Men Have Been Getting It Too Cheap For Too Long!

Or, so says a chain of pharmacies in America:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-37611512

 

Pretty silly. Men generally can live with one or two pairs of shoes, and usually don't give a rat's azz about hair products and makeup. Women, on the other hand, love to shop. Heck, go to a mall. I have not been to one in years, but as I recall, usually a couple of bookstores, maybe a cell phone store, Radio Shack, perhaps a sporting goods store. Almost every other store was either totally women's clothing, or might have a tiny 'men's department' in the back somewhere. Think that is an accident?

But, any tax that is different for another sex or race buying the same item is certainly discrimination. What if a man was getting feminine products for his wife, or a woman was picking up products for a man?

 

That tax would be the least of his issues.

He would be saving money. How is that bad?

 

You mean, says one single shop in Manhattan.

Yawn.

Not discussion-worthy.

 

LOL, well, if you don't see the logical flaw, neither do I.

 

I just thought it was very funny. Having said that I imagine it's the same in Manhattan as it is in any other big city. The idea that all men stick to a bar of soap and a dash of Old Spice is kind of old hat. Marketing over the years has changed that. Even in my local supermarket 'Mens Toiletries' take up half an isle!

 

This is how things have changed about what men spend on grooming:
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/201...-women-beauty-products-fashion_n_1945960.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...r-spa-trips-according-Debenhams-research.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-s...illion-pound-worldwide-industry-a6813196.html

 

Wow Max, I had no idea guys were spending that much. Hmm, $15 or so a month for a haircut, Dial soap, anti-perperant, hair gel. Maybe I spend $25 a month?

LOL, just thinking about some of my friends walking around the hunting camp in face cream is funny, and also extremely disturbing. And the store I shop at has a very tiny section with men's stuff mixed in with the health and beauty stuff. Maybe 1/8'th of an isle.

 

The thing is many men do spend a lot more now than they ever did. If they didn't then who is buying all the stuff?? lol
It's very big business but I'm sure that people living in less metropolitan areas wont notice it as much.
Obviously, some men don't but more and more do.
Go to any city in Italy, or Spain or France and men alone are a walking fashion parade and London is very much like that now. You don't spend a fortune on Hugo Boss, Versace, John Richmond or D&G and not spend a good bit on grooming products too. And its fairly ordinary middle class guys that buy all that stuff. Men go to spas and beauty parlours now in very big numbers and people who only think it's men who are 'friends of Dorothy' would be very surprised. Celebs like David Beckham and many others all advertise clothes and beauty products for men.

 

My wife and I spend very little on this stuff. She wears no makeup.(and neither do I) Pharmacies to us are for insurance covered scripts only. Everything else is cheaper and with more variety elsewhere. But even then; toothpaste, mouthwash, soap, deodorant, q-tips are about as fancy as it gets. And these items are gender neutral. These companies must have to sell to 100,000's to see a profit. I don't understand how some companies make money on certain items.

 

I wouldn't mind seeing a lot of the men I see in the streets and at work every day, take some more care with their appearance and personal grooming than they seem to do, and if that requires purchasing a lot of styling and beauty products I'm fine with that.

Though I could be mistaken and they actually do spend a lot of time on their appearance, and they genuinely believe that "unshaven slob" is a sexy look for them?

Who the **** spends $36 on a concealer?

I have a highest level VIP card to Sephora, and I don't spend that much!

 

Make-up lasts for a really long time though. It's the hair products that really get you.

I've already admitted to $1,000 a year... how bad can it be?

 

I pay less than $4.00 at a salon.
Last month I bought a 400ml bottle of Dove Men +Care Body and face wash (it's also great for my hair) for less than $3.00.

I'm crying into my beer... which cost less than $13.00 for a case - 12 x 750ml.

 

Yes getting stuff when it's on offer is the best way, and buy enough until it's on offer again in a few months which is pretty common here.
I don't have to go to a barbers anymore and just use my own hair trimmer.
But just as an aside, when I was a child my Mum, my Dad and sometimes my older brother used to take me to a Barber shop near to where we lived, and I continued going there until late teens when I moved. I was always intrigued by the guy who we always went to, he was very helpful, jet black hair and looked maybe Mexican or Filipino. Anyway, this was a VERY LONG time ago - we are talking over 50 years when I first went there.
About two weeks ago I was in that area and had to pass that Barber's to go to another shop and blow me down with a feather but the very same barber was there! I couldn't believe it. I still recognised him despite the time lapse and he looked exceptionally well for a man who simply must be in his late 70s, if not 80! I popped in to say hello and tell him how good it was to see him still working and looking so well. A wonderful childhood memory.

 

Yes David, independent shops and small chains are losing out in places - cities and towns - where redevelopment is causing rent/leases to go up by massive amounts. Places in London like Vauxhall and Brixton are seeing independents shut down because of redevelopment resulting in 150-200% increases in rent and leases.

 

Yes I'm sure Moorfields is sitting on a real estate gold mine. But Moorfields is so very convenient with excellent transport links for people, and it's slap bang in the middle of an area with people much more prone to illnesses generally, and especially eye health.
When an area gets redeveloped - which is happening all the time in London - the land freeholders (in Brixton and Vauxhall it's actually Network Rail) - want high paying tenants/leaseholders like Nandos, Sainsburys, Costa, Starbucks etc.
In Hackney most of Morning Lane has been redeveloped as 'Hackney Fashion Walk' a 'luxury fashion outlet district'. It already had Burberry's from decades ago but now it's designer labels a go go and rebuilding on land by the railway arches now accommodate Nike, Joseph, Aquascutum, Bally, Gieves and Hawke, Pringle and many more. Of course, the council does well from rates, and as a magnet for tourists the money does flow in. But the resulting cafes and restaurants alongside this are naturally a bit high end excluding most people on minimum wage or even people on a bit more, of which a big percentage of residents are.
Of course, moving to London anyone faces the single biggest problem, which is accommodation, living space, which is now so expensive it's off the scale. Private rents are verging on the ridiculous and buying is impossible for anyone without a seriously large amount of money to put down. Even someone, or a couple, on a gross income of £100,000 per year would be unlikely to get a mortgage for a 2 bedroom apartment unless they had a very big deposit. It's that bad.

 

If the sales are large enough you will. Otherwise Toyota understands they won't make any profits on the sale of just 1 Corolla.