Bath & Body Works

Nice, clean, good selection, love their candles! However I feel harassed every time I go in. Its not pleasant to be hounded around the store and then when you are ready they pretty much grab your items from your hands to take up front to get their commission. I always dread having to go in for this very reason. I’m sure they are told that’s what they have to do so I blame the training not the actual employees, but it makes for a very obnoxious shopping experience and I just feel rushed because I want to leave.

Came to this location yesterday with my boyfriend, we were browsing around the store and the from the moment we walked in til the moment we left, we got harassed like every 2 minutes by the staff.
«Do you need anything?»
«Do you need a bag?»
«Can I suggest another candle for you to choose?»
I came in specifically to buy candles and they didnt have too many I liked, the sale was $ 2 for $ 22.50 or something like that so I had a hard time choosing another candle, and the manager walks by my boyfriend and I and asks me «where is your fourth candle?» And that really put me off. Like wtf? -.-
The manager was really pushy on the sales staff to sell and it does nothing more than piss off customers and make them wanna leave, which was what we were seriously considering doing. I spent a lot of time choosing candles so I just bought what I picked but we will definitely never be returning to this location unless the sale staff change, terrible shopping experience!

This location is huuuuuuuge and has so much stock. Boo yah! All the things!
Want to check out that thing you saw on the website? They’ve got it. Need some friendly advice regarding candles? They’ve got it. Want to just have a nice conversation with someone regarding fragrances and bath products? They’ve got people for that.
I find the staff here to be super friendly and helpful.
The only thing I object to is B&BW’s collection of personal information when completing a return or exchange. Even if I’m exchanging a dud for the exact same item, they want all of my personal information. Yeah, I know a lot of companies do this, but that doesn’t make it right. It’s very invasive, and I don’t like it.

I come here because I know what I want. The only downside is being asked 5 times if ‘I’m finding everything ok’. If I wasn’t, I’d ask? Yes. yes I would.
However, they have wall plug ins that smell way better than that Glade crap and also have my favourite shower gel scent. Sensual Amber. I got my things and was on my way.
Creamy Nutmeg wall plugin? Highly recommend. It smells like winter in this place now.

I love this place for the handsoap. Yes the deal isn’t the same as you will find in the states but I think the difference is minimal. If one really feels the need to save the whooping $ 5 difference (in US funds of course) then drive to Bellingham or pay for shipping. Logically makes no sense and you’re not really saving that money anyway. We need to keep in mind that to package for Canada they have to include french, thus an extra cost. Plus they aren’t going to sell as much here as they will in the states volume wise. Anyway back to the shop. It’s clean, friendly and I have never had a bad experience in here, even in the middle of Christmas shopping season, and that’s a hard one to pull off. I just hope that they get a BBW in Metrotown so that the other burbs, like New West and Coquitlam don’t have to drive so far to get that nice, smelly handsoap and hand sanitizer.

I personally prefer this place for the candles more than anything. I really LOVED this place at first because of the whole «thrill of the hunt». It seemed better when my only option was to go into the states. You always like something better when it isn’t as accessible to everyone. This being said, I am so happy to have a closer option now. I do admit their stores in the states offer better deals, but I’m willing to pay a tiny bit more for that special scented candle and having only go to Richmond :)

Finally, BBW is in Canada. I no longer have to stock up months worth of Japanese Cherry Blossom lotions and potions. At last my Visa will be able to breathe freely when I travel to the US. The deals may not seem as good as they are in the US, but by the time you commute there, exchange the dollar and pay for duty I’m not seeing where I am loosing here.

BBW has one product that just FEELS irreplaceable. I’m sure any other brands have the same function, but BBW hand soaps just FEEL cleaner with its blue granules. (Insensible, I know). And have I mention the cucumber melon smell?
Despite my excitement, I agree with Raymond regarding the price. The hand soap is $ 3 each on the website but $ 5.50 in the stores, or $ 15 for 3, which is still unjustly overpriced.
In addition, they don’t have the hand soap refill, which I find more economical and environmentally friendly. The store has rows and rows of the same products, but they don’t seem to have the floor space for refill products? That’s just beyond incomprehensible.

«Once again Canadian shoppers are taken advantage of in the pricing department…»
BBW has finally decided to open a store in British Columbia. Richmond Centre is the chosen place which they officially opened on October 9.
For the opening special they are offering a stupid deal of 3 for $ 15. While in the US, the usual deal is 3 for $ 10. On some holidays, they do 4 for $ 10. Then on Memorial Day, it becomes 5 for $ 10.
So back in BBW Canada, a whopping 3 for $ 15 is what they deem fit to charge us. To put that into perspective, the usual product is $ 5.50. So we get to save $ 0.50 per item. Whoop-​de-​doo. I love the smell of being taken advantage of in the morning.
Last time I checked, it’s CAD1 = USD0.959. So really, that should be 3 for $ 10.50. Throw us a bone and what’s 3 for $ 10. Really.
Okay, but they did throw us a bone in other ways ways:
1. To commemorate the opening of the store, spend $ 15.00 and you can get a free item from their Signature Collection up to a maximum value of $ 12.50. I don’t know how long this deal will last.
2. Sign up at the BBW website for their email newsletter and the first welcome email you’ll receive is a coupon for a free travel size item again from their signature collection up a maximum value of $ 5.50 in Canada or $ 5.00 if used in the US. See! That’s more of a decent exchange rate than the above.
3. The un-​popular products qualify for the 3 for $ 15 deal which when wifey was purchasing a $ 7.50 lip gloss, we were kindly reminded that we can get two more for the sum total of $ 15. That’s a great deal and I’m not being sarcastic this time. I can only wish this kind of savings was extended to their popular products the way the US does their deals.
I guess they rushed to open because the store still needs more work to do in terms of customer and product support.
— They need TESTERS that are properly labeled as such. As of today there were only a handful of products that have them. A salesperson explained to me their new stress-​relief spray and said it smelled good. So I asked where the tester was and she got one of the new products on display and opened it. That was a good gesture towards helping out a customer, but there has to be some form of inventory control and labeling so it won’t be mistaken as a saleable or missing product at the end of the day.
— Being a newly opened store, the sales staff are eager to help out. But the processing of the coupon was questioned with their manager twice when I lined up. They were saying it was valid in the US only when the print out clearly says the terms and condition and the higher value available for Canadian stores. But nope, they needed to hear it straight from their supervisor. Which by the way he was friendly to the customers, but not too pleasant to his subordinates in helping them iron out the kinks of the system.
— This has got to be the tightest BBW store I’ve been to. The aisles are not friendly for shoppers crossing paths. What more for being wheelchair accessible. I guess there is a minimum standard to meet and they made sure to meet just the minimum alright.
— Where are the shopping baskets/​bags? I asked for one to place the items I’m getting. They didn’t have any. Lame.
Overall, it’s the worst BBW store I’ve been to for all the reasons explained above. The worse part is, I’m going to have to keep on coming back because I can’t stay away from a few of their items.
They are giving Fruits and Passion a run for their money. Competition can only mean better deals in the future. Just don’t forget we’re almost at par and the US is not too far away for a shopping mecca experience. I’ll be watching and reporting, BBW. Watching and reporting.