Seeing the logo for Bath & Body Works or even just hearing the store's name can bring all kinds of memories of smells to mind. The store seemed to be in pretty much every shopping mall across America, and it continues to go strong today, even though malls are a dying trend. The store is famous for its wide variety of fragrances, offering inexpensive options for people who can't afford luxury brands. If you haven't been to the store in a while, there are some important tips to keep in mind to make sure you get the best shopping experience. Here are some things to know before shopping at Bath & Body Works again.
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00:00Bath & Body Works stores, a 90's favorite, have reportedly been experiencing exponential
00:06growth and continues to be, according to L Brands, home to America's favorite fragrances.
00:12As you get ready to head over to your local store, there are some things you should know
00:15before spending your hard-earned money.
00:18If you were to get a whiff of your old faithful Bath & Body Works scent, you'd probably feel
00:22as if you were instantly transported back in time.
00:26As a professor of neurology and health psychology at the University of Florida told NBC News,
00:31when you smell things, you remember your emotions.
00:34Nostalgia is also part of what goes into making Bath & Body Works' iconic fragrances.
00:39So even if you never smelled a particular scent from the retailer, you might still get
00:43that warm, fuzzy feeling.
00:45In an interview with Hello Giggles, Patricia Bilodeau, the vice president and senior perfumer
00:50of the Scent & Care division North America, who works with Bath & Body Works, said her
00:54love of music, cooking, and baking has provided inspiration for different fragrances.
01:00Bilodeau was actually one of the brains behind one of the retailer's first scents, Twisted
01:04Peppermint.
01:05The expert reflected,
01:06"'To me, this scent captures the nostalgic spirit of the holidays, and I think that's
01:11what people love about it.
01:12And who wouldn't want their very own bottle of nostalgia?'
01:16It's strange, but when you walk into Bath & Body Works, you'll often feel like you're
01:20at home, despite being in a shopping mall.
01:23It's not all due to the nostalgic scents, though.
01:25It's how the store is designed.
01:27According to Forbes, Bath & Body Works products were first sold in Express, which was at one
01:32time owned by L Brands.
01:34When developing Bath & Body Works stores, the company decided to change up the brand
01:38to create a, quote, "'down-home-style' entity," and even came up with a fictional founder
01:42named Kate.
01:43And Kate is a big part of the retailer's cozy feel.
01:47Forbes reported,
01:48Each store is modeled like Kate's house, and customers are treated as her guests.
01:53Inside the store, an employee clad in a plaid apron greets the customer and explains the
01:58weekly promotional offers.
02:00That's why shopping at Bath & Body Works never quite feels like shopping.
02:04Not every store could pull off this vibe, of course, and many would have a hard time
02:07smelling as good.
02:10As of 2017, Japanese Cherry Blossom is still Bath & Body Works' best-selling fragrance throughout
02:15the United States, but it isn't the only fragrance from the early 2000s to live on.
02:20In January 2019, Bath & Body Works brought back dozens of fragrances from the 90s and
02:252000s, including Pink Cashmere and, yes, Why Light Woods.
02:30But 2019 isn't the only year they've done this.
02:32Every year, the company brings back a variety of retired fragrances, according to a spokesperson
02:37for the brand who told NBC's Today,
02:40We love to give the assortment a seasonal twist and bring back some new surprises for
02:44our customers.
02:45Some of those surprises include customers', quote, beloved fragrances.
02:49As of June 2019, you could snatch up a bunch of retired favorites like Oahu Coconut Sunset,
02:55Love & Sunshine, Wild Honeysuckle, Mad About You, and even Plumeria.
03:00There's no telling how long these scents will be available, and there's no way to tell if
03:03they'll come again or not, so no one will blame you if you feel compelled to, you know,
03:08buy them all.
03:11If older scents aren't your jam, there are a ridiculous amount of other fragrances to
03:15choose from.
03:16On any given day, Bath & Body Works has between 300 and 400 unique scents in their stores,
03:22brand representatives confirmed to Bustle.
03:24The number of scents the retailer carries can even reach 500 during the holiday season.
03:29Bath & Body Works frequently rotates their fragrances, but that's not to say there are
03:33never any new scents.
03:35About once per month, the retailer explained to PopSugar, Bath & Body Works releases a
03:40brand new fragrance collection, which includes products like hand soap and lotion.
03:44The company also launches about 200 unique scents every year.
03:48In April 2019, for example, the brand launched a spring collection with the new scent, Gingham.
03:53Firminich Master Perfumer Honorine Blanc explained the scent in a press release, saying,
03:58"...each fragrance I create for Bath & Body Works has a story and a strong identity.
04:03For Gingham, I wanted to capture a fragrance that connects with the consumer, connects
04:07with nature, and is the happiest fragrance ever."
04:10According to the retailer's site, the scent combines notes of blue freesia, sweet clementine,
04:16and soft violet petals.
04:18Part of Bath & Body Works' appeal is its price point.
04:21Sure, you could spend $105 on a 1.7-ounce bottle of Chanel No. 5, but you could choose
04:27to purchase a larger 2.5-ounce bottle of Gingham Perfume from Bath & Body Works for
04:32$49.50.
04:33A digital marketing expert and principal at A.T.
04:36Kearney, a global management and strategy consulting firm, explained it this way when
04:40speaking to Racked,
04:42"...their target is what we call the Mastige segment.
04:45It's not prestige and it's not mess.
04:47It's really about figuring out this niche of very American-centric shoppers that want
04:51a notch above drugstore brands but are still quite conscious."
04:55Thankfully for Bath & Body Works, there aren't many competitors in the Mastige market, according
05:00to the expert.
