After what was described as an outcry from hundreds of disgruntled customers, Thymes Corp. 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 the customers who were disappointed by the lack of a fall sale.

"We didn't have enough inventory for a large, grand warehouse sale, so we 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 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 will still include the usual assortment of current and retired fragrances in soaps, body washes, lotions, reed diffusers, mists, candles and a few surprises, all at 50 to 75 percent off, Gerard said.

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 SE. 9th St. in Minneapolis.

John Ewoldt • 612-673-7633 or jewoldt@startribune.com.