Bath & Body Works MYSTERY Blind Buy Duckie Pocketbac Holder Pouches - Thoughts
I had a few thoughts regarding this item from the first day of Semi Annual Sale 2026 and I want to share them here.
ITEM
Bath and Body Works Mystery Duck Pocketbac Holder - Priced at $6.97 plus tax each for one "mystery" duck Pocketbac inside.
FIRST LOOK
On Saturday this little pouch appeared available Online. Here is the description:
What it does: keeps your go-to sanitizer close at hand. $6.95
Why you'll love it:
- Each one is a surprise—try to collect them all.
- Convenient silicone strap attaches to your backpack, purse...or any bag really.
- Pairs with your favorite PocketBac hand sanitizer (sold separately).
Limit 5 per customer. In stores and online only (not available for Buy Online Pick Up In Store).
I didn't buy it then online because I wanted to see in store what they looked like, so I waited until Monday.
Over the weekend, some were posting that the mystery one was Gold Metallic Color, which made the hunt for it more fun. How they knew? Unknown at the time. Monday, the tease social post was made showing the gold king duck.
IN STORE VISIT
I did not know at the time that the pouches each had DIFFERENT SKU'S.
I didn't know at the time that the stores workers saw the SKU list of the numbers to know which ducked matched which sku.
I was first at the gate at opening and when the gate went up, I asked where the duckies were. They were in clear jars on the cash wrap.
When I approached the cash wrap, the workers were going through the bags there grabbing them out of the jars looking at the numbers as the customers came in ---- looking for the ones they wanted. Some were grabbing a handful and checking the sku's out as the store got crowded. One jar was completely emptied.
I took a bunch from the jar and went off to the side to count how many I had taken. I asked does the 9 - limit count on these and was told, "Yes, but they have different sku's." Online, it said there was a limit...of five. Hmm. How will that work if there are six different ducks offered???
Then I looked and saw some different numbers. Other customers came to the front to grab some as well emptying the jar, so the workers opened up the clear bags of backup and stuffed them into the jars.
They were stuffed inside the jar, but they weren't different or assorted. The shipped bag had all of the same sku numbers so a clump of them at the top of the jar were the same duck. If you thought to grab a bunch at checkout, you were leaving with the same duck.
I was told later on all of shipment was checked and no gold metallic number mystery duck arrived in shipment.
I left with four different number mystery packs, missing out on getting the Blue Duck I wanted, and of course the Gold Metallic Duck with the Crown.
Not a big deal...I am not writing because I felt a certain way about a cheaply made overpriced pocketbac.
I was made to feel a certain way later after a comment was made about my sharing photos of my haul of four duckies.
The sku numbers were on the package in the photo showing which duck had which number. UM -- everyone and their brother who got to the store...and some who worked there shared photos of the same thing. The ducks they got on the baggie.
Heck some workers wrote they opened all of the numbers to see which was which in the back before the start of sale.
And we are not talking about a free item here. These are $7 plus tax each. And I paid full price for EVERYTHING I purchased from the sale so far because somehow, I didn't get a coupon like most people in my APP or snail mail.
So, the numbers of each duckie were posted on social. They were shared PRE my share...and if someone got to find the duck they wanted by looking at the back of the bag at a number...Good. That's the FUN part of a blind buy.
I was told that I didn't make it fun. That people can now look for what they want and leave the rest behind.
Nope. The brand didn't make it fun.
BLIND BUY BAGS --- for future reference.
Make the bagged item WITHOUT a different SKU for each.
Make the packing hard to feel the item/see the item inside.
Don't put the numbers on paperwork - people are human. Nothing-- is ever a secret.
Assort the items better in a holder to pick from. My store is currently stocked with Unicorns.
Don't put limits on the purchases that would eliminate the chance of getting all that are offered. Some stores may sell the 6 and go over the limit, but when you post a limit of 5 to reduce resellers, and the stores follow that, you limit the FUN for the hunt right in the beginning.
This was a $42 plus tax purchase to "Collect Them All" --- and they are currently being sold on third party sites at extreme prices.
MY DUCKIES 💙
