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What the Big Boys are DoingWhat the Big Boys are doingObservations from a Recent Shopping <aka snooping> Experienceby Denise WashburnAs I sat here waiting for the snow to melt and
listening to another cold and snowy forecast, I had an idea…go on a shopping
trip! Hey, what better way to pass
an afternoon? Billy, his girlfriend
and I headed off to an out-of-town mall. I
turned the kids loose and spent the next three hours filtering through the
various personal product stores. I
couldn’t believe all the goodies I found!
The Big Boys have certainly been busy!
And, let me tell you…after shopping in this mall for nearly six hours
it is quite obvious that marketing relies heavily on the packaging! The Body ShopMy first stop was The Body Shop; I could spend hours in
that one store. They had a clever
display of body butters set up right on the threshold of their entrance.
Oh, yea, and they were on sale! Who
could resist entering with that display, a knowledgeable employee and free
sample cups at the entrance? I
sauntered into the store, past the body butter display, body butters are old
news, I wanted the scoop on new and exciting stuff! My find was a hair care display. Filled with liquid shampoos and conditioners; honey
moisturizing, nettle oil balance, olive glossing and manuka scalp care.
In another area I found hemp shampoo and conditioner.
Another intriguing hair care product was the “treatment” line;
African Spa Hair and Body Mud, Brazil Nut Moisture Mask, and Poppy Seed Oil
Reviving Mask. And of course there were styling products; from hair wax to
mousse and gels to defining sprays…they had it all. One product that really caught my attention was the Bajik
Spa Crushed Rice & Sugar Scrub. Now
this one I had to try! It was a
thick gel-like consistency, with very fine rice and sugar crystals, hardly
“scrubby” enough for my personal liking; but it did make my skin feel nice.
And with ingredients like sunflower oil, sweet almond oil, kukui nut oil,
mango oil who could resist??? I had one, “Hey, this is a GREAT idea!” moment that
came to me in the aromatherapy display. The
product was called Prana Temple Massager. This
was in a roll-on bottle with essential oils to help you focus.
The only scent my nose could detect was peppermint…and we all know
there had to be a carrier oil in there. BUT,
my “great idea” thought was a headache massage oil in a roll-on bottle! Another product line that caught my attention was the tea
tree skin care items; having a teenager with some blemishes, I made sure I read
the labels and got a few more ideas. Tea
tree blemish pads and the tea tree blemish stick were noted and ideas planted
for products to help my son. The
blemish stick was packaged in the wand lip-gloss type container and could be
easily slipped in a teen’s tiny purse or pocket…even a boy teen! I made one final quick loop around the store picking up a few items for purchase. My hair is always a problem…so I got the Nettle Oil balance Shampoo and the Manuka Scalp Care Shampoo. And, I love their Hemp Chanvre Hand Protector, so I grabbed the smaller tube for my purse. Bath & Body WorksThen it was off to B&BW! My sister and I can get lost in this store for virtually
days! Out of all the stores I
visited, this is the only one that is in our local mall…so I’m in B&BW
quite frequently checking out their product lines.
BUT, this B&BW was totally different! At least four or five times the size of the local one…and
tons of different products, not just their signature line. I was amazed at the selection and different brands (or, as
they call them, “our collections”) within this store! Quite honestly, I never thought I’d see a Burt’s Bees
display in a Bath & Body Works store. It only took a brief second to determine their new scent of
the season was Cherry Blossom…the entire front end of the store was filled
with bright pink/red signage and displays.
One quick light sniff revealed that my floral-hater nose didn’t fully
appreciate this scent. Deeper into
the store I went; past the Cherry Blossom displays, past the aromatherapy line
(which I’m quite familiar with) and I stopped at the True Blue Spa line
display. One new product jumped out
at me…Fine & Sandy™ Sudsing Foot Scrub Beach Pedicure.
Hmmm, catchy name, and the bottle looked like it contained real sand!
And, it does! Very clever
idea! I found several products that were new-to-me.
The most notable was the Le Couvent des Minimes Honey & Shea
Moisturizing Body Milk. The signage description read, “Hydrating grape seed oil,
soothing honey extract, nourishing shea milk and beeswax moisturize and comfort
skin. Massage over clean, dry skin to leave it supple and soft.”
