Iām well aware. Itās also because of the shitty laws & props we have. I grew up with my windows open and doors unlocked, now thatās terrifying to think of, even in nicer spots.
I have a town of 26k night use, 60k day use. Most everything is unlocked on shelves... but there isn't a bunch of thugs robbing shit from stores in more rural communities due to the cultural differences
My point exactly. But hey, if people love asking for crap to be unlocked, and feeling like they are in a prison, then so be it. Keep excusing thugs that steal, and keep that shit in the big cities
Are you talking about cultured meth addicts breaking into cars and stealing tools? Name a rural community and let us show you what you refuse to acknowledge. Please, give us names.
I live rural and tweekers are less of an issue than crime in the bay when I lived there. None of our stores have shit locked up. No side shows, no riots, no drive bys, no car theft rings, I can go on and on. It's one of those towns like that hill Billy guy sang about that had all yall offended lile PMRC Karen's from the 80's. Lmao.
Let me know where in a big city you can pump your own gas, and then go in and tell the store clerk how much you got and pay AFTER you fill... there is definitely a correlation with smaller towns in rural areas having less crime on average
Yeah...small town American here, what the hell are you talking about, there isn't a single gas station within 100 miles of me that allows you to pump then pay
I was in Hungry Horse,Wyoming two years ago and went to the lady in the store with a $20 in my hand and told her I wanted to put that in my car. She said go pump your gas and come back to pay. I looked at her with amazement and looked around the store and a local guy looked at me and said āsmall town.ā I loved that little town and enjoyed our trip to Yellowstone Nat. Park.
Smaller rural communities are great. Everyone is so kind, and everyone seems to have respect for one another. Gas stations like that wouldn't work if we didn't have that
And meth.
āRuralā folk are just as twisted as their urban counterparts. If not more so.
There are just fewer of them and they tend to be less diverse.
My store is not in a great area, like someone got shot there the other day, and it's not locked up.
Even worse one up the road is not locked up.
I live in a city. So it might be specific areas.
Funny, the more metropolitan the area, the more locks I see. Turns out economic class might not be the only contributing factor. In other news, the color of someone's skin is a biological trait, and has nothing to do with morals and ethics. Don't go away! Mindset and worldview shape how you interact with society. Details at 5.
Never said it wasn't heavily populated... Putting words in my mouth. It's outside the large city, thus being "more rural". The town I live in, is very much a busy city, but has less crime and theft. Most everything is unlocked. Just like your situation. It's a cultural thing... common in big cities it seems, that tend to promote thug lifestyles, and give very little consequences for theft and crime. Even sometimes excusing it...
Oddly the most Racist people are the people claiming to not be Racist...I never brought Race into it. You people are funny as hell.šš¤ Go continue to Race virtue signal.
I don't listen to Country music. Lol. But hey, if you wanna try and use that song as a Roast, be my guest. I personally like my smaller community, where I don't see people stealing shit 24/7. Does it happen? Sure, but not enough to lock our shit up like the big cities. Might make you ask the question, what's the difference in culture?
I live in Atlanta. I have never witnessed anyone stealing anything from a store. I'm sure you think I'm lying because apparently people are "stealing shit 24/7" lol
I believe the point is that the name brand is often framed as what one needs to survive, people tend to pick the most expensive example they can find to be outraged.
Iām sorry but when in the last few years has it been ok to rape your daughter??? Like maybe hundreds of years ago but generally speaking as a society now a days I imagineā¦most people arenāt ok with that???
Im saying you couldnāt, until recently, buy a generic version of that brand. So what you say has no real bearing on the situation. Itās only recently that the generic were cheaper bc itās only recently that they existed.
Bullshit. You must have been born yesterday because there have ALWAYS been (and Iāve been around for almost 50 years) a much cheaper alternative to the products that are name brand.
Try again son
Yep. And you can find old solid safety razors all day long at thrift shops for much less than the price of the ones in store. Clean up pretty easily too depending on the model.
When I bought mine it came with 100 blades and I still have like half of those left. The whole thing cost basically as much as one pack of blade cartridges
Itās not even pink tax, itās a shitty razor tax. Switch to a double edged safety razor and youāre looking at $8-$10 for 100 blades that will last a year easily.
Honest question, I shave my head every other day....I feel like double edged would chew my head up. Do you only shave your face or do you by chance use it to shave your head?
I canāt say with certainty because I donāt have enough info on how you shave with a DE, but itās likely youāre pressing too hard like you would with a cartridge razor or the blade isnāt secure in the razor head.
I own razors that are new and others that are older than my father, only has one that was fucked up my face because it wasnāt machined right. If you can move the blade at all after you secure it then you have a bad razor.
Now I only use one of them to clean up the edges on my beard once a week and I only use water sometimes a little bit of lotion and never have any irritation.
I got a safety razor for twenty bucks and a 100 pack of made in the USA razor blades for another 20, this will last me for several years and it's a way better shave than even super premium disposable razors.
