My wife bought me the wrong razor-blades. Easy mistake to make. They're sold in sealed packages that ensure you can't see whether the fitting on the back matches the razor. And you don't know you've bought the wrong one until you've ripped it open and can't return it. So then I went to the shop and, after spending five minutes going through the options, bought what appeared to be the right one. Took it home, ripped it open, only to find I'd also bought the wrong one. Now I have more than £10-worth of useless blades. Never mind. I'll go and by a razor that fits the blades. I set off for the shop again and stood there puzzling over the options. The male chemist offered to help. I explained that I wanted a Sensor razor to use my Sensor blades with. He explained that they didn't make the razors any longer but they still sold the blades. So I had to buy a completely new razor which came with one blade to go with my ten useless blades. Some people waste their time hating the banks or the arms industry. One day a piece of technology will come alone that will supplant the monopoly of the shaving companies and destroy their businesses. I shall be cackling the loudest.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Swindled by the shaving industry once again
My wife bought me the wrong razor-blades. Easy mistake to make. They're sold in sealed packages that ensure you can't see whether the fitting on the back matches the razor. And you don't know you've bought the wrong one until you've ripped it open and can't return it. So then I went to the shop and, after spending five minutes going through the options, bought what appeared to be the right one. Took it home, ripped it open, only to find I'd also bought the wrong one. Now I have more than £10-worth of useless blades. Never mind. I'll go and by a razor that fits the blades. I set off for the shop again and stood there puzzling over the options. The male chemist offered to help. I explained that I wanted a Sensor razor to use my Sensor blades with. He explained that they didn't make the razors any longer but they still sold the blades. So I had to buy a completely new razor which came with one blade to go with my ten useless blades. Some people waste their time hating the banks or the arms industry. One day a piece of technology will come alone that will supplant the monopoly of the shaving companies and destroy their businesses. I shall be cackling the loudest.
One day a piece of technology will come alone that will supplant the monopoly of the shaving companies
ReplyDeleteThere already is such a device. It's called a beard.
I've always thought the multi-blade razor business was such an obvious load of marketing toss. I still use a butterfly-hinged, single-blade razor and soap dish and badger brush of the type that my dad used. If it was good enough for him, etc...
ReplyDeleteI believe the cutting-edge (sorry) in razors is a 5-bladed, swivel action, electro-pulse piece of junk. Thing is, no matter how many blades it has, I still need a shave in the morning.
It would appear that you may have a saviour:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mankind.co.uk/RazorPit-Razor-Blade-Sharpener-PRODRPPS1/
One day a piece of technology will come alone that will supplant the monopoly of the shaving companies and destroy their businesses
ReplyDeletecan't come soon enough
I'm thinking of going the same route as billyous
DH: you have the solution on your post, I have picture on my cameraphone of "my" blades. Spoddy yes but it saves alot rage and waste. oh and multiblades are best!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Billyous:
ReplyDeleteSpecifically, a Merkur HD razor with Derby double-edged blades that cost a penny each, last a week, and deliver a closer shave. Blades bought a year's supply at a time.
Brush, cream and bowl and you're set.
Shaving becomes something to be enjoyed. Gillette can do one.
Congratulations, you have stumbled upon the business model so successful in its ability to extract money from suckers like us that it is celebrated in the business community as the razor-blade model. Mr King (!) Gillette realised a long time ago that selling very cheaply, or giving away, the apparent primary item which depended on the constant supply of a secondary perishable 'extra', guaranteed a secure and never-ending income. See also printers and ink cartridges, games consoles and games. A further twist to this concept, of course, is to engineer the original item so that it only accepts 'proprietary' supplies. And then keep 'improving' the item so that the supplies are also constantly changing.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Razor_and_blades_business_model
Looks like I'm not the only one who long ago switched to an old fashioned single blade razor (Merkur for me too) with a brush and soap. Not only is it cheaper and more pleasurable you get the satisfaction of sticking it to Gillette and their increasingly complex (and expensive) razors.
ReplyDeleteThis seems appropriate, note that this was written as satire before Gillette actually did bring out a five-blade razor:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33930
I simply buy up any Sensor blades I find. I shave about twice a week so I reckon I've stockpiled about 15 year's worth of razors in my bathroom cabinet
ReplyDeleteI've taken the step of acquiring a beard. She knows which razor blades to buy.
ReplyDeleteMy local barber does an "american shave" with open razor , face massage and hot towels, 16 quid.
ReplyDeleteThey do the same thing with electric toothbrush heads. I have several useless heads because of the bad labelling. It drives me mad.
ReplyDeleteIn the olden days, I purchased the wrong kind of replacement fax roll so many times, I cut the dimensions out off the packet and kept it in my wallet at all times. Still got it. (The piece of packet, not the fax machine.)
ReplyDelete