Walk out of Victoria’s Secret, past the kiosks selling silver jewelry and foreign language tapes, past the Sunglass Hut, and there it is: Bath and Body Works. I’d always though of Bath and Body Works as a sort of palace of plastic bottles and fruity hand lotions, but I have friends who swear by some of their products. It was high time to check it out.

At first, Bath and Body Works was overwhelming. Shelves of product in identical bottles but different labels covered the walls, and the center of the store was filled with tables stacked high with more product. To help the consumer who didn’t know which way to turn, big signs hung over some of the shelves, signifying a particular wall of scent as “sensual” or “fresh”.

The store manager informed me right away that Bath and Body Works has the top five selling fragrances in the United States. I kept my mouth shut about Victoria’s Secret’s claim that Dream Angels Heavenly was the top selling fragrance and asked him which scents were the most popular. He said Japanese Cherry Blossom was the top seller, followed by Sweet Pea and then Warm Vanilla Sugar. I asked him which fragrance he thought was the most complex, and he pointed out a relatively new fragrance, Black Amethyst…

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