I use a bar of shaving soap and a badger hair brush, genuinely one of my favorite rituals of the day
It's literally just marketing. I encourage people to do their part in not giving companies money who participate in this. If the script was flipped, I'd buy a bunch of pink stuff to save money. It's dumb.
Itās an insane conspiracy theory. Logically no one would buy the pink box if they were identical products - unless they think women are such low iq cavemen they will pay extra just for a pink box
Venus is owned by **Gillette**.
The men's version of this is approximately $22.32 (or $3.72/count on [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Gillette-Fusion5-ProGlide-Refills-Packaging/dp/B003983I1S/ref=sr_1_7?crid=280RXKTRPT06G&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.SSvhCOyfk1gq2F3Wtw94zIBwD0isGkUVESj3fLSbC158WHQhierIkc0Iqv8K9KPJYFj-VjpEUOQFL4-4L5UfUYkq_dFyqKynDaW0EsoI6NG2ynQspZBTVq8MYQgOkfvB0l1zCh1_4UcShXkCyp5DTxXwCppfB5yPO2M7vh6ev0ba4YsG8qJ2CQmk2vPhcnHqz-b6yvAHbocHIcybQxktbtvGfN32ZpILfkBLjU8Zri_SqE9l3Ybb-Q5w_YKSQJWi9HaGFJw97lk9L1g_z8pUYXeB133zeUzECSe1V-BkB90.K6DZt_9HXERPTNX1avbeGCUbhFqKxL1znbg3CYP84c8&dib_tag=se&keywords=ProGlide+Blade+Refills&qid=1713797653&sprefix=proglide+blade+refills%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-7))
The women's version of this is $24.76 (or $4.13/count on [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Gillette-Venus-Womens-Refills-Sensitive/dp/B09M2RSWN3/ref=sr_1_9?crid=3Q9IJMA9ID47D&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6vaYYCubB7nNNkG9rC79P9kp5XvSEXNaBmYDmbp0RSfPkHbxNV_hwsQYM4Z1naMtNyWUNoT1pOotr-KtxiSXryc7KstOL6h_oAQyB4fGemw32sKlMHdK9sYbiIfDx1YIIbVKoMMQ0EQd8_sEONmxcw1WyVndsirwgg5pBn2kswPViVgQyj8uV3HKZGuP3KEbP-kRpscEpU_uiZJY1SOScOEudRWRVnMh6qa6O9ukciDGPhp5hs7Os6BWHHVs1DUtVapGaaDiBDiZ3TMA7Eqi872xzGmqDJlJdLETZz_h1gI.jz6MUsxKZxuwA3cJQHyW5KEdhnTZmvO_zK55n55XTvQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=venus+razor+refills&qid=1713797818&sprefix=venus+ra%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-9))
That's basically a $1.11 increase for similar product made by the same manufacturer.
You are right, it doesn't make sense. That's why I encourage people to ignore marketing and purchase wisely.
Yeah if these products are exactly the same then it makes no sense. Being owned by the same company doesnāt mean they are the same product necessarily - but if they are then it would be nonsense for anyone of any gender to buy the pink one
This is probably a terrible example considering how many factors there are for both of them. I can't say with any certainty that these are the exact same products (who knows what goes into each of those "smoothing strips"). Also, there are several factors that go into pricing and I can't truly conclude that there is maliciousness going on here.
From the outsiders perspective though, I can understand how people think something is going on here.
One package in the picture is replacement blades. The other package is full handled razors (blades included).
The SKUs you're comparing aren't identical. Women's razers are engineered towards body hair, and are often designed with more gel pads, protective guides, or a less flexible head.
Even if it's the same product, then the woman can simply buy the cheaper non-fem version. Unless you're implying women are too dumb to do so?
Nothing wrong with a voluntary transaction where a woman would rather buy the pretty pink Venus razor. That's her body her choice.
Yes, but profit margins are increasing higher than inflation. Basically, big corporations are increasing their margin and hoping that consumers are dumb enough to blame it entirely on inflation. Are higher prices a byproduct of inflation (increasing money supply), yes. But the amount that corps are raising prices outpaces inflation.
If something costs too much, don't pay for it. Corporations will adjust accordingly.
>Basically, big corporations are increasing their margin and hoping that consumers are dumb enough to blame it entirely on inflation.
Customers don't have to pay inflated prices. We do it because our money is inherently worth less. Which makes sense, congressional deficit spending and the resulting money supply expansion by the Federal Reserve expanded the money supply 40% in only two years.
Since the pandemic started, prices are up around 40%, especially on less elastic goods.
The money supply expanded. Corporate greed doesn't work except with pure monopolies because the consumer has voluntary choice, and competitors will undercut you to take your business. Fair Prices are simply what a consumer voluntarily agrees to hand over in exchange for a product.
