Bath & Body Works is a beloved destination for many scent lovers, offering exciting and seasonal collections of fragrances, lotions, and candles. The store has even developed a cult-like following with fans on TikTok. However, behind the enticing new scents and vibrant displays lie hidden strategies and secrets that the retailer would probably prefer you didn’t know. From misleading markdowns to odd coupon strategies, former employees share warnings from behind the scenes so you can shop smarter—and even save money—on your next trip to Bath & Body Works.
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1 | Stores are purposefully overwhelming.
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Do you love Bath & Body Works products but would rather shop online than have an aggressive salesperson approach you? It’s not their fault that they can seem so intense while you’re trying to shop and sniff.
“As a former Bath & Body Works employee they make it a priority to increase conversion and meet certain goals,” TikTok user @serenityxrose21 explains. Employees are “ready to try to sell you something and [give] you a bag without asking if you need one,” because that’s what they’re told to do.
2 | Each location is stocked differently.
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Unlike other popular chain retailers, Bath & Body Works stores are set up based on who’s in charge—and the layout can change dramatically during the holidays with seasonal employees.
“Our store is relatively low volume even on huge sale days, so I’d often go from being a cashier to stocking shelves,” explained Reddit user littlestorm208. However, they say they were never trained for this task: “My manager just told me to put more soaps on the shelf that matched the ones already there, so I did. Come to find out I was doing it wrong.”
3 | Your favorite scents may be disguised.
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Bath & Body Works has been known to discontinue certain scents (remember Juniper Breeze?), but according to former employee Emily G., they might not actually be gone forever.
“Oftentimes, they repackage old scents as new things. It has the same ingredients just a different label,” Emily tells us. She advises double-checking the ingredients and scent notes on the bottle when you’re looking for a particular smell.
4 | Don’t shop the semi-annual sale right away.
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In a TikTok video, a former employee who goes by @maggfrench says you should wait to shop the Semi-Annual Sale. “I know that sounds weird because some products are retired and you want to get your hands on them, but if you wait, throughout the sale, things drop in price.”
She explains that a product that’s 50% off at the beginning of the sale could end up being 75% off towards the end because the store is looking to get rid of old merchandise.
The same is true for other sales throughout the year. Many promotions feel urgent, but they’re often part of a rotating sales calendar. The brand cycles through deals like “Buy 3, Get 3 Free” or “$10 off candle days” regularly, but employees say these promos come back every few weeks.
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5 | Candles don’t get restocked on candle day.
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Devotees of Bath & Body Works’ candles wait all year for the store’s Candle Day sale, where discounts are often more than 50%. But if you plan to stock up in-store, this is one sale where you will want to shop early.
“It’s very rare for the store to be restocked on candle day,” Emily says. “There may be some things in the back, but it’s first come first serve, and there won’t be more throughout the day.”
6 | Beware of burning candles for too long.
Bath & Body Works
Those famous 3-wick candles can overheat if left burning for too long. The company itself recommends trimming wicks and burning for no more than 3–4 hours to prevent issues.
While many shoppers have shared their horror stories over the years on Reddit and TikTok of candles exploding, Bath & Body Works states: “As more than a decade of rigorous testing has shown, our candles are safe! They undergo extensive quality and safety testing under rigorous burn and use conditions and meet or exceed all applicable industry and government standards for safety and performance. There are many factors while in use that can affect any candle’s performance, including: room drafts, debris that may have accumulated in the wax’s melt pool, wick length and proper pre‐burn trimming which is included on the instructions on the candle label.”
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7 | Don’t skip the return or exchange policy.
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Many shoppers don’t realize the store has a generous return policy. As long as you have a receipt, you can return or exchange items—even if they’re opened or partially used. But keep it reasonable—abusers of the policy may get flagged.
That said, if you constantly purchase items online and then return them in the store, you might want to think twice.
“The way the online return system [works] makes no sense, it makes things confusing and annoying for both the customer and associate,” employee Low-Environment-6571 explained on Reddit. “If you want a refund from your online order, we put it through as an online receipt return and you get the money back to your card. If you want to exchange [an item] from an online order, the online return system does not allow us to do exchanges in the system.”
They say that you basically have to re-buy the item, and the price you paid will still be honored. But this often confuses customers when the item appears twice on their receipt. What makes it more confusing is that some previous employees note in the comments section that they aren’t trained on how to do these types of exchanges.
8 | Don’t waste coupons and make sure to ask for sale prices.
8 Secrets Bath & Body Works Doesn’t Want You to KnowShutterstock / Sheila Fitzgerald
Ex-employees advise always reading the fine print on coupons and trying to stack a promo code with an in-store deal. You might be surprised what works together at checkout.
To get the most bang for your buck, TikToker @maggfrench says to download the Bath & Body Works App to join the Rewards Program and get points and exclusive coupons. These are the same coupons you may receive in the mail, and the app tells you what sales are going on at your nearest location.
Once you’re in the store, former employees say you can also use this trick to save money: If something went on sale right after you bought it, ask to get a price adjustment. If you’re within the 14-day window, you could get a refund on the difference.
Content shared from bestlifeonline.com.