Now, I have no idea what shea milk is…but this lotion did feel
nice…but not as nice as the Honey & Shea Repairing Hand Cream in the same
line! That was a nice thick cream
that my hands just soaked right up. Hmmm, maybe my hands needed “repaired” not
“moisturized”. Just around the corner from the body milk I found a display
of Kneipp Herbal Baths. Ahhh,
another wonderful “this is a great idea” moment!
This was a 3.4 ounce bottle of liquid; with directions to add one cap
full to the tub. The ingredient
list revealed, polysorbate 20; fragrance, rosemary oil, water, vitamin e and
FD&C colorants. The $18.50
bottle claimed 10 uses. I really
had to resist purchasing this product; just for the research and development
aspect, mind you! ;) There were two great product presentations that really
stuck out in this store…one was a small hatbox filled with wedge-shaped soaps,
each of a different signature fragrance from Henri Bendel. The wedge-shaped soaps completely filled the hatbox and were
divided by a cardboard pinwheel. The
second presentation that caught my eye were these beautiful dog-shaped soaps.
The black Scottie quickly reminded me of Kae!
The soap was about four inches high and was a perfect replica of a
Scottie Dog. The box was, of course
a red and green version of the tartan plaid of the Scots. A while ago on the list there was a discussion of bath ice
cream and sherbet; this B&BW had both of these items!
Oh and candles! How could I forget about the candles? Most of us know that B&BW and The White Barn Candle
Company go hand in hand. Well, I
found another variation of this candle company’s line in this B&BW.
One I like even more than what is carried in my B&BW!
The White Barn Candle Co. Tahitian Vanilla Candle Co.™ scents are
amazing vanilla blends. Get a load
of these luscious scents: Iced Vanilla Vodka, Sandalwood Vanilla (no where near
as good as Poozart’s/Adobe’s version), Vanilla Malted, Vanilla Meringue,
Vanilla Orange Flower. I couldn’t
resist…right before leaving the mall, I went back and purchased the smallest
Iced Vanilla Vodka candle; 4 ounces for $9.50.
They really, REALLY need a sampler pack of this line! Crabtree & EvelynThe thing that drew me to this store was the 60 Second Fix
For Hands which comes in three different varieties; La Source, Gardener’s, and
Goat Milk. These kits include one
tube of Hand Recovery and one tube of Hand Therapy; I’m assuming each is
slightly different in ingredients. These
came in a plastic tote. They also
had a Jojoba 60 Second Fix for Hands, but it contained Jojoba Hand Recovery and
Hand and Cuticle Cream. The Hand
Recovery appeared to be a salt scrub-like product that creates a protecting
barrier as it is washed off. The
Hand Therapy appears to be a heavy cream, which includes shea butter as the
“selling ingredient”. The products at Crabtree & Evelyn are geared around
various oils and nutrients; each line has a different oil/nutrient predominately
listed on the packaging; Goat’s Milk, Jojoba, Aloe Vera, Almond Oil, and
Avocado Oil are the ones I remember seeing. Another interesting product at this store were the Gel
Therapy Gloves which, when worn, release vitamin E, olive, jojoba and grapeseed
oils into/onto your hands. The
directions say to wear them for 30-40 minutes at a time for 3 to 4 times a week.
I would have loved to try these out, but at $38 a pair I decided against
this purchase. OriginsThis company was totally new to me…as I was walking to
the car, I noticed, through Kaufman’s window this line of products.
So, in I went! I found a line of beauty products that “promote beauty and
wellness through multi-sensory products and feel-good experiences.” (as I was
told from the lady working the floor). Their
brochure goes on to say “We do this by celebrating the connection between
Mother Nature and human nature.” One
of their selling points is that nature is the principal behind every Origins
product. The brochure goes on to
say, “Our formulas draw on potent ingredients and the ancient wisdoms that
surround them to ensure that our products are authentic and as natural as can
be.” They have an entire line of makeup, a skin care line and
the usual bath and body stuff. There
were three products that drew my attention.
The first thing I noticed was a box of little white balls.
So off I went to see what they were…gumballs!
