I was doing inventory in my studio the other day and noticed that it was time for me to reorder those wooden popsicle sticks that I use to apply wax onto clients. So, today, I set out on the mission. It can't be THAT difficult to find a box of wooden popsicle sticks, right?
First stop: Ulta.
I figured that since it's a chain store, and the newest addition to our own South Shore, that it was time for me to stop on in and see what they had to offer for waxing supplies. I headed over to the hair removal section on the back wall and noticed that it was disappointingly scarce. Hmm...They have wax. They have paper strips. They have lotions and crèmes and oils. They had (one of) everything that you could imagine you'd need to do an at home wax, but no sticks to apply it.
After searching up and down the aisles, just in case I missed something, a sales associate approached me to ask if I needed help. I told her of my dilemma, that I was trying to find the application sticks for the wax, but couldn't find them.
The sales associate looked confused and said, "Did you check our hair removal section?"
"Yes," I replied.
She glanced over to the hair removal section and said, "Have you tried Nair or taken a look at our electric razors?"
"No," I said. "Waxing is the only thing I'll do for hair removal."
"Well we don't carry the applicators," she said. "Sorry."
"Wait," I laughed. "So you guys carry the cleansers, powders, oils AND wax, but no applicators?"
"You have to understand. This Ulta is much smaller than the other ones, so you can't expect us to carry everything. Maybe try Alameda Beauty Center."
I left feeling annoyed, however, I went around the corner to the Alameda Beauty Center.
Second stop: Alameda Beauty Center
If anyone would have waxing applicators, THIS place had to, right? ABC had been at South Shore for as long as I can remember. I grew up in Alameda and I remember my mom popping in there when I was just a kid. It's almost like a permanent fixture of our little outdoor mall.
When I went inside, it was MUCH smaller than Ulta, but that was to be expected. I was promptly greeted by the sales associate at the cash register and she asked me if there was anything that I needed help with. I asked her if they carried wax applicators, and she said yes.
She directed me over to their self of hair removal supplies. I saw ONE pack of wooden popsicle sticks of 100 that they were selling for $7.99. Are you kidding me? I thought to myself.
"We also sell them individually," she said and held up a plastic cup of wooden sticks labeled "$0.15 EACH or 8 for $1.00."
Seriously, 8 popsicle sticks for a buck?!
She wasn't joking.
I came CLOSE to purchasing the 100 wooden sticks for $7.99, but I knew that I was being ripped off. I asked her if they had any more wooden sticks in the back or just that one pack.
She said that was it.
Alameda Beauty Center, you have let me down.
Finally, I decided to go to my last stop: Beverly's, where I'd gone before to get my box of 300 wooden popsicle sticks for $4.95.
When I got to the aisle where the popsicle sticks were kept, I saw that they weren't selling the jumbo ones anymore. Just the regular sized ones. (I use those for face waxing.)
A sales associate helped me and said that he'd check on when they were planning on ordering more. I gave him my name and phone number.
Sure enough, ten minutes ago he called me.
He told me that his boss told him that if I wanted them to carry the jumbo wax sticks again that I was going to have to pre-pay for them.
WTF?!
I have to PRE-PAY for something that they'd normally carry anyway? And I asked him just that. He said that it was going to be a special order and that if I wanted them I'd have to order between 10-20 boxes up front. Umm?? Yea, no thanks Beverly's. I only came into that store with hopes that they'd carry the same product that I'd been buying from them for the past five months. Why was it MY JOB to restock their shelves?
Anyway, I found a lovely website that sells the wooden popsicle sticks...1,000 for $13! Yea, baby! Time for me to place a real order.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend and a lovely Tuesday!
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