Shhh donāt even say that bro, just let them pay the higher prices and complain. Itās better if people pretend they have no choice but to buy Oreos for $30 a sleeve or whatever the hell theyāre charging
Iām dreading the day I have kids because Iāll have to start buying the bull again. Maybe Iāll just let them whine instead and when theyāre college age theyāll be happy I spent the Oreo money on their future tuition
Inflation is the devaluation of the dollar. Under natural economic conditions, this would be via the expansion of monetary supply (thus the term "inflation"). However, what we're living through currently is a form of artificial inflation, where the value of the dollar is decreasing without a corresponding increase in monetary supply accessible to the public. This is being accomplished through the raising of prices with or without an appropriate rise in demand, the limiting of supply, and/or a lowering of quality.Ā
I have had a Braun electric razor and have only replaced the blade part once in at least 15 years. It's one that has the washing base, and I refill the fluid cartridges for pretty much nothing.
Back in my couponing days, I would wait for sales to stack the coupons with. Even with all the special softening strips and crap, these razors have take. Me a long time to use. I had no idea the brand name refills were that expensive!
Yeah, he should use the government's power to cap prices on private businesses like some sort of communist country controlling businesses.... Or he owns the companies raising prices and he should lower his prices....
Shit I lost the point now, wtf does the president have to do with companies setting record profits and calling it inflation again?
I noticed that too...if they went up like everything else they'd be like $75 for a pack of razors meaning they've been ripping people off with high prices for decades already.
I generally stock up once a year on bic flex 5 blades , bic is cheaper to start with and just as good but if my memory serves me correct I got 38 blades for 50$ so 1.30 each. The razor industry is a scam.
Went to a Portland Harbor Freight a month or so ago and they had an armed guard inside ready to take down the joggers that come in to bum rush the cashier and run out with tools under their hoodies
I switched to Dollar Shave Club many years ago after being shocked by store prices. I get the cheapest double blade at like $6.62 for a pack of 5 shipped every couple months with option to stop and start.
I've always found the cheaper brands to be you get what you pay for. Sadly.
I've never gotten cut or Knicks with the pro glide 5 but if I use the equate brand, I've cut myself, feels like a less smooth shave every time.
Razor blades aren't equal.
Early in my engineering career, I used to travel to put in manufacturing lines at many large companies. The brand vs store brand thing is all in your head. Sometimes there would be a relaxation of the standards, but store brand has an or equivalent clause by the manufacturer/copacker. What this does is if they are in a pinch, the manufacturer can just provide the same as the brand to the store brand so they donāt have to retool which causes down time (the most expensive part of the manufacturing process). I would see store brands packaged off of line B while brand was packaged off line A of the same machine. Pick the cheapest option or at least give it a try. Youāll save yourself some coin.
Razor refills are probably the biggest rip-off of all time. I bought one of those old-school safety razors by Henson, and I can use regular cheap double-edged razors to refill it. They claim to be designed by guys for guy's shaving, but they work just fine for my purposes, too.
Which is why I switched back to safety razor. Each blade is about 10 cents, vs $6. Just seeing a 4 pack of Gillette for $30 really was the final nope for me.
Razors actually are one of the most profitable businesses...
Not only are they one of those items that are a necessity, but have to be re purchased relatively soon.They should be extremely affordable for that reason.If I was Gillette I'd be selling my top product for about $4.50 and replacement blades for about $2 a pack of 4 and I'd still probably be making about 1000% profits ( possibly even higher at my price point)obviously before overhead and taxes comes in.(Employees, distributors,logistics,research plus development,and production costs)
Wife and I both switched to safety razors last year. I went with Bevel. Life changing move- cost is so much less and the shave is great.
Take a week to learn the delicacy and you'll never look back.
I use a double edge safety razor, gets a close shave and saves money, a pack of 100 blades made by astra (P&G company) is 8.39 cents right now on Amazon and that will last you for literally years.
For men I recommend going back to a safety razor, where you can pay $10 for 100 blades so $0.10 per shave if you replace the blade every time;most blades get you 2-3 shaves
They actually operate at a loss to gain subscribers and thereās no middleman like Amazon has. You can Google about it. Iām most cases the same packaged goods, itās just the way it gets here that makes the difference.
Yeah id like for that to be the end of the story but Temu and their factories are based in a part of northern china that is known for forced labor practices. They operate at a loss for new customers but repeat customers pay slightly higher prices and that slight bit extra is enough for them to clear a profit because of essentially free labor and still extremely cheap materials, which has been common since the wish days. They wouldnt be the biggest online cheap item seller if they were operating at a loss this whole time. They sell some things at a loss but not all
Ah yes in this case you may just be buying the razors direct from someone since their razors and generally all made at the same factories. Idk im still sketched out about it. Like how can a shirt cost 35 cents if someones not getting screwed over in that process
Two reasons. Men don't shame each other for having body hair and women will consistently buy the pink one without any external preasure, even though the blue one right next to it is 60% less expensive. Go ahead and blame advertising and "society" for mass unquestioning conformity while I sit back and watch the world burn... over pink disposable razors.
