P&G anti-American DE shaving bias!

[InfernoOrangeSS]

Why is P&G so pig-headed when it comes to American DE shaving. It's bad enough that their best blades are made and sold only overseas! Today, I find out that they make a Gillette shave cream in a tube, but it's only sold elsewhere. This really upsets me. I know it's a business decision and this market is all disposable, easy to use junk. They could at least offer these items to us in an online type store.
I know most all of it is already available online at various outlets. It just seems ignorant that the company that started here, only markets its best niche shave items overseas, (where I'm sure financial reasons make DE shaving more attractive to those consumers.)
I just needed to rant, I guess.

 

[BallisticBurrito]

Why is P&G so pig-headed when it comes to American DE shaving. It's bad enough that their best blades are made and sold only overseas! Today, I find out that they make a Gillette shave cream in a tube, but it's only sold elsewhere. This really upsets me. I know it's a business decision and this market is all disposable, easy to use junk. They could at least offer these items to us in an online type store.
I know most all of it is already available online at various outlets. It just seems ignorant that the company that started here, only markets its best niche shave items overseas, (where I'm sure financial reasons make DE shaving more attractive to those consumers.)
I just needed to rant, I guess.

Because the crap they sell here has higher profit margins.

From what I hear they do own Art of Shaving..which is also hilariously overpriced. A lot of american companies sell the best stuff overseas..look what the Big Three (mainly Ford and GM) offer overseas compared to here.

 

[redrako]

For many years Gillette made it's profit by selling disposable DE blades. They would sell the razors at a minimal price, knowing that you would buy disposable blades. As years and patents passed, Gillette was faced with lower cost alternatives to their profit making blades and developed a strategy of marketing 'shaving systems' and disposable razors that they could essentially always keep patent protected.

Fortunately for us, traditional shaving is still fairly popular in other parts of the world where the average guy cannot approach the costs of purchasing the mark up on a Fusion or Mach 3. However Gillette, or more accurately it's parent company, Prcocter & Gamble have bought up many of the European blade manufacturers and consolidated their manufacture in one plant in St. Petersburg. So far they have maintained production, but it's scary that they have a choke hold on so many fine brands, especially when they have demonstrated that their goal is to pull their customers up to using more expensive, cheaper quality shave systems and canned goo.

 

[americanarmsdealer]

Yeah, but at least we still have Lord blades!

 

[slickster514]

Yeah, but at least we still have Lord blades!

Feather blades too! Long live Japan

 

[raposo III]

in Brasil this blades are more large,but cut so much.are blue labels. $1 dollar for 3 blades.
i prefer merkur blade. i love germany products.

 

[blzrfn]

I'm sure it is based solely on demand. My guess is that only a fraction of a percentage of Americans buy wet shaving products versus other markets where the majority of men use a good old brush and soap/cream. It makes no sense to provide a product that will sit on shelves collecting dust when there is no problem selling a different product that has to be restocked regularly even if the slow moving product has a similar profit margin. I would be very interested to see what the sales statistics are for stores that offer both traditional and new age products for sale. How many packages of Wilkinson double-edge blades do you think Wal-Mart sells versus a standard cartridge refill?

 

[TallyShave]

These threads always crack me up. 99% of men and women in the US use catridges and canned creams. That is why they sell those items here. That is the reality we live in. People in other countries use creams from a tube. Where would you choose to sell your tube cream (which isn't made here anyway)?

Besides, the only people who would buy the tube cream in the US are the folks around places like this...and given the irrational hatred for all things P&G around here, most people wouldn't buy it anyway.

 

[maxman]

I agree with the others. Not anti-american bias as much as pro-money.

 

[mmack66]

Gillette/P&G has been out of the DE razor/blade business in the USA for nearly 30 years, and a lot of people these days never even knew it existed.

I'm just thankful they make the Black and the Blue Super Platinum blades.

 

[Nosduj]

they make a Gillette shave cream in a tube, but it's only sold elsewhere.

I have a tube, would you like a sample?? lol Landri gave it to me in a pif when the never-ending pif thread was still up. Its very similar to proraso and co bigelow, lots of menthol

 

[Shave_Rat]

I find it amusing P&G play both sides of the fence, with the AoS stores. Yeah, most/much of their stuff is overpriced, but they have a few things I like in a reasonable price range. I'm fond of the AoS shave oil, for example.

 

[Deltaboy]

I understand by brother being upset. A online store would make them even more money.

 

[Doc4]

However Gillette, or more accurately it's parent company, Prcocter & Gamble have bought up many of the European blade manufacturers and consolidated their manufacture in one plant in St. Petersburg. So far they have maintained production, but it's scary that they have a choke hold on so many fine brands, especially when they have demonstrated that their goal is to pull their customers up to using more expensive, cheaper quality shave systems and canned goo.

