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I hate to [shave] a dead horse, but.art of shaving

So, a couple days ago, I visited Southpark Mall in Charlotte, NC. There is an Art of Shaving store there. My first time visiting that store so I gladly stopped in. As many of us agree, their products are a little overpriced. So, I did not go in there with the intention of buying anything. I just wanted to visit and browse. First off, the store was a lot smaller than I had hoped. Also, there seemed to be too many people working there for as small a shop it was. They were friendly: greeting me as I came in and asked several times if I have any questions, etc. They had a sale going on...20% off everything I think. They apparently had a disappointing holiday sales. I was hoping to see any DE, SE, or even straight razors but they don't had the cartridge razors with the nicer handles. Of course they also had their barber chair for shaves but I had already shaved that day so I wasn't going to spend any money on it.

All in all, I was disappointed but I perhaps should have picked up some shaving cream since it was 20% off...but I have enough software at home to last me for most, if not all, of 2014.
 
So you were disappointed that the staff was friendly and accommodating?

It seems to me that the store met your expectations.
My first time visiting that store so I gladly stopped in. As many of us agree, their products are a little overpriced. So, I did not go in there with the intention of buying anything. I just wanted to visit and browse.

...

Of course they also had their barber chair for shaves but I had already shaved that day so I wasn't going to spend any money on it.

All in all, I was disappointed but I perhaps should have picked up some shaving cream since it was 20% off...

At 20% off, I think their cream is quite worth the discounted price. I find it performs better than many other equivalently priced (at the 20% discount) creams.
 
So you were disappointed that the staff was friendly and accommodating?

It seems to me that the store met your expectations.

At 20% off, I think their cream is quite worth the discounted price. I find it performs better than many other equivalently priced (at the 20% discount) creams.

This morning I finished off a tub of their sandalwood cream which I purchased two years ago. Very nice, especially when superlathered with their old tallow-first soap. I would like to buy another tub, but that will have to wait until 2015. I have a tube of their lavender to hold me over.
 
I'm surprised P&G hasn't pushed AOS over here or in the EU yet, there are some upper-middle class malls here that AOS would fit. I think someone gave me a reason before, but can't remember where. I like the Sandalwood pre-shave oil I have from my starter kit but the rest was a bit underwhelming. I'm waiting for Ocean Kelp to be in stock so I can try that.
 

Toothpick

Needs milk and a bidet!
Staff member
I've had the pleasure of sampling some AOS creme, Ocean Kelp I think it was called. Really great IMO, worth the $25 price. Especially for how much you get. 20% off...you should go back :thumbup1:

Sounds like you were only disappointed because they didn't sell any DE's or SE's or straights. Being owned by P&G i'm not surprised.

Although it seems like I've read here that a few AOS stores actually carry DE's, Merkur I think they were.
 
"They apparently had a disappointing holiday sales."

What lead you to believe this? My local AOS store was, and has been hopping, and could have used another sales associate when I was there the other day. Sorry, but it sounds to me as if you don't hate to [shave] this dead horse. And at 20% off, their software is definitely worth it. You use less product per shave and get a richer (eg, true essential oils vs fragrance)experience.
 
I've had the pleasure of sampling some AOS creme, Ocean Kelp I think it was called. Really great IMO, worth the $25 price. Especially for how much you get. 20% off...you should go back :thumbup1:

Sounds like you were only disappointed because they didn't sell any DE's or SE's or straights. Being owned by P&G i'm not surprised.

Although it seems like I've read here that a few AOS stores actually carry DE's, Merkur I think they were.

The inventory of hardware seems to depend on the size of the store.

As for carrying (or not carrying) DE/SE/Straights, keep in mind AOS has always specialized in fancy cart handles---this was true well before being acquired by P&G. When I frequented the original store in NYC in the late 1990's, I don't even recall any DE razors. I know they had a few straights---and perhaps an injector or two. I'm not saying they didn't carry DE razors, but they clearly weren't the featured product. $100 Mach3 handles, on the other hand...
 
