bargain. I foresee a price hike in the near future, 2for25 and eventually 2for30 and when that happens, I will be officially done with BBW!

Lastly, my most important point and my most major grievances. Frankly the fall scents this year are LAME! It sucks cause usually fall is when BBW shines; you know when fall comes around that you're guaranteed to get some good stuff - 2011 was AWESOME, 2012 was pretty good then things started getting a little wonky in 2013, last year was weird and this year was the absolute worst. The collections this year are inconsistent, uninspired and unimaginative. The Cork and Vine candles sounded good in theory but the scents were all repackages and rereleases. The Pumpkin collection were all repackages with Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake and Cranberry Pumpkin being the only standouts. The labels looked like someone went inside a bakery and took pics of food on their phone and called it a day..and what's with those waxy tomato looking pumpkins they used in the pictures? The only seemingly cohesive collection is the Harvest one and even that seems like random scents grouped together with no thought behind them. And that weird ombre collection just aggravates the hell outta me
  • First of all do we honestly need another Autumn and Sweater Weather?
  • Secondly, why the f*** is BEAUTIFUL DAY now a fall scent?! Cuz it as "apple" in it..get the f*** outta here with that nonsense!
  • Golden Cinnamon and Toasted Caramel Vanilla both sound new and exciting but sadly they're not. I just don't get the point of either of these scents

That said, the fall lineup just seem lacking and missing stuff. There's no cider scent, there's no doughnut scent, no pear scent. No Cranberry Woods, no Cider Lane/Warm Caramel Cider, no Autumn Day/Autumn Night, no Heirloom Pumpkin (there are wf bulbs online though and a 1wick of Pumpkin Carving). It's like BBW had a major case of brain farts and forgot about these scents.

And the weirdness just keeps continuing

Now we have a new 3layered pumpkin candle...only it's not new; it's the same 3layered candle from 2013 with Creamy Pumpkin and Roasted Pumpkin Butter..two scents that aren't in stores and haven't been in non-test stores since 2012 or '11. BBW newbies are creaming their panties over this candle, meanwhile we ol schoolers are scratching our heads in disbelief and confusion.

Similarly blowing up social media is the "new" Halloween candle - Spooky Vanilla. The notes are French vanilla, sugar crystals and fluffy marshmallow...yep you guessed it - Vanilla Pumpkin Marshmallow/Vanilla Bean Marshmallow. Not very spooky. BBW has been on a major vanilla/marshmallow kick lately so they jumped on the vanilla/marshmallow bandwagon and came up with this travesty enticing folks (particularly the newbies) with its cutesycutesy packaging. This is worse than that Trick or Treat mess last year. Again newbies are going nuts while the rest of us are facepalming holes into our skulls.

Then a mason jar only scent randomly appeared out of the blue - Mahogany and Birch. It sounds exciting and new... that is until you sniff it and read the notes. It's a watered down Mahogany Teakwood! Really BBW, Mahogany Teakwood, really?!

I don't get it BBW, I really don't get the things y'all do! Help me understand you! Seriously I just can't with yall lately, I've lost my ability to even! Real talk, if this fall is any indication of what the holiday lineup is gonna be like and beyond, we BBW'ers are in trouble!

Comments

  1. Oh my God, I friggin love you;) haha! Your rant on this was exactly what I was thinking! I was loyal to B&BW's for YEARS! I walked away from them for close to 2 years because I was having repeated issues. I missed out on one of the better collections, Artisan. I come back this year & frankly, I'm blown away by what's going on. From what I've heard, there's someone new running the ship these days. They are going to drive away customers that have spent thousands of $$'s. I agree about the price hike. It's coming alright. I think after the 1st of the year, we'll see an increase. The games they play now are ridiculous, & that's why I ventured out & have found so many awesome candle companies to buy from. I try to support small ones, & find they have the best service & product! I don't care for Yankee & I'd love to keep buying B&BW's candles, but it's like wtf B&BW's, don't you WANT us anymore? You did an awesome job with this rant! Btw, On Instagram, I'm caseymayr 😊 & we both follow each other!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey there!!! Glad you found my blog! That sucks that you came back for this shitshow

      Delete
  2. Hmm. I just put in a $90 order with McCall's.

    But in Canada they just dropped the 3 wick price tomsame as USA. Interesting.

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  3. I totally agree, this fall sucks. I was vaguely interested in a few scents, but they turned out to be WB exclusives. I have no WB near me and I won't pay the eBay prices, so I won't be purchasing BBW candles this fall!