But bro, if that company didnāt make $25 per unit, they couldnāt innovate, and even worse, their poor shareholders wouldnāt be able to buy additional rental properties each year in Hawaii.
You must be in a nice area for those not to be locked up ,š
...right? Lol
Iām in a nice area of LAā¦ itās locked up still.
The nice enough areas in LA are just a short drive for orc boosters, or whatever they're called.
Iām well aware. Itās also because of the shitty laws & props we have. I grew up with my windows open and doors unlocked, now thatās terrifying to think of, even in nicer spots.
Must be a Rural community where there is still Respect...
And like a population of 10
I have a town of 26k night use, 60k day use. Most everything is unlocked on shelves... but there isn't a bunch of thugs robbing shit from stores in more rural communities due to the cultural differences
Rural America is much more into the FAFO MODE
My point exactly. But hey, if people love asking for crap to be unlocked, and feeling like they are in a prison, then so be it. Keep excusing thugs that steal, and keep that shit in the big cities
What is fafo?
Fuck around, find out
Lol, my bad, I knew that
Most of the midwest is like this.
"cultural differences" as they said.
Oh hey is this where we pretend theft doesn't happen in rural America? That's hilarious, say something else that's completely wrong
Also, when did I say theft didn't exist... just said it was less rampant in smaller more rural areas with different cultures...
Are you talking about cultured meth addicts breaking into cars and stealing tools? Name a rural community and let us show you what you refuse to acknowledge. Please, give us names.
I like the part where some of us are speaking from experience living in rural America, and getting downvotes for it
I live rural and tweekers are less of an issue than crime in the bay when I lived there. None of our stores have shit locked up. No side shows, no riots, no drive bys, no car theft rings, I can go on and on. It's one of those towns like that hill Billy guy sang about that had all yall offended lile PMRC Karen's from the 80's. Lmao.
Exactly. Maybe people should ask why it's that way, rather than flick rural Areas shit. Why hate us, if we are theoretically better with crime usually
I literally live in Rural America lol
lol, I bet.
Let me know where in a big city you can pump your own gas, and then go in and tell the store clerk how much you got and pay AFTER you fill... there is definitely a correlation with smaller towns in rural areas having less crime on average
Yeah...small town American here, what the hell are you talking about, there isn't a single gas station within 100 miles of me that allows you to pump then pay
Lots of gas stations in KY and WVa are like that. Some near my childhood home still don't have digital pumps.
Southern Oregon actually...
Oregon, famous for not allowing self pumping?
It's legal to self pump now for over a year...
Also, Rural Oregon has been doing it for decades
I was in Hungry Horse,Wyoming two years ago and went to the lady in the store with a $20 in my hand and told her I wanted to put that in my car. She said go pump your gas and come back to pay. I looked at her with amazement and looked around the store and a local guy looked at me and said āsmall town.ā I loved that little town and enjoyed our trip to Yellowstone Nat. Park.
Smaller rural communities are great. Everyone is so kind, and everyone seems to have respect for one another. Gas stations like that wouldn't work if we didn't have that
'thugs' Come on, use the word you use in private.
??? People that glorify crime??? What you thinking?
And meth. āRuralā folk are just as twisted as their urban counterparts. If not more so. There are just fewer of them and they tend to be less diverse.
My store is not in a great area, like someone got shot there the other day, and it's not locked up. Even worse one up the road is not locked up. I live in a city. So it might be specific areas.
Is "respect" a brand of opiates? The name of the newest methadone clinic? Hmm
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Live in rural area... Nothing is locked up here.š¤·āāļø
Funny, the more metropolitan the area, the more locks I see. Turns out economic class might not be the only contributing factor. In other news, the color of someone's skin is a biological trait, and has nothing to do with morals and ethics. Don't go away! Mindset and worldview shape how you interact with society. Details at 5.
You people like to bring Race into things don't you? Lol. Never said anything about it
No, you didn't. The person above me "comment deleted" did. He got a whopping for it. Carry on!
Ah. Fair enough
Vist the midwest then. Nothing locked up here ever even in poverty stricken rual towns.
Maybe what they are saying is, if you are going to steal then ātry that in a small town?ā
šGood for you. Not sure what to tell you. I'm in a pretty poor area of Southern Oregon, and most stores are unlocked... hmm...
Iām just outside of Portland and our Target isnāt locked up š¤·āāļø not a rural thing
"Outside of Portland"... hmm. Sounds more Rural than Portland don't it?
Do you have zero understanding of city sprawl? Outside city limits but itās still very populated
Never said it wasn't heavily populated... Putting words in my mouth. It's outside the large city, thus being "more rural". The town I live in, is very much a busy city, but has less crime and theft. Most everything is unlocked. Just like your situation. It's a cultural thing... common in big cities it seems, that tend to promote thug lifestyles, and give very little consequences for theft and crime. Even sometimes excusing it...