I've had mixed experiences with Art of Shaving.
The one in San Francisco near Union Square was well stocked up and the personnel was courteous and knowledgeable.
The one in Palo Alto did not have a single straight razors to sell and only one was on display (A nice Dovo, but was display only and not for sale). The personnel was very nice (a drop dead gorgeous young lady), but she did not seem to know much about shaving (she did not understand my question about the price of the strop they had on display).
Anyway, I find their soap to be really good and their aftershave cream is just the best I've ever had. Both are very pricey though.
 
Their straights are typical basic dovo and TIs just overpriced and the TIs have the AOS logo which was kinda disappointing to me.

If you make it north to DC all their stores have stock.
 
The AoS logo is gone from my TI. It just took a gentle scrub with 500 grit sandpaper. There might be a better way, but I discovered a oxidation spot when I was on a business trip and that was all I had on hand. It did the job on the bad spot and as an added benefit, it took the logo off.
 
So you were disappointed that the staff was friendly and accommodating?

It seems to me that the store met your expectations.

I didn't say I was disappointed that they were friendly and I'm a bit irritated that this is what you took from my post.
 
What would you prefer he took from your post?

That I was disappointed in the small size of the shop and in not finding razors other than the cartridge type.

Maybe it's me but I am sensing a lot of people being snarky in these comments here? I could just be taking it the wrong way, though.
 
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Sorry I irritated you. It just seems every week there's a new post or 4 expressing frustration with AoS. In almost all of these posts the poster acknowledges that AoS NOT a wetshaver's paradise (that would be WCS or Pasteur for me). Perhaps I took your post as wrong as you took mine.

The fact that the salespeople were friendly and engaging is a huge plus, since many reports of AoS personnel is the opposite.
 
I understand. I don't read or contribute to posts very often here and especially not to AOS posts. I hadn't ever tried their products or visited their store...until now. I was pleased with the friendliness of their staff and wish I hadn't shaved so I could get a shave. I know that their products are relatively expensive compared to what I can get elsewhere...but I'm a guy on a budget. Everything is expensive to me. I had just had higher hopes for the overall store experience. But what I saw was a little less than what I had hoped for. A lot fewer products for sale. I was expecitng row after row of software and hardware. But it's not what I found. That's why I was disappointed.
 
Yeah it seems some of the banter has been a bit on the defensive side:biggrin1:. The OP did not seem to be looking for controversy, just made some observations. Well, C'est la vie as they say.

Happy New Year to all!
 

luvmysuper

My elbows leak
Staff member
I understand. I don't read or contribute to posts very often here and especially not to AOS posts. I hadn't ever tried their products or visited their store...until now. I was pleased with the friendliness of their staff and wish I hadn't shaved so I could get a shave. I know that their products are relatively expensive compared to what I can get elsewhere...but I'm a guy on a budget. Everything is expensive to me. I had just had higher hopes for the overall store experience. But what I saw was a little less than what I had hoped for. A lot fewer products for sale. I was expecitng row after row of software and hardware. But it's not what I found. That's why I was disappointed.

The shops differ from location to location, some have more hardware than others.
I've not heard good things about their shaves, so you may have lucked out in not getting one.
They can be a bit pricey for their hardware, but the old Tallow version of their soap was absolutely top notch, and if you got just the refill with any of the frequent discounts they send out, the price was not bad at all.
The cream, as others have mentioned, seems high priced but you'll be amazed at how little it takes to get a great lather, so shave per shave, it's a pretty good bargain.
Some shops have people more knowledgeable than others, it's just luck of the draw.
I've found that in the ones where people are NOT knowledgeable, that they pretend to be (or honestly think they are when they are not), so take advice they give or statements they make with a grain of salt.
 
IMO, the problem with big chain stores trying to cater to wet shavers is that they are forced to inflate the prices of items we've all been buying cheaply online in order to pay their rent and their salesman. They also don't sell custom mades or restored vintage razors from craftsman - they only sell Dovos and TI's - probably factory sharpened as well. They're setting themselves up for disappointed customers. Add a few employees who are clueless about straight razors, and there you have it...
 
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