Life’s Little Rip-offs That Drive Consumers Totally Nuts

Printer ink—which often costs more than the damn printer itself—immediately comes to mind. So do razor blade cartridges that cost more than $4 a pop.

The latter example is taken to task by the WSJ’s resident Cheapskate Neal Templin. After years of shaving with Gillette razors—and paying $3 per blade lately—Templin declared that he’d had enough. He no longer wanted to play the sucker as yet another easy revenue stream for Gillette, and he sure as heck didn’t want to buy into the idea that he needed a razor with four, no five blades ($17.99 for a four-pack!) complete with battery power to get a decent shave.

So what did he do? In the same way that there’s a cheaper alternative to brand prescription drugs, he went generic in his choice of shaving tools:

I went to my local CVS pharmacy, where the chain was pitching its “three-blade shaving system.” I paid $12.50 for a razor and 10 blades, bringing my per-blade cost to $1.25.

I’ve been trying out the CVS razor for the past couple of weeks. It was just as comfortable as the three-blade Gillette I’ve used for several years.

The Gillette might have given me a slightly closer shave than the CVS razor. I really can’t say for sure. I can’t tell the difference between a great shave and good one. But I can tell the difference between paying $2.50 and $1.25.

Many consumers see no difference between big-name prescription and generic drugs—or between national brand and cheaper store brand foods for that matter. So how do the increasingly expensive products keep customers on the hook? Mainly because consumers say OK, give me the “new and improved” whatever, rather than giving me the solid standard product at a better price. From Templin’s piece:

Jackie Burwitz of Energizer Holdings, which owns Schick, says, “If you look at the sales data, consumers are willing to pay up for a better-performing razor.”

There you have it. There’s more money to be made developing fancier and fancier razors than in keeping the same razors and engaging in a price war. In other words, we American males have only ourselves to blame for the five-blade razor.

The same goes for so many other of “America’s Biggest Rip-offs,” including wine at restaurants, text messages, premium gasoline, and movie theater popcorn. There’s only one real reason that these rip-offs exist, and that’s because consumers buy into them.

You might roll your eyes in exasperation, curse once or twice, and leave the poor sap working behind the counter with a dirty look or a sarcastic comment. But you hand over your money anyway, and that’s all these businesses care about.

You know these charges are outrageous, but hey, it’s only a couple of bucks. And next time, you promise yourself, you’ll plan ahead and you won’t be suckered into paying up, right?

Kate

I consider myself a bargain shopper, and while I don’t have a problems with store brands, I’ve figured out that there can be significant quality differences among brands. My husband has been using Schick titanium razor blades since they debuted, and while they are quite pricey, they also last several times longer than any other blades, making the cost per use lower than with lower-priced blades. Target “similar to Glide” dental floss is awful – it shreds on the first floss. But the Rite Aid version of Glide is great, and much cheaper than the brand name. I take advantage of coupons and promotions to try out new products, and I’m loyal to those that provide a good value for the money.
jasonak1974

My grandfather used a strait razor for his entire life once when I was a teenager I asked him why he chose to use such and archaic piece of technology when electric razors and disposable razors were available, (at the time I had to shave approximately once every two weeks). His reply was that he had used the razor for the last 18 years had paid 1.25$ for it and that it saw no reason to spend money for a disposable that would last about a week.

Some of the old ways may still be the best ways.
hikerdeb

Here’s another example: High-tech battery-powered toothbrushes. Assuming you’re using correct brushing technique, there’s no reason you can’t get your teeth just as clean with a regular old-fashioned toothbrush.

And since dentists recommend replacing your toothbrush every few months, why would you want to spend a lot of money on one? I buy mine at Big Lots for $1.

But I agree with Kate that it can be hit-or-miss with generic products. Usually the store brand is just as good as the national brand (and often made by the same manufacturer). But sometimes the store brand is just awful. In that case, you can take it back for a refund and try to find a coupon for the national brand.
imaryma

“New and Improved” – all the brands say.
Razor companies know the pitch,
Always selling a better way
To scratch pay dirt in shavers’ itch.
How many more blades can they add?
As many as it takes it seems
To make the shaver wish he had
All scrape across his field of dreams.
Of course it comes with higher price,
Now master to the shaving slave,
With soothing spin to sure entice
That priceless is that closer shave.

Razor blade cartridges denote
A competition that’s cutthroat.
Brad Tuttle

Wow. That’s the first comment on this blog in the form of a sonnet. I feel honored. (That is a sonnet, right? Been a while since my last class as an English major.)