Yes, gumballs! But not your
ordinary type of gumball; these were from their Sensory Therapy line and were
called, Peace of Mind Gumballs flavored with peppermint, basil and eucalyptus. Across the display I noticed orange balls…they were Peptalk
Energizing Gumballs flavored with cinnamon, ginger and grapefruit. Another interesting product was their Incredible Spreadable
Scrub™ in Ginger Body Smoother and Sea Salt Body Smoother.
The texture of these scrubs was a gel-like consistency and felt very nice
when rubbed between my fingers. The last product I found interesting was Skin Diver®
Activated Charcoal Body Wash. This
product helps remove debris that gets under your skin; the Activated Charcoal
draws out environmental toxins, deep dwelling pore-cloggers and other impurities
before they can start to breed problems. Oh, and for you chocolate lovers…they have a **new**
Cocoa Therapy™ line! Yes, I
thought Soapnut the moment I saw this! The
entire collection consists of six products; Body-Buffing Scrub, Deeply Nourishing Body Butter, Energy-Boosting Body
Bar (aka soap), Instant Chocolate Fix (cocoa elixir in a roll-on
bottle), Total Body Treat (massage
balm), Mood-Brightening Candle for $124.50. In addition to these they also have a Limited Edition
Mood-Enhancing Lip Balm and a Body Buffing Scrub. After reading these descriptions, I headed directly to the
Godiva Chocolate booth for a snack! Victoria’s SecretSome wouldn’t consider this a personal care product
store…but they do have a great fragrance line.
And dupes of these fragrances are often requested and are great sellers
for our hand made soaps. Oldtimer
& Lily (our beloved SueK) has the best Love Spell dupe you’ll find!
Smells EXACTLY like the bottle of perfume I was sniffing in Victoria’s
Secret! Most of their scents have a heavy floral note to them; so
I’m NOT your best person to judge them. Love
Spell is one of my favorites, because of the fruity notes in it.
Strawberries and Champagne was another nice one…and my nose could learn
to like Amber Romance. The most notable new products in the store were the scented
hair products; shampoo, conditioners, shine enhancers and hair spray.
I did have to control myself not to purchase the Love Spell hair
spray…but I know I’ll break down eventually and purchase it for my friend
who simply loves this fragrance! Yankee Candle CompanyOnce again, not really soap related, but they have great
fragrances that are often duped for the bath and body products and candle
fragrances. They do have some new
fragrances. The two most notable
were Juicy Cherry and Granny Smith. And
some others that are new-to-me, I’m not sure how new these are…but here’s
my list; Splash of Rain, Sunwashed Linen, Blue Hosta, Ginger
Spice White Tea, Rice Milk, Meadow Mist, Rain Washed, Pink Grapefruit.
Some interesting sales flyers were
found at the cash register. Coupons
for a free Yankee Candle candle and a free electric fragrancer…
This caught my eye, so I read the coupon while I waited in line.
The coupon read; Exchange any White Barn Candle Company or Bath &
Body Works candle here fro a free Yankee candle of like size in your favorite
fragrance. And the other coupon
read, “Exchange your Bath & Body Works electric plug-in unit for a premium
scented Yankee Candle Housewarmer electric home fragrancer”.
Hmmm, interesting marketing! I left this store with only three
votive candles…but not in any of these fragrances. My choices were Autumn Lodge, Coffee Bean, and Hazelnut
Coffee. Honestly, after sniffing
these, I was tempted to be off for another latte! Primal Elements
AvonAnother vendor cart filled with all the latest Avon
products. I walked past this cart
several times, but never stopped and looked.
I mean, don’t we all have access to an Avon representative?
;) The location of the stores in the mall was interesting.
I know we all worry about being next to or across from another soaper at
shows. These stores were fairly
close to each other. In any one of the stores you could easily see at least one
other one from the doorway. Each
store had it’s own **feel** to it. For
example B&BW was brightly lit with a bright white light, bright colors,
flowers and tons of bold and bright signage; contrastly The Body Shop was
brightly light with a pinkish amber hue, wood floor, wooden shelves and
everything was done in wood tones, wooden framed signage.
It was very interesting to see how the stores differentiate themselves
from each other; each, obviously catering to a slight different clientele.
If you are interested in checking out the various websites for the above
companies, I have listed them, here, at the very end of the article. http://www.bathandbodyworks.com http://www.crabtree-evelyn.com |
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