11 Money-Saving Secrets Every Bath & Body Works Shopper Needs to Know
Pop quiz: What’s the best-smelling store in the mall?
If you said Bath & Body Works, we’d have to agree with you.
We love all the store’s products — from soap to candles. But we’re especially addicted to its delicious scents, like warm vanilla sugar and sweet pea.
Let’s face it, though: All those so-yummy-smelling-you-could-eat-them products can be expensive.
But you’ve lucked out. From how to snag those coveted coupons to timing your purchase, we’ve rounded up 11 smart ways to save money at Bath & Body Works.
How to Save Money at Bath & Body Works
If you perk up when you hear Wallflowers, three-wick candles and foaming hand soap, you’re a Bath & Body Works fan. Here’s how to save on all your favorite scents.
1. Sign up for the Loyalty Rewards Program
Entering your email at the bottom of the Bath & Body Works homepage gets you on the retailer’s mailing list — expect plenty of coupons and promotions in your inbox.
But if you’re a regular shopper at Bath & Body Works — or just there for a one-time purchase — it pays to sign up for its Loyalty Rewards Program. You’ll need to provide some basic info like your name, email and phone number.
In addition to learning about sales and receiving coupons, as you do when you join the email mailing list, Loyalty Rewards Program members get additional discounts and even a free full-size product just for signing up. You’ll also be eligible to receive text messages with discount codes and announcements about upcoming sales.
Plus, with every purchase you’ll earn points that you can redeem for products.
2. Sign up for Snail Mail Coupons
If you sign up for the Bath & Body Works email mailing list, you can request snail mail coupons, too. Finding the sign-up page can be a little more challenging, but you can select the option to add your address on the Submit a Request page.
Hard-copy coupons come less frequently than the ones that inundate your email inbox, but they also offer some extra (and often better) perks.
For instance, if you’re shopping online, you can use only one promotion code per online order. So if you’ve got a code for free shipping, you’ll have to forgo any other discounts (except on Black Friday, when you can use multiple codes).
But with some of the hard-copy coupons, the store lets you “stack” coupons — so you could score 20% off your purchase plus a free item (typically travel-size). Be sure to read the fine print before you head to the store.
3. Get a Birthday Gift
Among the info you’ll be asked for when you sign up for the Bath & Body Works rewards program is your birthday. It’s to your advantage to reveal your special day, as you’ll receive a coupon that month for a free full-size product worth up to $16.50.
Bonus: Since it’s a paper coupon, you can take it to the store and stack it with other snail mail coupons.
4. Become a Loyal Fan on Social Media
Don’t stop at the mailing lists if you’re a Bath & Body Works fan — subscribe to the retailer’s social media channels for more deals.
Like many companies, Bath & Body Works often shares special deals and promotions with its loyal fans first.
Here are links for its Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter channels.
5. Take Receipt Surveys
Not only can taking surveys earn you a side income, it can also get you discounts on your favorite products.
Bath & Body Works often includes survey offers on the bottom of its receipts — even for small purchases. After you complete the survey, you’ll receive a validation code. Write the code on the receipt and bring it along on your next visit to receive a discount.
6. Hit the Big Sales
One key to saving at Bath & Body Works?
Timing.
The retailer has semiannual sales in January and June — and you can use coupons on top of the 50%-75% discounts.
Since the products have a long shelf life (two to three years, according to a Twitter message from the company), these are good opportunities to stock up.
“Go right when the sale starts if you’re looking for discontinued stock, or near the end if you want the steepest discounts,” said Heather Comparetto, a former Bath & Body Works employee.
If you have specific items you love at Bath & Body Works, it pays to get on the mailing list to find out the exact dates of product-specific sales like Candle Day and Body Care Day.
And Black Friday at Bath & Body Works is legendary for its deals — and its VIP gift bags. Plus, it’s typically the only day you can stack digital coupons.
7. Shop Bath & Body Works Online
Bath & Body Works often has different deals depending on whether you’re shopping online or in person, so check out the site before you head to the store.
If you haven’t signed up for the email, then at least Google “Bath & Body Works coupons” to see what pops up. You might find a coupon code for free shipping or other discounts.
If you are a Loyalty Rewards Member, remember to stack those rewards codes to snag some serious deals.
If you are shopping online but don’t want to pay for shipping (or would rather use your one promotion code for a discount rather than free shipping), you may want to choose to pick up the products in store to save yourself the $6.99 flat shipping rate.
8. Purchase Discounted Gift Cards
Don’t want to wait for a sale (or just want to save even more)? You can find discounted Bath & Body Works gift cards on sites like Raise and CardCash.
Hint: If you use one of the aforementioned shopping portals and a cash-back credit card to purchase the gift card, you’ll get even more bang for your buck.
9. Use Expired Bath & Body Works Coupons (Maybe)
Bath & Body Works previously offered a three-day grace period on expired coupons. Although that policy has officially ended, online fans have mentioned that some stores will still take coupons that have expired within that time period.
No guarantees on this savings strategy, but it never hurts to ask.
10. Keep an Eye on the Prices
Like many retailers, Bath & Body Works offers a 14-day price guarantee on its items.
So, monitor prices for whatever you’ve purchased, and act fast if you see them go down, and it’s for in-store purchases only.
Price adjustments do not apply to flash sales or one-day sales.
And the biggest bummer of all: You’ll have to forfeit any coupons or promotional codes you used when making the original purchase, then repurchase the item at the sale price. So make sure that price reduction will really save you money.
11. Use the 100% Guarantee
Even the most devoted Bath & Body Works fan will occasionally purchase a product they don’t love.
If it happens to you, don’t eat the loss.
Instead, take advantage of the retailer’s generous 100% satisfaction guarantee: “If at any time you’re not completely satisfied with the quality of our products, you may return them to any of our Bath & Body Works or White Barn Stores in the U.S. for a full refund.”
Savings like these? They just make scents, er, sense.
Susan Shain is a former writer for The Penny Hoarder. Deputy editor Tiffany Wendeln Connors contributed to this post.