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    1. And that's sad, there are so many folks in your predicament. WB needs to hurry up and have an online store and "test" their "exclusives" there even if it's limited time only.

      Delete
  4. I foresee a price increase in the near future!! I've been uninspired by the fall releases this year and there is too much inconsistent information that BBW puts out!! It's confusing as hell. The labels used this year sucked.. I take better Instagram photos with my iPhone!! Sometimes I feel raped by BBW and to quote Ice Cube, NO VASELINE!!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Preach!!!
      This fall has been an utter shitshow. I shudder to think how much of a hot mess the holiday lineup is gonna be. And I suggest getting an umbrella and poncho to escape he shit hitting the fan when everybody sees 2for25

      Delete
  5. Question, since I don't have a BBW or a WB ANYWHERE near me... currently living in Germany... I used to love the Acorn & Fig/Autumn Day candle. Is there ANY scent that has been repackaged that smells like this? I'm down to my last two. :0 (
    I really wish I could just wander into a store and smell everything.

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    Replies
    1. Wow, a BBW fan all the way in Germany! Awesome!

      Autumn Day was repackaged last fall as Autumn Night. I did a review on it last year. It basically Autumn Day with added smokiness and spice. Autumn Night was later repackaged as Cardamom and Suede and Holly Jolly Christmas. Alas neither Autumn Day or Autumn Night returned this year. Autumn Night/Cardamom and Suede/Holly Jolly Christmas are all plentiful on Ebay tbough you may have problems finding Autumn Day. Hope this was helpful!

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    2. I'm from the States, just over here for a few years! Seems like .. sadly.. I'm not missing much with BBW. :0 (
      I noticed a few years back that things started to get what I like to call, sloppy seconds.. Everything was being re-branded and re-packaged under new names and yet it was all the same stuff.
      I just tend to read the labels online and cross my fingers for the best. I have the typical Sweater Weather, Leaves, Flannel and Autumn on hand right now. Was just hoping for some more of the good old stuff to turn up, even under a new name.
      I see that you are head over heels for the Porchside Pumpkin.. I might have to see if a family member can find one for me at a WB store.
      I am SO excited to have found your blog. Thank you so much for all of your reviews and suggestions etc. It really is helping me when I am a million miles away. lOl

      Delete
    3. Whoops! I meant ago add on..
      What does the "Perfect Autumn Day" lotion/soap smell like? Is it a rebranding of another scent? It looks tempting and I really don't want to grab it if I have something similar already on hand. Thank you!!!

      Delete
    4. To be honest, I've no idea what PAD smells like at all, I tend to ignore body care. Now Bright Autumn Day I know about (I currently have the soap) Its a sharp intense citrus (bergamot?) with borderline red hot cinnamon. Not a fan. I think it might be last fall's Walk in the Woods soap

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    5. You're very welcome, Im glad you found me!

      You're very right all of the sloppy seconds. It must be annoying playing the guessing with with scents you see online and hoping for the best. Hopefully my blog can be even slightly helpful to other overseas BBW enthusiasts with their purchasing decisions

      BTW Definitely see if you can get some dear friend or family member to get you PP and Cranberry Pumpkin, those are the stars of this fall lineup in my opinion

      Delete
  6. I am EXTREMELY glad you are calling BS on the Beautiful Day being a fall candle. Cut that shit out, BBW.

    Also, I second the disappointment in fall candles last year. SO GLAD I bought enough Spiced Pumpkin Cider to last at least another year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks that is BS

      Ugh, I should've stocked up on more SPC, Ithought for sure it would've come back. I should've known better

      Delete
  7. It's not just the candles and body products that are sucky. They're screwing their employees without any Vaseline too. Cutting hours and hours and so many call-in shifts of & they never need you.
    Yeah something smells really stick at Bbw

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're very right about that; they screw their employees raw,rough and dry. It's really a shame

      Word on the street is BBW is under management lately. Whoever they have there now obviously don't know what thehell they're doin

      Delete
  8. I'm sad they got rid of Autumn Day, it was always a fall fave for me. Honestly, aside from my usual picks I have not been liking the new scents at all, I remember being super disappointed last year as well.

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    1. Yeah, last year was pretty awful though not nearly as bad as this year. With the exception of maybe 2 scents, Im not impressed with any of this year's fall scents. And you just gotta get used to classics disappearing. More are gonna keep falling off the face of the earth. I predict even the almighty Leaves is gonna disappear eventually

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  9. its like bbw listened to you this and added everything you asked for this year lol... there's a new cider scent, pear, csd, cider lane, cranberry woods lol

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