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Bath & Body Works’ biggest and best sale is the Semi-Annual Sale. And yes, it’s even better than their Black Friday sales, the annual Candle Day, and Body Care Day. The Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale happens twice a year, and lucky for us, it lasts about three weeks.
I’ve studied and tracked Semi-Annual sales data for the past four years, and history has a lot to teach us when we’re looking to score the best deals. While you won’t be able to use the Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale to shop for holiday gifts (it happens right after Christmas), you can definitely stock up on gifts to use throughout the year.
- If you can’t wait for the sale, check out the best Bath & Body Works coupons and deals available now.
- Text BBW to 57299 to get on our Bath & Body Works text alerts list.
- Download The Krazy Coupon Lady app for the addictive shopping tool you never knew you needed.
- And if you want to zoom out from just reading about the Semi-Annual Sale, might I suggest our guide to ALL the Bath & Body Works Sales Hacks?
The information below is everything you need to know to be a totally woke Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale shopper. The near-month-long sale has a lot of twists and turns. Here’s what to know!
Best Semi-Annual Sale Deals 2023 to Shop:
1. When is the next Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale 2022?
The next Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale started on Dec. 26, 2022, and should last roughly three weeks. The winter sale always starts the day after Christmas and lasts through mid-January. Unlike the summer sale, the winter sale is available both in stores and at BathandBodyWorks.com at the same time.
2. The Semi-Annual Sale happens twice each year — once in December and again in June.
The winter Semi-Annual Sale has a consistent day-after-Christmas start date. The winter sale is usually shorter than the summer sale by about a week. The winter Semi-Annual Sale generates more sales revenue than the summer sale and generally is thought of by the KCL staff as the better of the two sales. And let’s be honest, those fall and winter scents are probably what gets us through the long winter.
The summer Semi-Annual Sale always begins in mid-June and runs beyond the Fourth of July. The days of the week it has started for the last four years have been Monday, Saturday, Sunday, and Sunday again. We predict the next summer Semi-Annual Sale will begin on Sunday, June 11, 2023.
Historically, you can expect a free shipping coupon code over the Fourth of July weekend, and because the online prices get better deeper into the sale (more on that below), that’s usually a great time to shop.
3. The sale lasts three to four weeks.
The Semi-Annual Sale is pretty different online than it is in store. Online, it’s not really a single sale at all. It’s actually a series of sales knit together by the same name, some loud red and yellow banners, and a rubber ducky mascot.
Online, the sale’s waves are a series of micro-adjustments to pricing. For example, in the most recent sale, the 3-wick candles (retail price $25.50) were advertised in all of the following variations: $12.95 sale price for three days, then BOGO free for one day only, then $10 off for the next week, and finally an $11.95 sale price. Because of these variations, knowing when to wait and when to buy can be very difficult. Our general advice to online shoppers is to wait until the final two days of the sale so you can squeeze out every penny of savings.
In stores, it’s simpler. This sale is basically a giant clearance event, and you should shop early before inventory is picked over.
When does Bath & Body Works’ Semi-Annual Sale end?
The last five Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual sales have all ended on a Sunday. Expect the winter sale to end on January 17, 2023.
How long is Bath and Body Works’ Semi-Annual Sale?
The winter Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale lasts just over three weeks.
The summer Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale lasts four weeks.
4. You’ve got to shop the Semi-Annual Sale in store.
Seventy-five percent off has been the standard for years and years of Semi-Annual sales at Bath & Body Works, but that all changed in 2020. Here’s how it went down:
- Summer & Winter 2019 — All Semi-Annual sales featured 75% off select items in store and online.
- Summer 2020 — This Semi-Annual Sale was almost unrecognizable as a result of the pandemic. Savings online never went above 50%, and there weren’t any promo codes — not a single one — across the longer-than-usual 6-week sale. In-store savings for stores that could open stayed at 75%.
- Winter 2020 — This sale followed the same formula, with 75% savings in store but only 50% savings online. Promisingly, on the last two days of the winter 2020 sale, the online sale prices were updated to 50% – 75% off — inching back toward normal.
- Summer 2021 — 75% savings online was resurrected, but not until six days after the sale began.
Still, local stores are likely to continue getting the green light first to discount aggressively, making it the better place to get the best deals.
And another obvious reason to shop in store is that choosing online means you’d have to contend with the annoying lack of Bath & Body Works free shipping. And while promo codes for free shipping over $50 will pop in and out throughout the sale, remember that since Bath & Body Works only allows one promo code per order, if you’re using the free ship code, you can’t use another coupon code that may be available at the same time. If you shop in store at Bath & Body Works, they’ll let you combine multiple coupons if you have them.
