7 Tips for Shopping at Bath and Body Works

7 Tips for Shopping at Bath and Body Works

You can find fabulous candles, hand soaps, lotions and so much more at Bath and Body Works. Here are some tips for successful shopping at Bath and Body Works– great strategies for saving money on these amazing products.

7 Tips for Shopping at Bath and Body Works

1. Never Pay Full Price for their popular 3-Wick Candles: I’m obsessed with Bath and Body Work’s 3-Wick Candles. The company claims the candles melt evenly– and they do! They also say that the wicks don’t burn out– also true.

Available in a wide array of scents (many seasonal) they’re beautifully packaged and come with a flame extinguishing lid. These candles burn for about 25-45 hours and do fill a room with fragrance (another company promise). I love everything about these candles, EXCEPT the price. They retail for $22.50. That’s pretty expensive, right? Here’s the good news. If you check in on the website or in the stores, you’ll see the candles FREQUENTLY go on sale for a much more reasonable $12.50. That’s a savings of 40%… well worth a visit to the Bath and Bodyworks website.

Also of note: It’s a similar situation with their popular Hand Soaps. The retail at $6.00 each BUT they are often on sale for 6 for $24.00 or 4 for $20.00. Lesson– wait until they go on sale to buy!

2. It’s More Economical to Buy Gifts in the Store Rather than Online: Many online stores allow you to include a free gift box/wrap when ordering a gift online. Bath and Bodyworks isn’t one of them! They charge $5.00 for their signature wrap or birthday gift wrap or you can also buy a gift wrap kit. In contrast, if you shop in store, they will give you a cello bag, ribbon and their traditional blue and white checked bag FOR FREE. Free is great in this case, because the packaging you get at no cost is really cute. If you have to purchase a gift online, they will allow you to include a message at no cost. But you still have to pay shipping(!) so buy in-store when possible.

3. They Have a Great Return Policy: Bath and Bodyworks offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee. In other words, if you aren’t completely satisfied with your Bath and Body Works product, you can take it back to the store. If you have the receipt they’ll give you a cash or gift card for online orders. You can also follow instructions to request a refund in the original form of payment. But even if you don’t have a receipt, they’ll give you an exchange or merchandise credit equal to the lowest selling price of an item.

4. Bath and Body Works will Price Adjust within 14 Days of Purchase: It sort of stinks when you pay full price for something, just for it to go on sale soon after. If this happens with a product at Bath and Body Works, they’ll give you a 1-time price adjustment if it happens within two weeks of purchase. Yay!

5. You Can Remove the Used Candle Wax and Reuse the Jar: With such cute lids and a such a useful jar size, it would be a huge bummer to throw away those candle holders.

So don’t! It’s easy to upcycle them and reuse them for a myriad of things. Here’s an easy tutorial on How to Remove Wax from a Glass Jar Candle.

Here’s a how-to on transforming them into candy jars with free tags: From Candle Jar to Candy Jar.

6. They Offer Special Deals Sometimes, But You MUST Move Quickly: Once in awhile (I’d say based on holidays) Bath and Body Works will offer an amazing deal. For example–a recent was, if you spend $30 on products, you can get an extra $90 in products PLUS a cute tote bag with a heart for $25. That’s quite a score! You don’t get to choose what products come with the gift, but in my experience, they’re usually stuff you would actually like and use.

I’ve nonchalantly asked many a Bath and Bodyworks Employee about their special deals and when they happen. Every employee I’ve spoken to says they simply don’t know– the company gives them little or no notice. But when they do offer these deals, they sell out fast. Like super fast. In a non scientific poll I did in the Seattle/Bellevue area of Washington state, half the stores sold out of the special deal by the end of the first day. So how do you know when these deals are? If you sign up for the Bath and Body Works emails, you’ll get an email on the day it’s released. If you don’t want another email in your in box, you can check the website.

 7. They Have Coupons: Frequently when you make an in-store purchase, they’ll slip a coupon in the bag for your next visit. Be sure to check the dates on the coupons see when to plan your shopping trip. There are often a few weeks before their next coupon is valid. Recent coupons include $10 off any $30 purchase and 20% off entire purchase. Don’t forget to check online as well, they will also have online offers, including free shipping sometimes.

More Fun Facts About Bath and Body Works

– Part of “L Brands,” parent company to Bath and Body Works, Victoria’s Secret, PINK, Henri Bendel(!) and La Senza.

– There are 1, 646 Stores in the US/Canada.

– Net sales are $3350 (millions).

Do you have any great tips about shopping at Bath and Body Works? Share them in the comments!