05:01Bath & Body Works also offers many inexpensive products, with some retailing as low as $3.50.
05:07Of course, this means many shoppers can afford to purchase more than one product at a time.
05:12Bath & Body Works' vice president of brand development told the publication that many
05:16customers own multiple fragrances and use them as, quote, a way to accessorize their
05:21style.
05:22Twice a year, Bath & Body Works runs a gigantic sale.
05:28According to the brand's site, one sale begins right after Christmas and the other kicks
05:32off during the summer months.
05:34Unlike many store sales that run for a set amount of time, Bath & Body Works' semiannual
05:39sales end when the products are gone.
05:41The retailer promises savings up to 75 percent on pretty much everything in-store and online,
05:47including aromatherapy and body care products.
05:50Most of the items that go on sale during this time are indeed deeply discounted, usually
05:54by at least 50 percent.
05:56For those who like to buy their body care products in bulk or like to give them away
06:00as gifts, these sales provide an opportunity to do so while saving a whole lot of money.
06:05Although the retailer offers other sales and deals throughout the rest of the year, the
06:09brand recommends getting, quote, your best haul during one of their two semiannual sales.
06:15If you've never tried Bath & Body Works products, or if it's been some time since you have,
06:19you're not obligated to buy the product before you get a chance to use it.
06:23The stores were actually set up with sampling in mind, and that doesn't just apply to lotions
06:27and body sprays.
06:29The Bath & Body Works team confirmed to PopSugar that every store has a sink for their customers
06:34to use while sampling products.
06:36This means guests can even try out hand soaps, scrubs, shower gels, and plenty of other products
06:41before they make a commitment to buy.
06:43But what happens if you sample and purchase a fragrance, only to later realize you're
06:47not into it anymore?
06:49It's no biggie, according to the brand's return policy.
06:52Bath & Body Works' site reveals,
06:53"...we just want you to love it.
06:55Return anything, any time, for any reason.
06:58100 percent guaranteed."
07:01Part of why Bath & Body Works is thriving while other brick-and-mortar stores owned
07:05by L Brands, like Victoria's Secret, are failing is partly because the fragrance retailer doesn't
07:11sell clothing.
07:12The executive vice president of thought leadership and marketing at WD Partners explained to
07:17Retail Dive,
07:18"...apparel is more difficult than ever."
07:20Of course, that's not the only reason the brand is doing well.
07:23He explained,
07:24"...it's more that it's not apparel, but it is also execution.
07:27They've got things down to a science.
07:30But when it's just bottles of stuff and not clothes, it's not as complicated.
07:34It's also the kind of thing you've got to smell it to check it out, so you're less threatened
07:38by it online."
07:39Nevertheless, Forbes reported in 2019 that even Bath & Body Works' revenue from online
07:45sales have been increasing.
07:47It may seem daunting to pick out a fragrance online, but Bath & Body Works combats that
07:52with their Find-A-Fragrance tool, where consumers can search through easily defined categories
07:56of scents, like citrus, fruit, and floral.
07:59And apparently, it's working.
08:02Bath & Body Works isn't just a home to, well, Bath & Body Works.
08:07The retailer also sells candles.
08:09In fact, they revealed in a press release that they produce candles in more fragrances
08:14than any other candle maker.
08:16That's pretty amazing, considering some may not even realize that Bath & Body Works is,
08:20indeed, a candle maker.
08:22The company has also been hosting an annual Candle Day since 2013, with huge discounts
08:28on their three-wick candles, new and old.
08:31One customer told Bustle,
08:32"...it is like a holiday.
08:34You can feel it in the air.
08:35I got to my store right before it opened, and there was another woman there who was
08:39waiting for them to lift the gate, and she had a dozen donuts for the sales associates
08:43in one hand, and a stack of coupons and a list of what candles she wanted in the other.
08:48It was on."
08:50Another candle fan told the publication she purchased 66 candles on the special day.
08:59In an interview with PopSugar in 2017, Bath & Body Works revealed that about 740,000 women
09:05visit a Bath & Body Works store each and every day.
09:09Needless to say, the retailer's main audience is women, but that's not to say men don't
09:13shop at the stores.
09:15The brand actually has its own men's body care line, with colognes, body washes, body
09:20lotions, body sprays, and, for the guys who don't want a ton of products, the 2-in-1 hair
09:25and body wash.
09:27According to the company's site, Bath & Body Works Body Care for Men combines intoxicating
09:32fragrances with the world's finest ingredients to offer a variety of formulas that conveniently
09:37fit into any routine.
09:39This is like I'm in Paris, France, like, hanging out with Kanye West."
09:43Bath & Body Works also offers shaving creams that produce a, quote, creamy, softening lather
09:49that protects all skin types while it cools and leaves skin with a refreshing fragrance.
09:55Despite your love for Bath & Body Works in the 2000s, you probably don't hold a candle
10:00to modern-day fans.
10:02One shopper told Bustle that she stops into her local Bath & Body Works at least once
10:06a week.
10:07By 2018, she'd amassed a Bath & Body Works collection of over 250 body care products
10:13and 180 candles.
10:15The founder of a Bath & Body Works fan account on Instagram and an employee at one of the
10:20brand's Canadian locations told Bustle that their store has, quote, quite a few regulars.
10:25Of those regulars, some travel up to five hours to get to the store.
10:30The employee added,
10:31Some of them are in every month or so, and they'll stock up and buy a cart full of candles.
10:36We have a few people who will borrow a cart from Walmart and fill up about four or five
10:40candle crates when they do their trips.
10:42Each crate can hold six candles.
10:44If you don't own any Bath & Body Works products, it's about time to see what the fuss is all
10:48about.