‘As an Employee…Please Stop’: T.J. Maxx Shopper Shares ‘Hack’ When Shopping for Candles. It Backfires

A woman is going viral on TikTok for sharing what she calls a “hack” for shopping for candles at T.J. Maxx—but store employees aren’t exactly thrilled.

Jess (@jjessicamg), who lives in Conroe, Texas, posted her video last month. In the text overlay, she called it “the shopping hack nobody asked for,” adding in the caption that she “saw this last year and never looked back.” She also added a quick “Sorry.”

So what’s the hack? Jess heads to the candle section, picks a scent she likes, and then swaps the lid of another candle onto the one she plans to buy.

In her video, she swapped a green-and-blue plaid candle topper with a white-and-blue lid decorated with sketches of Christmas trees.

Jess didn’t explain much beyond the swap—she likely just preferred the Christmas-themed lid. But employees who claim to work at T.J. Maxx called her out in the comments, warning her not to do it again when she shops there.

As of Wednesday, her video had racked up more than 1.9 million views.

Why Are People Switching Candle Lids?

It might seem fun to mix and match a favorite scent with a more aesthetic lid, but keep in mind that lids hold a lot of fragrance. Swapping them can lead to unexpected—and sometimes unpleasant—smell combinations. If you’re set on making a candle look prettier, try switching lids from similar scents or letting them air out first so the old fragrance doesn’t carry over.

And Jess certainly isn’t the only person to admit to doing a lid swap to change a candle’s look. A decorative or glass lid can make an ordinary candle feel more stylish for your home.

If you’re going through the trouble of swapping lids, it’s worth saving what you end up with. And if you want to reuse the jars or switch lids, a little prep makes all the difference.

According to CNN, the easiest way to reuse a candle jar is to freeze the candle so the wax hardens and pops out cleanly. After that, wash the jar with warm water to remove any leftover residue. Labels come off easily with warm water, too, leaving the jars ready for storage or a fresh candle.

Workers Speak Out Against Lid Swapping.

But lid swapping isn’t all fun and games. Commenters under Jess’s video and some retail workers on Reddit pointed out that employees at stores like T.J. Maxx and Bath and Body Works often have to spend time matching lids back up at the end of their shifts, which can be frustrating. Some Reddit users also noted that at certain stores, swapping lids—especially specialty ones—is not allowed.

Jess’s video quickly caught the attention of self-identified retail workers, and many weren’t thrilled with her admitting to lid swapping.

“As an employee at a discount store like T.J. Maxx, please stop because we have to go through and try to match them all back up. That’s sometimes over an hour that could be spent in more productive things,” one commenter shared.

“Tell me you’ve never worked retail without telling me you’ve never worked retail,” another quipped.

Some focused on the impact on other shoppers, noting that swapping lids can rob someone else of the candle they wanted, especially if it came with a specialty lid.

“Y’all need to stop doing this, it’s just plain wrong and unfair to the person that was supposed to buy it with the right packaging,” one commenter said.

“This is so selfish,” another agreed.

“Entitlement at its finest,” a third added.

Others pointed out a more practical problem for the people doing the swapping: mixing scents.

“You know the lids have the smell on them, so it’s going to change the scent?? This is weird,” one person wrote.

“That’s why some of those candles be smelling funky,” another joked.

“Stop,” a third warned. “You’re mixing scents. You don’t need the lid. Who cares if it’s not your style?”
Patch has reached out to Jess via a direct message on TikTok.

@jjessicamg