Florida man tortured by fiancé's cult-like 'Bath & Body Works' Christmas candle sale
Bateman surrounded by candles. (Allyson DeFelice)
The spirit of Christmas is in the air for one Florida couple – but Bath & Body Works only brightened up the day for one wife-to-be while her fiancé took the Scrooge approach.
Allyson DeFelice puts the "fan" in Bath & Body Works candle fanatic, having a separate room in her house entirely devoted to them.
DeFelice said she bought more than 220 candles on Friday and Saturday. (Allyson DeFelice)
This year she pounced on the company’s annual "Candle Day" when throngs of devotees flock to the stores to take advantage of a major discount: three-wick candles on a limited-time sale for $10.25 – nearly 60% off its regular price. Friday and Saturday marked the first year "Candle Day" stretched out over two days.
The couple was the first in line at Boca Raton Bath & Body Works at 4:30 a.m. on Friday. (Allyson DeFelice)
DeFelice told FOX Business she was first in line at a Boca Raton Bath & Body Works at 4:30 a.m. on Friday. She spent the day at three other locations and on Saturday re-visited two of those stores. Lucky for her, she had some help: her fiancé, Andrew Bateman.
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"He’s a good sport. He thinks I’m crazy. But he comes along and carries all my candles," DeFelice told FOX Business.
When asked what motivated him to tag along, Bateman cited the age-old maxim: "Happy wife, happy life."
In the end, the couple added 221 new candles to their collection. DeFelice shared photos on social media showing Bateman with a scowl on his face while surrounded by shopping bags. Still, he said seeing her happy kept him going.
Bateman surrounded by candles. (Allyson DeFelice)
"We’re a team. We do everything in a team aspect," Bateman told FOX Business. "Whatever she has I try to support her in any which way I can. Even though I don’t understand the craze but if it makes her happy, then I’m happy."
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Also, golf.
"She promised golf," Bateman said. "There was a light at the end of the tunnel."
Bateman said he doesn’t think he’ll ever understand the candle craze but drew similarities to his baseball card collection when he was younger.
Bateman with a stack of candles at Bath & Body Works. (Allyson DeFelice)
"I get it. When you get into something you want to collect you get that itch. Now I have the itch for golf," Bateman said. "It’s a positive thing. It keeps her busy … and makes her happy. That’s all that matters."
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The couple’s story illustrates the enduring "cult-like" following of Bath & Body Works. Even as the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered businesses across the nation, Bath & Body Works earlier this year said it was expanding locations and reported an increase in revenue.
In March 2020, when the World Health Organization first declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, Bath & Body Works, Inc.'s’ stock price hovered around $6 per share. When the market closed on Friday, the stock price was nearly $73.
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