5. The goal is always to save 75%.
The best deals are on “select” fragrances that have overrun inventory (a fancy way of saying “we made too much”) and either seasonal, discontinued, or overstocked classic fragrances.
Because Bath & Body Works doesn’t typically put their merchandise on clearance the rest of the year, the Semi-Annual Sale is the primary way they manage their inventory.
That means that whatever pumpkin scents don’t sell by December end up in the winter Semi-Annual Sale. Valentine’s Day merchandise will resurface in the summer sale, as will discontinued scents and even some overstocked bestsellers.
6. And the coupon stack is the Holy Grail.
It used to be standard to see a $10 off $40 digital coupon code available to stack with Semi-Annual Sale prices, but since the pandemic hit in 2020, we’ve not seen a single one. Since summer 2020, the only way to get a coupon to stack with the Semi-Annual Sale (free shipping codes are the exception) is to join Bath & Body Works Rewards or sign up for coupons in the mail. And getting on the Bath & Body Works mail coupon list can be a challenge. In fact, it’s the number one complaint we hear from KCL readers who want to shop.
The best practices for joining the mailer list are as follows:
- Create an account online and add your physical address. You do not need to make a purchase.
- Fill out this form online. Select topic: “Mailing Address Add/Update.”
When you receive your paper coupons (fingers crossed), remember our predicted Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale dates and compare these to your valid coupon dates. Your ultimate goal is to save the coupon, if possible, to use on top of those Semi-Annual prices.
Related: Find more tips like these in my comprehensive guide to Bath & Body Works sales.
7. Get a one-time $10 off $30 coupon code by joining Bath & Body Works Rewards.
The Bath & Body Works Rewards program is finally available nationwide! When you first sign up, you’ll receive a coupon for $10 off a $30 purchase. The coupon code is valid in stores and online.
Because of the 30-days-from-sign-up expiration date, don’t take the steps to get this coupon until the week before the next anticipated Semi-Annual Sale. If you already have an account, sign up your partner or your mom or the mail carrier — or anyone else willing to share that code with you once they receive it.
And once you sign up, make sure you link your in-store purchases to your account so you can earn points! Scan the in-app barcode or share your phone number with the cashier.
You’ll earn one point for every dollar you spend. Once you spend $75, you’ll get a Reward added to your “wallet” for one free product valued up to $16.50.
8. Their Semi-Annual Sale prices online are just okay.
With the exception of candles, which are consistently better priced during the annual Bath & Body Works Candle Day, the Semi-Annual Sale can be a great time to shop for just about everything on your list.
The graphic above shows the average advertised online sale price for six of the top-selling items during the past three Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sales. Some only reached 50% off, which doesn’t meet our recommended savings target of 60% or more.
Don’t worry. We’re not telling you to skip the Semi-Annual Sale — never. We are asking that you not assume every single thing in the store is a good deal just because you’re shopping during the sale.
9. The best deals online are almost always in the final two days of the sale.
In all the sales we’ve studied, one of the most consistent findings is the deals always get better online in the last one to two days of the sale. Hopefully by the time the prices drop, our $10 off coupons will still be valid for an even Krazier deal.
10. Shop the sale early, then go back for a price adjustment.
Bath & Body Works updated their price adjustment and return policies back in September 2022. Their policy now states that both online and in-store purchases are eligible for a onetime price adjustment within 14 days of the original purchase. That means you can shop the week before the Semi-Annual Sale and return with your receipt to receive the difference credited back to your original form of payment. Here are the important catches to the price adjustment policy:
- Certain sales are not eligible for price adjustments, including flash sales, select promotions lasting 48 hours or less, Candle Day, and email offers. So you’ll have to make a return with your receipt and then repurchase the item at the new cheaper price.
- BathandBodyWorks.com is considered separate from your local store. Because of this, price adjustments don’t work across party lines. Online purchases can receive an online price adjustment if you submit a contact form. In-store price adjustments require an original receipt.
TIP: Keep the official policy handy should you run into any questions in the store.
11. Get text reminders from KCL for every Bath & Body Works sale.
If you want in on our free Bath & Body Works alerts, text BBW to 57299 and be the first to know about the hottest deals each day, like reminders of the Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale.
12. Download the KCL app and we’ll tell you about the deals as we see them.
Let our expert team help you cut through the noise. We watch and track every sale and choose only the best ones to share with you. Making it easy for you to shop smarter is our job. And we never charge a cent or even require an email.
Bookmark our Bath & Body Works coupons page and download the free The Krazy Coupon Lady app, and we’ll give you the game plan come Semi-Annual Sale time.
More Must-Read Bath & Body Works Articles:
If you only read one thing: Bath & Body Works Sales Hacks.
Everything you need to know about Bath & Body Works Black Friday.
And our favorite sale of the year: Bath & Body Works Candle Day.
