# farmers market vs bottique vs wholesale wrapping



## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

How is the best way to wrap soap for a boutique? I wrap our Farmers's market soap in muslin bags. We get a lot of positive comments and compliments. Had a snob shop manager (not the owner) today look down her nose and tell us our soap was not what they were looking for, while she was selling melt n pour wrapped in saran wrap. 

As we questioned and though, the soap can not be better than ours but probably better presented. 

Should we go with shrink or the plastic sack with a ribbon?


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## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

If it were me, I'd tell her where to go. But that's just me.


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## Greylady (Mar 28, 2012)

Different things appeal to different people. Some percieve the soap as better pertaining to the wrapper, such as an elegantly wrapped box versus a cello bag with a twist tie. As different markets cater to different folks. Sometimes I think it depends on the market you are after. Boutiques are specialty shops and unique always goes better there. At a famer's market you would tend to see more rustic depending on the farmer's market for examples. I had someone turn mine down in bags with twist ties for m&p in saran wrap too.


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

This was a very uppity lady. Normally snobs don't bother me. I really don't care what most folks think. I do the best I can with what I have. I think she was bs-ing us. She had asked for a price list and never responded. The next day, talked to a shop owner in a different part of town and told her right off I did not think my muslin bags fit the decor of her shop. 

In the mean time I need to stretch myself and not be so utilitarian and practical. I am sssoooo plain jane. If the snob had just said...Do you have any other way to present your products? I think they would sell better. I would have gladly come up with some ideas. 

What I am asking you is...please give me some ideas to up-scale my wonderful product in packaging that would transfer well to a boutique setting.


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

Muslin bags sound so much nicer than cellophane. I don't get it. Could you post a photo of your soap in the package? Maybe there is a simpler fix than going with all new packaging.

I bet there are people that ask for info though just to let you know about their shop. Networking...


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/edit/a.1503533941201.66697.1019798458/ Here is a picture of our soap. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/edit/a.1631050929046.87291.1019798458/ Here is an old picture of our bags. We have ..Refresh Soap Company.... on one side AND now have ....VIRGINIA Handmade Goat Milk Soap......centered on the back. The one shown does not show that because we changed it last year. You get the idea though. We have a business card on the inside which has all business info on one (numbers, name etc.) and ingredients and scents on the back.


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

OK, my first thought is that the faded stamps on the bags look really neat - kind of like an old feed sack - but they maybe aren't all that informative. There is a certain demographic that needs glasses and refuses to wear them (lol, you know who you are) so will just walk past something they can't read very easily. And if the ingredients are inside the bag, people might not really know that information is provided.

My other thought is that the bags completely hide the soap. I see you have the display bars, but there is something appealing about seeing stacks of soap. (I think it reminds people of food. At our reenactment people kept walking over cause they thought we had fudge, lol.) Your stacks looking like little pillows . Do you think the muslin bags help retain the scent all that much? Or could you think of more a cigar band? A muslin cigar band with you company stamp on front, a sticker on the back with the ingredients?

I like the bags and would buy soap in the bag cause I think it's neat, but just trying to think what might be more appealing to others.


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## Texasgirl (Feb 28, 2013)

The links are not working for me. I go to the page but nothing shows up--just a white page with a list of my friends next to it.

I will say if the ingredients are not available for me to read, I won't buy. I am very picky--hate fragrances for instance-give me rashes, etc. So not having ingredient lists available could really hurt your sales.


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## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

The links didn't work for me either. I looked her up on Facebook at Refresh Soap Company


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## a4patch (Oct 7, 2009)

Not sure about the links. I do have a Refresh Soap Company page.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

When approaching a high end business with your soap, why not offer them several designs. For myself I use wire ribbon to approach stores like this, so the soap itself is my best swirls, my best textures and lovely smelling. Then show them the normal way I wrap, "which for your store may be to rustic" but "I also do it this way if you like...you could still show off one beautiful bar with the rest wrapped (in wrapping paper" etc...) I also add more costs for the wrapping paper because it costs more, there are really nice wrapping paper lines out now, that match, sort of like a theme...offering her a line of perhaps 8 of your soaps wrapped in them. At 50 cents a bar more, some do bite, but most want my soap to show through in the cello bags and love the black and white. It's all in how you go about it. I always call my bars lovely etc.. A true custom packaging they are paying $1 a bar more. It's why you have to give them soap, to use, and take your best bars and best scents, they then want them in their stores. Vicki


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