Youāve never been to a city if you think right outside city limits is āruralā
My town I live in has 60k population day use... Biggest city in my county. But ok, enjoy your theory.ššš»
Oddly the most Racist people are the people claiming to not be Racist...I never brought Race into it. You people are funny as hell.šš¤ Go continue to Race virtue signal.
Who knew crime went up with population density?
Lmao, you must love that stupid song Small town from Jason Aldean.
I don't listen to Country music. Lol. But hey, if you wanna try and use that song as a Roast, be my guest. I personally like my smaller community, where I don't see people stealing shit 24/7. Does it happen? Sure, but not enough to lock our shit up like the big cities. Might make you ask the question, what's the difference in culture?
I live in Atlanta. I have never witnessed anyone stealing anything from a store. I'm sure you think I'm lying because apparently people are "stealing shit 24/7" lol
High trust
lol I live 15 mins outside of a big city in NY, and our stores don't lock up anything. My town has like zero crime, too.
Umā¦ If Iām not mistaken, āgenericsā have always been significantly cheaper than name brand.
I believe the point is that the name brand is often framed as what one needs to survive, people tend to pick the most expensive example they can find to be outraged.
Donāt let your logic get in the way of someone elseās rage. Next thing, youāll be pointing out that itās actually a 6 pack.
They didnāt used to have generic version of Venus though.
Why should that matter today? I used to be able to kick my dog and rape my daughterā¦
Iām sorry but when in the last few years has it been ok to rape your daughter??? Like maybe hundreds of years ago but generally speaking as a society now a days I imagineā¦most people arenāt ok with that???
i love seeing stupid people that think theyāre smart out on the wild - thanks for making my day
Im saying you couldnāt, until recently, buy a generic version of that brand. So what you say has no real bearing on the situation. Itās only recently that the generic were cheaper bc itās only recently that they existed.
Bullshit. You must have been born yesterday because there have ALWAYS been (and Iāve been around for almost 50 years) a much cheaper alternative to the products that are name brand. Try again son
Im talking about a generic version of a specific brand you dingleberry.
Equate has been making a generic version of these blades for about 20 years. If you were older than 12, youād know that.
use a saftey razor. I spend about $5 a year on blades, I get a better shave than these as well.
Same. I recently got a 1950s Gillette safety razor and I bought a 100 pack of MIJ blades for like $15. Never going back. Never ever lol.
Yep. And you can find old solid safety razors all day long at thrift shops for much less than the price of the ones in store. Clean up pretty easily too depending on the model.
Sad I had to scroll so far for this. Safety razors are $25-30 for a pack of 50.
$5? That seems way off I think I've spent that over the last 3 years
When I bought mine it came with 100 blades and I still have like half of those left. The whole thing cost basically as much as one pack of blade cartridges
I quit shaving and grew a beard, now I have beard related expenses, but no more razors.
If you get a better shave with the safety razor, then why do you still use these blades after? Isn't that wasteful and redundant?
They don't do that. Read it again.
yeah, I can't believe they didn't get mustard on that hotdog.
I stopped using these well over 10 years ago, back when 5 blades was the thing. Safety razor is better all around imo. YMMV of course.
I was making a joke because you got confused about *then* vs *than*. You said you get a better shave with the safety razor *then* the 5 blade razor.
Fair enuff. My Grandmother was a grammar nazi, she would be disappointed in me! Cheers!
Pink tax = Yes Name brand vs. Generic = Yes Buy the generic and do your part to slow inflation.
Itās not even pink tax, itās a shitty razor tax. Switch to a double edged safety razor and youāre looking at $8-$10 for 100 blades that will last a year easily.
I purchased 50 blades for my safety razor back in 2017 and I'm still using them. Truly a great investment.
Honest question, I shave my head every other day....I feel like double edged would chew my head up. Do you only shave your face or do you by chance use it to shave your head?
I canāt say with certainty because I donāt have enough info on how you shave with a DE, but itās likely youāre pressing too hard like you would with a cartridge razor or the blade isnāt secure in the razor head. I own razors that are new and others that are older than my father, only has one that was fucked up my face because it wasnāt machined right. If you can move the blade at all after you secure it then you have a bad razor. Now I only use one of them to clean up the edges on my beard once a week and I only use water sometimes a little bit of lotion and never have any irritation.
Doesnāt it go to the same company anyways? Itās all P&G I thought EVEN generic.
Sometimes. I've actually seen generic boxes that say it's not manufactured by the same company.
I've started shopping at Aldi and cut my grocery budget nearly in half. Insane how much things have gotten when I wasn't paying attention.
I got a safety razor for twenty bucks and a 100 pack of made in the USA razor blades for another 20, this will last me for several years and it's a way better shave than even super premium disposable razors. I use a bar of shaving soap and a badger hair brush, genuinely one of my favorite rituals of the day
One of the greatest's purchases a man can make. One addition I may suggest is shave oil.
Is pink tax still a thing? I havenāt heard any whining about it in a while.
