Interesting Art Of Shaving vist.

[Link1]

Good evening fine people at B&B,

So I took a trip to my locale AOS today and man was I Surprised. More excited, like one of the kids in the old Willy Wonka movies, at what I saw. Now I know price is a main concern around here as far as that store goes but check this out..... They had muhle, R89's in regular and grande, priced respectively at $64 and $69 bucks "what" I paid that much for my grande online. They also had merkur 34c, 38 barber pole, a skinny long handled merkur, the adjustable, the futur, and several other muhles. All priced competitively with online shops. Now when I asked the sales rep, why they are more expensive online and didn't even carry as much inventory, no good answer was given. But they had about 9 good des.

They also had merkur and Gillette super platinums priced OK, there creams are priced the same, and of course there brushes and stands are marked way up.... But hey that's business and have you seen these stores, they have "A Lot of overhead". Anyways my point is I want these products to stay around so that I can indulge in my hobby. Aos is locale and thats awesome, so show so love and if you get a chance support your locale AOS, it's really good for us long term... And I think they are seeing that they have to be competitive to compete. They want repeats instead of introducing people to wet shaving and than never seeing them again do to online sales. Any one in jax Paul at aos is very knowledgable and knows his stuff he has obviously researched his stuff and also uses a muhle r41.

Sorry for the grammar and punc, I am on my ipad mini and cramped.

 

[EloquentRune]

Thanks for the post. I will have to go see if my local TAoS store has broadened their product line. Last time I was in there, about 6 months ago, they only had Merkur DE razors. Also they only carried Merkur blades at $12 for 10.

 

[Link1]

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Pics of my collection, that bowl I found at bells for three dollars yesterday hit it with some 60, 100, and 150 sandpaper and it lathers like a charm.

 

[ButtermilkJones]

I might have to stop back by AoS before I leave Jacksonville for good. The one time I went in there was a pretty mediocre experience, so the next time I'm over that way I'll have to drop in and look around some more.

 

[plato]

I have had great interactions at AoS and one real bad one. I love their products and the fact that they sparked my initial interest into shaving with DEs and badger brush, make them invaluable to me.

 

[Mick]

closest one to me is around 150 miles away in a direction I never go.

 

[Arcadies]

I've never really had much use for AoS, just way overpriced for my taste, and more often than not, employees that couldn't find their bum with both hands and GPS.
Glad you enjoyed it though, at least they do infuse the hobby with fresh blood from time to time.

BTW you can get the Muhle R89/R41 Grande online from the UK for $48 shipping included, sure it takes 10-14 days to arrive but that is well worth saving 20 bucks...to me anyway, but I am patient.

 

[DJDeez]

Pics of my collection, that bowl I found at bells for three dollars yesterday hit it with some 60, 100, and 150 sandpaper and it lathers like a charm.

Beautiful collection! What are those blue containers on either side of the razor in the middle?

 

[sarimento1]

Beautiful collection! What are those blue containers on either side of the razor in the middle?

Maybe samples of Ocean Kelp, which is a new and very nice addition to their line.

 

[SpEe1113]

Same goes for the AOS store at the Boca Town Center Mall, outstanding selection and nice to be able to pick up each razor to get a feel for it before you buy. George at the Boca Raton store was fantastic when I was in there. Never pressured to buy, gave me a bunch of samples (and still does anytime I go back), and was full of good info. Actually, it was the sample of pre-shave oil that got me to go back and buy the whole thing! When I first stepped foot in the store I didn't want anything to do with pre-shave oil and now I wouldn't want to shave without it! Well played sir!

As for the brushes, they're priced high but the price goes down significantly if you purchase it as part of a set with the pre-shave oil, cream, and aftershave balm. I have the sandalwood and lemon varieties and love the both. Got my alum block from there too at a decent price.

You're spot on that there are more items in store than are sold online. Seems like the online store is more corporate and perhaps P&G has a stronger hold on that part of the business...I'll ask next time I stop by the one near me to see what they say.

 

[AABCDS]

Their shaving cream and soaps are top notch!

 

[Link1]

Beautiful collection! What are those blue containers on either side of the razor in the middle?

Spot on those are ocean kelp samples.

 

[Link1]

Prices being what they are, it is really nice to have a decent collection available to me right away I was very surprised. I found that I really enjoy the sandalwood and lemon varieties, they are my go to creams.

 

[Ducati Scotty]

Glad to hear they are carrying a better selection of DE razors and blades. The selection was limited at my local shop last time, I'll have to check again.

Scott

 

[KyMash]

I could only dream of a shop half as nice and with the selection they offer close to me. The only AOS products I have had experience with has been from Sephora which is a bit away and the choices there consisted of three kinds of shave cream and a travel kit for sale. Even though I really haven't used their products as much, I could appreciate them being closer.

 

[The Dean]

I have yet to go to the Jax store, but i will one of these days. I love the AOS stores--they are what get me started. Their software is worth every penny, IMO. I don't need to buy brushes or stands there. It is good to know you can get a razor there for retail (and not retail +).

BTW, did you check out the barber spa?

Thanks for the report, Link.

 

[Jeff_H]

BTW you can get the Muhle R89/R41 Grande online from the UK for $48 shipping included, sure it takes 10-14 days to arrive but that is well worth saving 20 bucks...to me anyway, but I am patient.

This. I bought my Muhle R89 Grande from shaving.ie when the screw post on my Merkur broke. With 2 day shipping it was still cheaper than the base price of $69 that I would have paid at other sites. I've also received top notch service from them.

Nice report on the AOS store. We have one of those at our high end mall here in SA. I didn't bother to go in last time I was there because I'd heard their selection was limited and I knew their product prices were high. I'll stop in for sure next time I'm over there.

 

[hawklet00]

the aos store in kc does not have a barber, and imo, i think they are a bit over priced. ill stick with wcs or one of the smaller retailers. i will say though that the sales people in the store here in kc were very nice, and knew what they were talking about.

 

[SpEe1113]

the aos store in kc does not have a barber, and imo, i think they are a bit over priced. ill stick with wcs or one of the smaller retailers. i will say though that the sales people in the store here in kc were very nice, and knew what they were talking about.

I wonder if that makes a difference, having a barber in the store or not? The one in Boca Raton does and the store is great. Maybe it's the ones without that have a more "controlled" selection?

 

[BigBuddha74]

I have yet to make it to the one that just opened up in Raleigh about a month ago. I have been reluctant too, based off of their online prices. Even hearing wonderful things about their creams/soaps etc, I couldn't justify paying over "retail" for something that can be had for much less online, especially the DE's. But, if they have a better selection than what is online, I may have to head that way this weekend and check it out!