Dear Bath and Body Works...
Can we Talk?
I mean I see you there tucked quietly into the corners of all of the social media sites...Facebook, Instagram...Reddit, Discord...reading, watching...learning. Watching the stories....the Lives... Heading over to Mercari seeing the what's what....goodness you have some housekeeping to do there.
Surely, you know the disaster that is happening with the changes you try to make regarding the return...exchange process...Not that they weren't trouble before. But now??? Goodness, this train??? it's off the rails.
I --as you know --- am an observer. And the one thing you and I can agree on is problems that are happening. So how can it be fixed...this mess you have, because it is only going to get worse.
Your fragrance treasures don't fall under the same category as food....and gas...our now high priced necessities...so we will be cutting back some. Still, perhaps, some shop for the distraction of the madness around us and you will find them in there.
Some buy to stock up on their favorite fragrances. Some buy to collect. Some feel compelled to go and shop because everyone on social media shows them what they bought...so they want to feel a part of it all. And that's what you count on ---all of that.
It's okay to agree...we all know that. I don't condemn you for your net worth, and I don't feel you owe me anything because of it. I am grateful for coupons and sales and when I shop your stores all I expect is to love what I found.
Now when we don't love it because it's defective...I expect to have it made right....EVERYWHERE. Equally. Without excuses.
That seems to be problem number #1. The lack of continuity throughout the entire brand....every store on the same page for EVERYTHING following your rules.
They aren't. One store sells new items to their favorite customers 2-3 weeks early. I am not talking about "test stores" or those stores chosen to do different promos for whatever reasons you want to see what we will buy and for what pricing. I mean the other stores...
Why do some stores sell what should be held? Your sales goals puts the pressure on each store to meet those demands. And with the economy being what it is, some days, they are impossible to be had.
Some managers discount items when they shouldn't...again for special customers. And some seem to be allowed to make up their own store rules, and act accordingly. Those things need addressing because eventually it all ends up on social media.
So it is reasonable to expect when the sales goals aren't easily met....some stores are not too happy to get things back.
Back to that subject ---Returns and Exchanges.
Who would be happy to see the 10+ years old used items that you crawled under Nana's bathroom vanity for and didn't stop long enough to wipe off the layer of hardened dust before you filled up three Walmart store bags to exchange them for new fall fragrances. Disgusting.
Because your "We Just Want You To Love It" policy makes it easy to get taken advantage of...
I read, and shared the new policy coming...and I must say...stores aren't all on the same page with its contents.
They are either confused as what they should do now,...or they are refusing exchanges and returns for "other " reasons...but with all I am hearing and reading..your fix, isn't fixing everything yet.
(in my opinion) A simple policy would be...
- 30 days to return or exchange any product.
- Returns and exchanges must include a receipt. (saving a receipt is a pretty simple thing)
- Save exchanges for damaged items only.
New unused items WITH a receipt can return for the price paid back to the form you paid with...Cash, credit, store credit, gift card.
Return any product used, and no more than 1/2, WITH a receipt for store credit of the price you paid. No exchanges on used items. None of the matching price tag, ticket price.
Candles can be returned un-burned WITH a receipt - return for the price paid back to the form you paid with...Cash, credit, store credit, gift card.
Candles burned no more than 1/2 can be returned WITH a receipt for store credit of the price you paid.
Any item used more than 1/2 way cannot be returned/exchanged.
No exchanges on Clearance and Semi-Annual Sales items...especially Globes, Luminaries, Candles etc. No more $5.95 Pineapple exchanges for $70 Haunted Trees because the price tag matches but not the price paid. Refund price paid only with receipts.
Those are only my thoughts....I know you made that big list of rules that will change policy in September. Please get all stores on the same page before then...so all we will be reading on social media is what items we love...and kept!