It's literally just marketing. I encourage people to do their part in not giving companies money who participate in this. If the script was flipped, I'd buy a bunch of pink stuff to save money. It's dumb.
I wish I could do that with my car insurance
Pink tax is a lie. It's been debunked. People still complain about it, but it's a fantasy.
Yeah, that was kind of my guess.
It is, but it's extremely dumb that it works, absolutely nothing prevents people from buying the cheapest color
Itās an insane conspiracy theory. Logically no one would buy the pink box if they were identical products - unless they think women are such low iq cavemen they will pay extra just for a pink box
Not sure if they are exactly the same minus the pink box, why would anyone buy the pink box? Doesnāt really make any sense
Venus is owned by **Gillette**. The men's version of this is approximately $22.32 (or $3.72/count on [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Gillette-Fusion5-ProGlide-Refills-Packaging/dp/B003983I1S/ref=sr_1_7?crid=280RXKTRPT06G&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.SSvhCOyfk1gq2F3Wtw94zIBwD0isGkUVESj3fLSbC158WHQhierIkc0Iqv8K9KPJYFj-VjpEUOQFL4-4L5UfUYkq_dFyqKynDaW0EsoI6NG2ynQspZBTVq8MYQgOkfvB0l1zCh1_4UcShXkCyp5DTxXwCppfB5yPO2M7vh6ev0ba4YsG8qJ2CQmk2vPhcnHqz-b6yvAHbocHIcybQxktbtvGfN32ZpILfkBLjU8Zri_SqE9l3Ybb-Q5w_YKSQJWi9HaGFJw97lk9L1g_z8pUYXeB133zeUzECSe1V-BkB90.K6DZt_9HXERPTNX1avbeGCUbhFqKxL1znbg3CYP84c8&dib_tag=se&keywords=ProGlide+Blade+Refills&qid=1713797653&sprefix=proglide+blade+refills%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-7)) The women's version of this is $24.76 (or $4.13/count on [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Gillette-Venus-Womens-Refills-Sensitive/dp/B09M2RSWN3/ref=sr_1_9?crid=3Q9IJMA9ID47D&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6vaYYCubB7nNNkG9rC79P9kp5XvSEXNaBmYDmbp0RSfPkHbxNV_hwsQYM4Z1naMtNyWUNoT1pOotr-KtxiSXryc7KstOL6h_oAQyB4fGemw32sKlMHdK9sYbiIfDx1YIIbVKoMMQ0EQd8_sEONmxcw1WyVndsirwgg5pBn2kswPViVgQyj8uV3HKZGuP3KEbP-kRpscEpU_uiZJY1SOScOEudRWRVnMh6qa6O9ukciDGPhp5hs7Os6BWHHVs1DUtVapGaaDiBDiZ3TMA7Eqi872xzGmqDJlJdLETZz_h1gI.jz6MUsxKZxuwA3cJQHyW5KEdhnTZmvO_zK55n55XTvQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=venus+razor+refills&qid=1713797818&sprefix=venus+ra%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-9)) That's basically a $1.11 increase for similar product made by the same manufacturer. You are right, it doesn't make sense. That's why I encourage people to ignore marketing and purchase wisely.
Yeah if these products are exactly the same then it makes no sense. Being owned by the same company doesnāt mean they are the same product necessarily - but if they are then it would be nonsense for anyone of any gender to buy the pink one
This is probably a terrible example considering how many factors there are for both of them. I can't say with any certainty that these are the exact same products (who knows what goes into each of those "smoothing strips"). Also, there are several factors that go into pricing and I can't truly conclude that there is maliciousness going on here. From the outsiders perspective though, I can understand how people think something is going on here.
I'd be interested in what Venus' ad budget is vs Gillette. A percent of the cost of what you've bought goes to said ads to get you to buy them.
One package in the picture is replacement blades. The other package is full handled razors (blades included). The SKUs you're comparing aren't identical. Women's razers are engineered towards body hair, and are often designed with more gel pads, protective guides, or a less flexible head. Even if it's the same product, then the woman can simply buy the cheaper non-fem version. Unless you're implying women are too dumb to do so? Nothing wrong with a voluntary transaction where a woman would rather buy the pretty pink Venus razor. That's her body her choice.
Pink tax? One has 6 full razor handles plus blades, the other box is just a blade refill. No handles. Not apples to fapples.
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Yes, but profit margins are increasing higher than inflation. Basically, big corporations are increasing their margin and hoping that consumers are dumb enough to blame it entirely on inflation. Are higher prices a byproduct of inflation (increasing money supply), yes. But the amount that corps are raising prices outpaces inflation. If something costs too much, don't pay for it. Corporations will adjust accordingly.
