Williams mug shaving soap vanishing from stores?

RoFoBlade · Mar 27, 2014

I've been buying Williams for years at my local CVS. Today I was picking up a prescription for my wife and of course while waiting, headed to the shave aisle. Figured I'd pick up a puck or two while I was there. No dice. Not a spot on the shelf where it always was. In fact, it used to be right next to the VDH starter set. Those are gone as well.

Checked their website. Did a search and it comes up empty. Looks like Walgreens still has it online only and Rite Aid carries VDH Select in their stores but not Williams. Kind of a pain to have to get it online, but as I'm a Williams addict I guess that's what I'll do.

Anyone else notice this "conspiracy"?

:confused1

ShaverX · Mar 27, 2014

I found some at a mom and pops pharmacy yesterday. I bought 2 boxes. There is also a supermarket near me called Market Basket that carries them for 99 cents.

SRNewb · Mar 27, 2014

Yeah, I think what we are going to find is that more and more it will be sort of "specialty" stores that carry what we are looking for. Kind of like Bath and Body Works carrying C.O. Bigelow. The drugstores, Kmart, Walmart and the rest are looking for the biggest common denominator with regards to the inventory they carry. We are a small minority, and the money's just not there for them. Sad, but more and more I think we're going to see that only retailers who set themselves apart as being unique, different, etc., will carry locally the things we're looking for. Sad, but there's always the internet. Wish it didn't have to be like that.

jjking54 · Mar 27, 2014

I noticed it too. Have wanted one to have in my stash, but haven't been able to find one locally.

thin_concrete · Mar 27, 2014

They are gone from my CVS as well. I never used them, but always told myself I would pick up a puck the next time I was there. Looks like I'm too late.

mraysberg90 · Mar 27, 2014

I wanted to pick it up today at my local wegmans supermarket but i cant take the scent.

RoFoBlade · Mar 27, 2014

mraysberg90 said:
I wanted to pick it up today at my local wegmans supermarket but i cant take the scent.

I guess it's not for everyone.....but, I hadn't thought of checking Wegmans. There's one a few miles from me that I go to once in a while. Have to stock up there. Thanks for the tip!

mraysberg90 · Mar 27, 2014

RoFoBlade said:
I guess it's not for everyone.....but, I hadn't thought of checking Wegmans. There's one a few miles from me that I go to once in a while. Have to stock up there. Thanks for the tip!

Glad I could help a fellow wet shaver

Cagliostro · Mar 27, 2014

while not the best I really like williams as it is cheap and I like the scent, people say things about the scent of arko too but I got a stick and I love it now as well really nice scent and shaves great. Sucks we have to shop online all the time but I think my local cvs carries both williams and vdh along with some of the pinaud line up still lucky me :thumbup1:

JBLA · Mar 27, 2014

I wonder how much of this is due to the internet?

If you were a traditional wetshaver in the 80s and early 90s, you were pretty much limited to whatever was available at the drugstore, and maybe the odd specialty shop / mail order catalog.

A couple of decades later, when you can get razors, blade samplers, and a huge variety of soaps and creams, delivered to your door at the press of a button, I'm guessing the demand for Williams soap and $1+/blade DE blades at the brick and mortar stores, isn't quite what it was when they were literally the only game in town.

(You can still buy a case of 36 Williams pucks for $28.80 online though, which should last a while.)

taco8slo · Mar 27, 2014

I've seen it at grocery stores, Stater Bros. in particular

RoFoBlade · Mar 27, 2014

JBLA said:

I wonder how much of this is due to the internet?

If you were a traditional wetshaver in the 80s and early 90s, you were pretty much limited to whatever was available at the drugstore, and maybe the odd specialty shop / mail order catalog.

Click to expand...

JBLA said:
That describes me. Started out DE shaving in the 60's, switched to carts until late 80's, then went back to DE's. Bought soaps, blades & brushes at a local pharmacy or catalog once in a while.

This reminds me of when I used to scour small town TV-Radio shops looking for vacuum tubes (valves for you Brits). Used them in my amps and they were getting hard to find. Pep Boys and Radio Shacks used to have tube testers in their stores. Now I'll be looking for shaving stuff!

JBLA · Mar 27, 2014

RoFoBlade said:
This reminds me of when I used to scour small town TV-Radio shops looking for vacuum tubes (valves for you Brits). Used them in my amps and they were getting hard to find.

Just make your own!

(Sorry for the tangent, but if you're a DIY sort, I think you'll really like that video.)

shaversnapper · Mar 27, 2014

If you have a WINCO foods around (used to be CUB foods), they have Williams mug for $.89. I love the smell of the stuff, but have trouble getting anything close to a decent lather without mixing it with something else :wink2:

GUYGARR · Mar 27, 2014

Fred's dollar store , for those who live in the south .

ShaverX · Mar 27, 2014

I love the scent of williams. i use it as my shower soap. Such a clean scent to it. For ****s and giggles I just made a dynamite lather with williams. I used 3 loads of the brush's worth with about a shot glass worth of water and stirred it for like 8 minutes. It came out insanely thick and plentiful. Too bad it's not a shave day for me. I would have totally used that lather.

California Cajun · Mar 27, 2014

They COULD bring back the formula that made them famous and charge a fair price for it. I'd buy it.

snowman · Mar 27, 2014

Love the smell of Williams, don't love the glide (or lack thereof).

malocchio · Mar 27, 2014

RoFoBlade said:
JBLA said:

I wonder how much of this is due to the internet?

If you were a traditional wetshaver in the 80s and early 90s, you were pretty much limited to whatever was available at the drugstore, and maybe the odd specialty shop / mail order catalog.

Click to expand...

JBLA said:

That describes me. Started out DE shaving in the 60's, switched to carts until late 80's, then went back to DE's. Bought soaps, blades & brushes at a local pharmacy or catalog once in a while.

This reminds me of when I used to scour small town TV-Radio shops looking for vacuum tubes (valves for you Brits). Used them in my amps and they were getting hard to find. Pep Boys and Radio Shacks used to have tube testers in their stores. Now I'll be looking for shaving stuff!

Click to expand...

This mirrors my story as well,and that's why I love the B&B Forum,it cuts the investigative time way down for finding sources of real quality traditional shaving treasures.

August West · Mar 27, 2014

They always have it in stock at the VA Hospital Canteen.

Search

Williams mug shaving soap vanishing from stores?

RoFoBlade

ShaverX

SRNewb

jjking54

thin_concrete

mraysberg90

RoFoBlade

mraysberg90

Cagliostro

JBLA

taco8slo

RoFoBlade

JBLA

shaversnapper

GUYGARR

ShaverX

California Cajun

snowman

malocchio

August West

Similar threads