Why Shop Beauty at Hudson’s Bay

If you have been watching the news you have probably seen a story or two on the financial struggles of Canada’s iconic department store, Hudson’s Bay. As a result of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, they have recently closed stores, reduced the footprint and size of certain locations, and laid off hundreds of employees. Recent comments from top executives, however, indicate that they will survive this hardship and plan to be around for centuries to come. One of their strategies, like many companies, is to focus on their online operations especially given that they are one of Canada’s largest e-commerce businesses.

I am a big fan of Hudson’s Bay. Aside from the fact that they are Canadian and have been around since 1670, I find the shopping experience to be extremely fulfilling both in person and online. I am rooting for their success and continue to shop at Hudson’s Bay where it makes sense. One such example is their beauty department.

There are certain beauty brands that I almost exclusively buy from Hudson’s Bay. I have shopped these brands enough to know that I will ultimately get the best deal there because of two reasons. Firstly, the brand’s own website is not “Canadian friendly” meaning they either don’t ship to Canada or charge in U.S. dollars with duties and fees. Secondly, other beauty e-commerce sites such as Sephora don’t discount these brands enough so you are only saving a measly 10-15% during their major sales.

Here is a list of why I choose to shop for beauty at Hudson’s Bay and why I regularly purchase some of my makeup and skincare faves from there (i.e. see how I shop for Laura Mercier products here).

Brand Variety and Offering

If you visit the Hudson’s Bay website at this very minute, you will find over 200 beauty brands ranging from more affordable lines like Lise Watier all the way to luxury brands like Chanel. There is no question that they have a much larger offering online than they do in store. What a lot of people don’t know is that they have even starting selling some drugstore brands like Maybelline and L’Oréal on their website. They have something for everyone and cover off a lot of local and big beauty brands.

Gifts With Purchase (GWP)

One of the biggest appeals for me to shop for beauty products at Hudson’s Bay is their incredible gifts with purchase (GWP). These are available when you buy specific beauty brands and oftentimes when you buy anything from the Beauty category at all. Depending on the gift it could be more lucrative to buy a product with a GWP then wait for a sale as the values of these gifts are usually greater than $100. They offer so many different GWPs that they have created a filter for these on the beauty menu on the Hudson’s Bay website.

Reasonable Shipping Minimums

Unlike a lot of beauty brand websites, the shipping minimums at Hudson’s Bay make it incredibly easy to shop. All you need to do is spend $29+ on a beauty purchase to qualify for free shipping. Now, I am not letting Hudson’s Bay off that easy. The shipping minimums for all other categories is $99+ and that could use some improvement. They do have the added perk of being able to order online and pick up in store saving on shipping altogether. It is also worth mentioning that Hudson’s Bay frequently runs promotions and free shipping is a common one especially on Fridays.

Everyday Sales

On any given day, you can check out the beauty section of the Hudson’s Bay website and find hundreds of items on sale. These change almost daily and if you consistently check then you are bound to find a brand you love on sale. I have been wanting a Clarins product for months and finally bought it when I saw that it was 30% off in the sale section on the Hudson’s Bay website. I would have never gotten that deep of a discount on a Clarins product at Sephora, Shoppers Drug Mart, or even the Clarins website.

The other really neat part of these everyday sales is that they not only include a mix of products but could also feature a brand where their entire product line is on sale. For example, this week all Bumble & Bumble and Paul Mitchell products were on sale on the Hudson’s Bay website. The mix changes constantly and I have made a habit to check the sales each morning.

Major Beauty Sales

In addition to everyday sales, Hudson’s Bay runs storewide promotions regularly throughout the year. For example, there are VIB Beauty Sales at least three times a year (March, September, November) where you can get $20 off a $100 purchase. They also have a Friends & Family sale in March, May, June, September & November/December where you can get an additional 10-15% off any beauty purchase. Also, unlike Sephora, you are still eligible for a GWP and can stack offers even when you use a promo code during a sale.

Beauty Recycling Programs

The beauty recycling programs at Hudson’s Bay are not talked about enough in my opinion. They have a number of programs for different brands that are not only great for the environment but that offer the consumer a discount just for participating. Here are some of the programs they offer.

• You can get $5 back in Rewards points for every 5 containers you recycle at Hudson’s Bay
• If you visit select Lancôme counters that have a refill station, you can fill any sized Idôle fragrance and save up to 26%
• You can bring your Clarins empties in store and receive 10% off your next refill/purchase
• Just like at MAC stores, you can bring back six empty MAC products and get a free lipstick or eye shadow of your choice

Other Benefits

There are other perks worth mentioning when shopping for beauty products at Hudson’s Bay.

• When you shop online you can get $10 off your first $50+ purchase when you sign up for emails
• If you shop in person and chat with the lovely employees behind the counters you can test different products before you buy them and are guaranteed to leave with a handful of samples
• Price adjustments can be made within 7 days of purchase
• Returns can be made online or in stores with 30 days of purchase
• If you are an email subscriber, you can expect to get receive exclusive promo codes just for you as well as a birthday gift

Final Thoughts

Learning about the financial struggles of Hudson’s Bay really struck a chord with me. It is a historic and iconic department store in Canada with roots that go back centuries. Last year I made the decision that I was going to shop and support Canadian businesses where possible and Hudson’s Bay is no different. I am grateful that they make it easy and lucrative for Canadians to shop and it has become a go-to for me for making beauty purchases. I am looking forward to another century of great deals and purchases from Hudson’s Bay.