‘Realizing Bath & Body played us’: Bath & Body Works customer says store is ‘tricking’ them, other shoppers after seeing 50%-off sale

If you're a Bath & Body Works fan, you probably know about their semi-annual sale. However, did you know may be missing out on certain items if you buy online? This TikToker has a theory.

Is Bath & Body Works 'tricking' shoppers?

After going into a Bath & Body Body Works post-Christmas to pick up an online order, Maryah (@maryah781) notices something strange. According to them, a few of the items they tried buying online during the 75% off sale were out of stock on the company's site for pickup. Strangely, when they arrived at the store to pick up the items that were in stock, they noticed that tons of those same items were on the shelf in abundance. However, the 75% off sale was over and now it was just 50% off.

"Next year, I will be coming into the store to avoid that because these are all Christmas [scents]. Why weren't they all available during the sale? They literally put them out all after. I'm not gonna let them fool me like that next time," Maryah says.

The text overlay to the video reads, "Know their tricks!" and the video has 1,840 likes and 139,800 views as of Saturday.

What's the Semi-Annual Sale?

Bath & Body Works' Semi-Annual Sale is one of the store's biggest blowouts of the year. According to Woman's World, in 2025 the semi-annual sale started the day after Christmas in 2024 and includes tons of deals throughout the store and even up to 75% off clearance. The second Semi-Annual Sale is in June.

According to Good Morning America's reporting on the sale, it goes on until Jan. 17. Maryah posted this video about the "trick" they believe the company to be a part of on Dec. 30. This means that Maryah should have encountered the sale when they went to the store. As a result of this confusion, Maryah's "trick" hypothesis might not hold very much weight. However, it is possible that the sale differs regionally. Maryah's bio states that they are located in NJ/NYC.

This isn't the first time the Daily Dot has reported on Bath & Body works being "tricky." We previously reported on an employee who was disappointed by their reward for making the most sales in their store.

What are viewers saying?

Viewers, especially the company's employees, weigh in on what they think the issue could have been.

"Totally get your frustration! but the store probably really was out of stock and then got boxes of shipment for those xmas scents in for the sale after you looked online — former b&bw associate," one commenter wrote.

"We got 200 boxes of shipment yesterday and another 100 today, both had sale items. We’re not hiding anything, we don’t want it in the store anymore," another person said.

"As an associate we don’t purposely wait to put ‘em out during the holidays they send 200-300 boxes DAILY M-F and it gets to a point where we literally can’t fish out what needs to go out..." someone else chimed in.

"I went the week before Xmas and the worker told me flat out they hold a bunch in back for the semi sale," another viewer shared.

@maryah781 Realizing bath & body played us???? #sale #clearance #clearancefinds #clearanceshopping #clearancehunter #bathandbodyworks #endoftheyear #couponcommunity #couponing ♬ original sound - Maryah

The Daily Dot has reached out to Maryah for comment via TikTok and Instagram message and to Bath & Body Works for comment via email.

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