I have my straights, hones and strops. Proctor and Gamble can't reach me.

to you, P&G

 

[InfernoOrangeSS]

I don't know why this got moved to deals, as it was about how hard it is to find the Gillette shave cream. But, no matter...wherever the admins wish it to be is fine with me.

I am sure it is not a bias against the US shave market, but because they sell so much of the lazy foam/goo cans and plastic razors. Same with the DE blades. I know it is an economic thing. My rant, which was poorly written as I had been up very late taking care of my wife, was meant to convey that P&G/Gillette seem determined to end DE shaving. As mentioned, they have acquired a lot of the razor blade manufacturers. I just realized today that Gillette has, (or is about to), stop selling their shave cream in a tube. I didn't even know it existed until I saw a picture of a tube being offered in a combo sale on B/S/T.
Anyways, my rant was not so much meant to be an anti-P&G as being upset at the dwindling of the DE market. Will there come a time when it is just too hard to find supplies, or those available are priced so high, the average man can't try it?
(Once again, I realize this rant is all over the place. I should get more sleep. Thanks for listening.)

 

[Slash McCoy]

Why is P&G so pig-headed when it comes to American DE shaving. It's bad enough that their best blades are made and sold only overseas! Today, I find out that they make a Gillette shave cream in a tube, but it's only sold elsewhere. This really upsets me. I know it's a business decision and this market is all disposable, easy to use junk. They could at least offer these items to us in an online type store.
I know most all of it is already available online at various outlets. It just seems ignorant that the company that started here, only markets its best niche shave items overseas, (where I'm sure financial reasons make DE shaving more attractive to those consumers.)
I just needed to rant, I guess.

The corporate business model is strictly profit oriented. Profit tomorrow is important. Profit today even more important. Customer satisfaction is only worth consideration as a factor in making profit, and is easily manipulated through advertising. People believe ANYTHING they see on TV and greedy corporations take full advantage of it.

YOU: "I get terrible shaves from multiblades!"
P&G: "No, that's not true at all. Our modern shaving system is ADVANCED, with SPACE AGE ENGINEERING, and is obviously SUPERIOR to any previous system!"
YOU: "Uh, yeah! Okay! Thanks for the free handle and the $1-off coupon for cartridges! Loved your superbowl commercial, by the way!"
<cue evil laughter from board of directors>

Basically, they don't give a rat's behind for you or how cost-effective or even how effective their product is. They just want to SELL it and by hook or by crook, keep you coming back for more. If they could get a law passed requiring you to buy a pack of cartridges every week or go to prison, they would cheerfully do so. Frankly I am surprised that they haven't made the importation of foreign DE blades illegal. You are unimportant. If a CEO had a tender heart for his corporation's victims (consumers, that is) he would instantly be fired and possibly even sued for mismanagement. The corporate model is inherently evil and that's all there is to it and there is no room for empathy with the public or a kind heart. The reason they won't sell DE blades here is because they make more money if they do NOT sell them in the U.S.. The reason they sell DE blades in Russia or the Middle East is because they make more money if they DO sell them there. They don't care about your shave or your face or whether you like their product or not. They spend a substantial amount of money MAKING you like it. It is more profitable to simply convince you that the product is better, than to actually make a better product. And if you are one of those fringe kooks who doesn't play nice, not a big deal. The tiny minority of whacko luddite looneytunes who can't be reached is already factored into the equation and they can safely ignore you, which is what they are doing, which is why you can't buy Gillette Spoilers any more.

If they really cared about giving you a great shave, they would sell inexpensive straights, soap or cream, strops, and straight shaving instruction DVDs. King C. Gillette didn't invent the disposable blade DE razor out of love for mankind... even then, it was all about profit, and P&G is far more bloodthirsty than any one man could ever be. The only reason they don't HATE you is because you are not important enough to hate. You are simply a tiny little part of the collective cash cow they are milking and bilking.

Bottom line: don't think for a second that there is any room for altruism in big business. The idea is absolutely absurd.

 

[InfernoOrangeSS]

Too true!

 

[Bubblehead]

P&G's anti-American bias is commensurate with B&B's anti-corporate bias.

 

[Timo]

We had an exchange student from Germany stay with us for a year. He told us it is the opinion over there that Americans are too lazy and in too much of a rush to use shaving brushes, etc. that is why these items are rarely sold in supermarkets and so fourth. They send me shave cream in tubes every year for Christmas......I love it. He also taught my teenagers some "interesting" German words!

 

[mmack66]

We had an exchange student from Germany stay with us for a year. He told us it is the opinion over there that Americans are too lazy and in too much of a rush to use shaving brushes, etc. that is why these items are rarely sold in supermarkets and so fourth. They send me shave cream in tubes every year for Christmas......I love it. He also taught my teenagers some "interesting" German words!

Too lazy and in too much of a rush? Well, which one is it?

Canned shaving cream has been around for 60+ years, and most people shaving today likely have no idea that people used to create their own lather with soap/cream and a brush.