Thymes offers pop-up event for customers missing its warehouse sale

After what was described as an outcry from hundreds of disgruntled customers, Thymes corporation has brought back its popular scents and soaps warehouse sale, albeit in a much smaller setting.

Thymes marketing director Jill Gerard said the company is offering a pop-up sale Friday and Saturday as a gesture to customers who were disappointed by the lack of a fall sale.

"We didn't have enough inventory for a large, grand warehouse sale, so put something together as a last minute holiday surprise," she said.

Typically, the sale is held in October to get rid of excess inventory and older packaging designs, but with less overstock inventory and fewer packaging changes this year, there wasn't enough merchandise to hold it. The pop-up sale will contain about one-tenth of the merchandise at a typical warehouse event.

The smaller sale includes the usual assortment of current and retired fragrances in soaps, body washes, lotions, reed diffusers, mists, candles and a few surprises at 50 to 75 percent off, said Gerard. At the sale this morning there were lots of Frasier Fir candles, diffusers, and liquid soaps, as well as other popular scents such as Red Cherie, Eucalyptus, Wild Ginger and Azur. Prices range from $1 to $15, including $2 for single bars of soap, $6 for body oil, gel, shampoo, lotion, candle, mist, and diffuser refill. Three wick candles are $8 and diffusers, potpourri, sink sets and travel kits are $15.

The pop-up sale is not a hint that a fall 2013 sale will occur. Companies are still much sharper about inventory control, said Jim McComb, a Minneapolis retail expert. The Twin Cities has lost a number of warehouse sales in recent years, including Thymes, Europa Import, Manhattan Toy and Illume Candles.

The sale will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Thymes headquarters at 629 9th St. SE. in Minneapolis.