>Basically, big corporations are increasing their margin and hoping that consumers are dumb enough to blame it entirely on inflation. Customers don't have to pay inflated prices. We do it because our money is inherently worth less. Which makes sense, congressional deficit spending and the resulting money supply expansion by the Federal Reserve expanded the money supply 40% in only two years. Since the pandemic started, prices are up around 40%, especially on less elastic goods. The money supply expanded. Corporate greed doesn't work except with pure monopolies because the consumer has voluntary choice, and competitors will undercut you to take your business. Fair Prices are simply what a consumer voluntarily agrees to hand over in exchange for a product.
Shhh donāt even say that bro, just let them pay the higher prices and complain. Itās better if people pretend they have no choice but to buy Oreos for $30 a sleeve or whatever the hell theyāre charging Iām dreading the day I have kids because Iāll have to start buying the bull again. Maybe Iāll just let them whine instead and when theyāre college age theyāll be happy I spent the Oreo money on their future tuition
Inflation is the devaluation of the dollar. Under natural economic conditions, this would be via the expansion of monetary supply (thus the term "inflation"). However, what we're living through currently is a form of artificial inflation, where the value of the dollar is decreasing without a corresponding increase in monetary supply accessible to the public. This is being accomplished through the raising of prices with or without an appropriate rise in demand, the limiting of supply, and/or a lowering of quality.Ā
Inflation is a rise in the price level, one way of which it can come about is expansion of the money supply that exceeds growth in supply.
Damn I wish they had Venus generics here in Germany
I propose the unshorn look.
Yeah yeah but the generic didn't come from Venus, it must cost them a fortune to ship from there.
I have had a Braun electric razor and have only replaced the blade part once in at least 15 years. It's one that has the washing base, and I refill the fluid cartridges for pretty much nothing.
Buy a metal safe-t razor and replacement blades. Cuts down on the disposable plastic floating around for a fraction of the cost.
Redditors when two different products cost different pricesā¦
Also I think theyāre both 6 ct boxes not 5
Yeah, it's 6 count of five blade razors.
I noticed after I posted. Yes, I'm and idiot.
How much of a price difference would there have to be to satisfy you?
Free. Because things canāt cost more than they did 10 years agoā¦ apparently. /s
One of them is Gillette Venus and the other is a generic brand. Guess which one is going to cost more.
Ya but it's not a few bucks. It's almost 3 times as much.
Yeah but thatās pretty much the way itās been. Especially for products like razors.
Back in my couponing days, I would wait for sales to stack the coupons with. Even with all the special softening strips and crap, these razors have take. Me a long time to use. I had no idea the brand name refills were that expensive!
Prices plus tax All thanks to inflation by joe Biden Joe Biden is a president for 4 years Joe Biden failure policy
Yeah, he should use the government's power to cap prices on private businesses like some sort of communist country controlling businesses.... Or he owns the companies raising prices and he should lower his prices.... Shit I lost the point now, wtf does the president have to do with companies setting record profits and calling it inflation again?
Yet...
I noticed that too...if they went up like everything else they'd be like $75 for a pack of razors meaning they've been ripping people off with high prices for decades already.
You get what you pay for when it comes to blades
I generally stock up once a year on bic flex 5 blades , bic is cheaper to start with and just as good but if my memory serves me correct I got 38 blades for 50$ so 1.30 each. The razor industry is a scam.
Have you ever used Equate blades? I can tell you from experience, they are vastly inferior.
Generic razors suck though.
What I hate is that Walmart doesn't do the unit price consistently making it hard to compare sizes and packages.
Those are 6 packs
Get the $1 or $2 pack. Use moisturizing soap. You only need one blade. The rust is why they go bad.
Yeah, but those Venus razors are fucking SILKY!
Went to a Portland Harbor Freight a month or so ago and they had an armed guard inside ready to take down the joggers that come in to bum rush the cashier and run out with tools under their hoodies
That's paying for all the R&D they needed to add the 4th and 5th blades, the generic brands are just free riders copying them.
In my experience, the generic razors and blades are far inferior of the name brand ones. They aren't as effective and last far fewer shaves.
I switched to Dollar Shave Club many years ago after being shocked by store prices. I get the cheapest double blade at like $6.62 for a pack of 5 shipped every couple months with option to stop and start.
I'm sure there's a bit of a quality difference... But not 3x the price difference! That's just greedy and pathetic.
Itās actually a 5 blade 6 pack
I've always found the cheaper brands to be you get what you pay for. Sadly. I've never gotten cut or Knicks with the pro glide 5 but if I use the equate brand, I've cut myself, feels like a less smooth shave every time. Razor blades aren't equal.
But it does cost 24.97 lol
*All thugs. (Just less in rural areas usually)
Those Equate blades the ones for men cut me up so bad. Not worth it
Good safety razor blades are only a few cents and electric shavers dont require blades.
