|
Post by Optimus on Sept 19, 2018 19:00:04 GMT -5
I don't blame anyone for paying a lot for those types of products if they feel those products are worth it (they work better than cheaper products) and love the results. Hell, my hair styling junk costs $16 for a 3 ounce puck. The cheaper stuff, even if it's only cheaper by just a few bucks, is total garbage in comparison.
My beef is with the cosmetics companies who fleece women (and men, but not as much) with their ridiculously high prices.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2018 19:24:17 GMT -5
I agree with you there. There are a few things where I buy the men's stuff, simply because it's cheaper and there's no important difference. The best example is razors and shaving cream (for my legs, obviously). I don't need my razors to be pink and I don't care if my shaving cream is in a dude can. It's just ridiculous that the women's version of these products is more expensive and that women actually pay the premium -- honestly, I can't find any reason for it.
A lot of products geared for men, alas, smell too manly, and so I am debarred from buying them. (I don't care if the shaving cream smells manly -- I'm just going to wash it off, and I'm likely going to be following up with some lotion anyway).
If the product is just as suitable for a woman and smells "neutral," I'm happy to buy the guy stuff. But I am very fussy about my hair and skin (plus I have long hair, and so it's important not to use anything too harsh) so I will pay some premium for stuff that treats them kindly. Not $300 a jar, obviously, but I won't just grab a jug of generic body lotion and smear it on my face, or use an all-in-one product for hair and body unless I'm traveling (if I'm moving about with a backpack and it's just a couple of weeks, light weight takes priority over vanity -- I hate carrying shit, and I don't preen when I travel, as a rule).
|
|
|
Post by Optimus on Sept 19, 2018 19:50:51 GMT -5
The blades of razors are often the same, but the ways in which men's and women's razors are designed and manufactured actually are different which accounts for the increased cost (along with dumb gendered shit like scented handles). From what I've heard, though, women tend to say they get better shaves using men's blades. But...if men's razors give closer shaves (even at the expense of wearing out faster per surface area shaved), and the differences between men's vs women's razors don't offer some sort of life-changing advantage to women, then what's the point in even having different razors for men and women? Because women continue to pay for them, I suppose. I think it's a tad ridiculous that companies take advantage of the consumer base like that, but it's also a tad ridiculous that the consumers themselves continue to purchase the products at those prices. It's a feature of supply-and-demand capitalism, not a bug. It still kind of sucks, though.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2018 20:23:04 GMT -5
There are also some things where we just don't have much of a choice.
Dry cleaning -- women pay a TON more for dry cleaning. And it's not because of ruffles and lace and velvet. I will bring in a basic tailored wool suit and a plain white blouse that is essentially identical to a man's shirt and pay a ton more to get it cleaned than a man would pay for comparable stuff. Every place charges more for women's stuff, so my only other option is to just not buy dry-cleanable clothing. In fact, for my casual stuff, that IS what I do. And to the extent I can care for my clothes at home, I do. But there really is no other choice for suits, and sometimes I gotta wear a suit.
Another stupid thing is haircuts. Tons of places charge more for women than for men -- sometimes much more. Doesn't matter whether it's long hair or short hair. (And anyway, there's no reason long hair would be harder to cut. Might even be easier, if there aren't complicated layers.)
In recent years I've gone to a stylist who, while not high end in New York terms (you don't even want to know how much you can pay for a hair cut in New York), is a good couple of notches above SuperCuts (and yes, she is definitely better). But she also charges the same for men and women, which I find refreshing. The guy I went to before her did the same. It's actually something I look for now, just because it pisses me off to get charged double for a haircut.
ETA:
I have actually found NO difference in men's and women's razors -- but it may be because I go for a really basic razor without 11 blades and comfort gel strips and such. And my legs are smooth and nick-free, thank you very much. I think technique (and tossing blades when they need tossing) probably has a lot to do with that.
|
|
|
Post by haggis on Sept 19, 2018 22:31:02 GMT -5
For what it's worth, my groomer takes care of all that crap for me. I have people who pay the bill. I don't shave my legs. It's all good.
|
|
|
Post by celawson on Sept 19, 2018 23:57:45 GMT -5
I'm glad you have people, Haggis.
|
|
|
Post by Don on Sept 20, 2018 6:51:58 GMT -5
In my experience, most shoplifters shoplift because they want whatever it is they're taking and consider it some sort of coup to get something for nothing. I guess this attitude might be a consequences of other issues, of mental illness or the like, but I think that most of the time it simply reflects poor character. As to the benefit of the doubt, again I've never seen anyone shop by putting stuff in their purse or pockets. Never. Having worked in the grocery industry for many years, I can say that I never saw anyone go through the checkout line and take stuff out of their pockets or purse to pay for those things. I simply do not believe this happens and--imo--anyone who offers up such an excuse when they get caught are simply lying. And to be clear on the last, this was always the excuse offered when I caught someone shoplifting in such a manner. Always. Putting stuff in your purse or pocket when no one is looking, then never taking the stuff out again in the store to pay for it proves intent. This. I'm so, so tired of the excuses. Theft is theft. Triple restitution to the injured party and a fine equivalent to the arrest, prosecution and judicial expenses seems an appropriate punishment. Of course, that's not what will happen.
|
|
|
Post by haggis on Sept 21, 2018 22:05:35 GMT -5
I'm glad you have people, Haggis. They've threatened to take me back to the shelter, but I think they're mostly kidding.
|
|
|
Post by Vince524 on Sept 22, 2018 13:45:36 GMT -5
I used to work as a security guard for Toys R Us, back a few thousand years ago. Caught a few shoplifters. A pair of kids trying to walk out with stuff in their backpacks. A woman, who had no baby stealing baby formula and thanking us for catching her, a guy who caught trying to steal bubble gum after buying out a few hundred for video games.
Some don't have the money for the goods, some couldn't help themselves, some had issues.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2018 21:34:00 GMT -5
Optimus I thought of you today and the discussion of how women should just buy one do-all product. I showered and washed my hair. Afterward, I was doing my face routine, including moisturizer. But I was daydreaming, and next thing you know, I realize I'm massaging face cream into my hair as though it were my after-shampoo hair cream stuff! I was not optimistic about the results. I figured my hair would be dull and/or greasy. But in fact, my hair dried very nicely -- soft and shiny. So I guess I now know that if worse comes to worst, I could always use my face cream on my hair! (For some reason, my hair has come out much worse -- dull and frizzy -- when I use all-in-one shampoo/conditioner products, or all-in-one shampoo/body wash.)
|
|
|
Post by Optimus on Oct 8, 2018 23:55:39 GMT -5
Ha, nice. I actually don't ever use those all-in-ones but I'm currently back in the States (it's Canadian Thanksgiving today) and forgot to bring shampoo or soap with me. I stopped at Walmart and found a 28 ounce bottle of Suave shampoo+conditioner+body wash for $3 and change. It's citrus scented.
|
|