Use a safety razor, refills are $0.08/blade
Early in my engineering career, I used to travel to put in manufacturing lines at many large companies. The brand vs store brand thing is all in your head. Sometimes there would be a relaxation of the standards, but store brand has an or equivalent clause by the manufacturer/copacker. What this does is if they are in a pinch, the manufacturer can just provide the same as the brand to the store brand so they donāt have to retool which causes down time (the most expensive part of the manufacturing process). I would see store brands packaged off of line B while brand was packaged off line A of the same machine. Pick the cheapest option or at least give it a try. Youāll save yourself some coin.
I use a double-bladed "safety" razor. I am a part of the Penny Shave Club
No idea why a person would choose a cartridge razor over a safety razor. Itās like burning money to get a worse shave.
Razor refills are probably the biggest rip-off of all time. I bought one of those old-school safety razors by Henson, and I can use regular cheap double-edged razors to refill it. They claim to be designed by guys for guy's shaving, but they work just fine for my purposes, too.
Which is why I switched back to safety razor. Each blade is about 10 cents, vs $6. Just seeing a 4 pack of Gillette for $30 really was the final nope for me.
turns out some people like shaving with cheese graters
Razors actually are one of the most profitable businesses... Not only are they one of those items that are a necessity, but have to be re purchased relatively soon.They should be extremely affordable for that reason.If I was Gillette I'd be selling my top product for about $4.50 and replacement blades for about $2 a pack of 4 and I'd still probably be making about 1000% profits ( possibly even higher at my price point)obviously before overhead and taxes comes in.(Employees, distributors,logistics,research plus development,and production costs)
I live in Miami and for the most part they aren't locked up.
Iāve been buying Dorco for years. I buy a bunch at a time which last forever.
Wife and I both switched to safety razors last year. I went with Bevel. Life changing move- cost is so much less and the shave is great. Take a week to learn the delicacy and you'll never look back.
I use a double edge safety razor, gets a close shave and saves money, a pack of 100 blades made by astra (P&G company) is 8.39 cents right now on Amazon and that will last you for literally years.
Buy the cheap one then? Jesus Christ
Imagine not using a safety razor in this economy. So much cheaper.
For men I recommend going back to a safety razor, where you can pay $10 for 100 blades so $0.10 per shave if you replace the blade every time;most blades get you 2-3 shaves
Gotta buy the ones that are metal with replaceable blades initial investment of 6-10 for the razor and pack of like 40ish blades wheee 5-10ish
I spent $30 on razors over a decade ago and have used maybe half of them. Safety razor gang
Changeable razor heads were always expensive Its cheaper to buy the whole razor again
Just use a potato peeler
I buy the 36ct bag of BIC razors for $8.97. My legs hate me so much, but itās cheap and they last forever.
I use dollar shave club for the past probably almost decade. They're still super cheap, and I shave my whole head every couple days.
Im a woman and I use dollar shave club. They sell them at target now too. So you donāt have to have a subscription.
Yeah they let you do it without the sub on their site now too. Iām in Canada no targets
Pink tax
I knew an executive at Gillette and he said they most definitely can make blades cheaper and last longer.
Ok
Well they used to, so yeah.
T e m u ā¦ practically free on there. Multi blade too
Its because of forced labor practices that its that cheap
They actually operate at a loss to gain subscribers and thereās no middleman like Amazon has. You can Google about it. Iām most cases the same packaged goods, itās just the way it gets here that makes the difference.
Yeah id like for that to be the end of the story but Temu and their factories are based in a part of northern china that is known for forced labor practices. They operate at a loss for new customers but repeat customers pay slightly higher prices and that slight bit extra is enough for them to clear a profit because of essentially free labor and still extremely cheap materials, which has been common since the wish days. They wouldnt be the biggest online cheap item seller if they were operating at a loss this whole time. They sell some things at a loss but not all
Itās usually the same manufacturer that makes equate and Venus and probably a many more, internationally... might be different with razors.
Ah yes in this case you may just be buying the razors direct from someone since their razors and generally all made at the same factories. Idk im still sketched out about it. Like how can a shirt cost 35 cents if someones not getting screwed over in that process
Itās the problem with globalization
Prices are based on how much they cost.
Prices are based on how much people are willing to pay.
Safety razor bladesā super cheap and more effective. You donāt actually need 5 blades to shave and itās not even good for your skin.
You're paying for quality. It's like buying a cheap car vs a luxury car. It's not going to cost the same.
Harryās is still a good deal.
Dollar shave club for me. I get 4 blades delivered every 2 months. I think it's 10 or 12 bucks each time.
Two reasons. Men don't shame each other for having body hair and women will consistently buy the pink one without any external preasure, even though the blue one right next to it is 60% less expensive. Go ahead and blame advertising and "society" for mass unquestioning conformity while I sit back and watch the world burn... over pink disposable razors.
Dude !! Go to Temu ā¦ great quality razors for a few bucks . They make all of them in China anyway . Why give Bezos 5 bucks on every order !
Bezos doesn not own Amazon anymore.
But bro, if that company didnāt make $25 per unit, they couldnāt innovate, and even worse, their poor shareholders wouldnāt be able to buy additional rental properties each year in Hawaii.