Art of Shaving. Interesting

After reading another thread on AOS creams, its really interesting that so many people love their soaps and creams but find everything else awful. I for one would like to see them stop with all the flashy handled brushes and razors and partner with some reputable makers. I know its easier said than done, but as someone who doesn't have any other stores around but them, I always just buy online. Id love to walk in there one day and see some other quality brushes, aftershaves, balms and so on. If there after the newbie wet shaver who doesn't know any better that might be fine, but even so, stock good brushes and products and Ill stop in there more than once a year. I do love there soap

I'd still stick to ordering online. I've been in once, and while the products seemed nice (albeit quite overpriced, IMO), I couldn't get past the arrogant, holier-than-thou attitude of the salesman.

From what I've read, they do partner with some reputable makers. They just stick their own label on and charge twice the price the actual manufacturer normally does.

The only experience that I have with aos is smelling the creams in a tubs at a local store and I don't know if they went rancid or what but it was awful. That alone turned me off from that brand.

My experience with AoS is limited, but I have a profound opinion. The product seems good based on some samples. Maybe even very good.

Paying $60 for a Merkur 23C, however, is highway robbery. Yes, I put my hands up and paid it; I was on vacation and forgot my razor at home. I'll never buy hardware at AoS.

In hindsight... should have gone to the local Walgreens/CVS and bought a disposable. I think of that event every time I use that razor and it's not a pleasant thought.

I love their creams and hate their new soap formulations. The scents are very good in all of their products. Their prices are high on the hardware in part because they are the only game in town where you can physically touch DEs, straights, and brushes in most locations. All that being said, they have a 19% off sale going on today through the 12th, online or in store. Code is BIRTHDAY. That should help with their astronomical prices...lol

They do partner with Muhle for some of their products and also carry Merkur razors. I think the main complaint about their hardware is less about quality and more about pricing. They tend to have ridiculously high markups on many of their items compared to identical or equivalent items from other sellers. Personally I think it's a shame because I'm the type who is usually willing to pay a little more to buy things locally--so I can get them today, see/touch them before buying, support the local economy, etc.--AOS's markup is too much for me to stomach. I did buy my very first DE razor at my local AOS store--actually got a decent price on that specific Muhle razor--but I haven't been back since, and when I was ready to invest in a good brush I sucked it up and ordered online because I knew the same quality from AOS would set me back a lot more money. Their market seems to be mostly mall-shopping women buying luxury gifts for men rather than repeat business from cost-conscious shavers. (My salesman when I bought my DE there actually told me about buying blades in bulk online for way cheap. So I don't think it surprises him that I haven't been back in there. )

We have 2 of them here, but I will not shop there as there are so many quality products out that are high quality at a much lesser price, I talked with another customer at my local barber shop who was contemplating buying a Merkur there, was a great opportunity to educate him about online offerings. I do not mind spending $ for a quality product like my ATT razor, but not for something I can get online for much less.

Tulkinghorn said:

They do partner with Muhle for some of their products and also carry Merkur razors. I think the main complaint about their hardware is less about quality and more about pricing. They tend to have ridiculously high markups on many of their items compared to identical or equivalent items from other sellers. Personally I think it's a shame because I'm the type who is usually willing to pay a little more to buy things locally--so I can get them today, see/touch them before buying, support the local economy, etc.--AOS's markup is too much for me to stomach. I did buy my very first DE razor at my local AOS store--actually got a decent price on that specific Muhle razor--but I haven't been back since, and when I was ready to invest in a good brush I sucked it up and ordered online because I knew the same quality from AOS would set me back a lot more money. Their market seems to be mostly mall-shopping women buying luxury gifts for men rather than repeat business from cost-conscious shavers. (My salesman when I bought my DE there actually told me about buying blades in bulk online for way cheap. So I don't think it surprises him that I haven't been back in there. )

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+1. B&B is mostly a different segment of the market from AOS IMHO.

I'm not comfortable going in there. Not sure why. I feel like I need to wear a suit and have the perfect BBS shave.


The one closest to me is always empty and there's some Hedge fund manager behind the counter.
and a hot chick. I like the hot chick though.

AoS makes good product, definitely nothing wrong with them, I have tried them and enjoyed them. The problem is you are paying $10-20 per product because of marketing budgets, mall rents and Gillette's greedy margins. For example, the brushes they sell can be had elsewhere for 50-75% cheaper.

AoS, though its P&G owners, is sticking with the upscale theme on which AoS was founded. The world was different when the first store opened in pricey Manhattan in 1996. The couple who founded it guided its leaps-and-bounds growth into similarly pricey mall storefronts. Through the 1990s and early 2000s AoS partnered with Gillette for store editions of popular razors. What happened was the economic correction around 2007. Snob value lost its luster. Those who were long used to running up credit cards were, often for the first time, becoming frugal savers. Consumers were switching to cheaper products. AoS, highly extended on a growth pattern, probably hit the skids when the bailout came in the form of its purchase by P&G, which had bought Gillette a few years before. Somehow the stores survived until consumer behavior became a little more extravagant again.
Meanwhile the past 19 years have seen explosive growth of eCommerce, which has brought competing products, but AoS has chosen to keep the same limited product mix within is limited-space stores. Probably if they tried to make a go of selling Arko at $3 per stick, they could not pay the mall rent or the hourly employees, much less turn a profit.

I went by AoS tonight on the way home, for the first time. I loved looking around, smelling the scented products and touching the shaving equipment. I bought a tub of sandalwood shaving cream with the current 19% discount and got the heck out of there before my will failed me. The lady running the shop tried to tempt me back next weekend to try their $175 power razor (powerball fusion). I AM tempted, as that would be the only time I would ever use one of those! We'll see if I can resist.

I love their creams, soaps, and pre-shave oils. They make quality stuff! When you compare these things to the English brands, AOS stuff is pretty reasonably-priced. Just stay away from the razors and brushes as their markup is outrageous. Like others said, you can get razors and brushes much cheaper through Amazon or any of the wet shaving online retailers. Their sales staff is generally pretty annoying with their cheesy, phony sales pitches (if you've been wet shaving for any length of time, you can see right through their BS). And a lot of their sales people are wearing beards - which makes no sense to me at all - why would anyone listen to shaving advice from a guy that doesn't even shave?

I've heard their soap or creams are good, but I wasn't expecting a $30 price tag on them, I was expecting the prices to be about half of that. Mike's Natural are about $15, and everyone seems to rave about Mike's even more, or so it seems.

Like so many of their "Big Box" counterparts all over the retail world they're struggling to keep pace with the high cost of their own branding. Places like this eventually lose the customers they convert because of outrageous prices and lack of choice. I'm sure a lot of people first got into this hobby visiting one of their shops but then turned to other sources when they realizeed what was out there. Reading how discerning most of the shave aficionados on this and other sites are makes me wonder how AOS even still makes it. And branding is what it's all about for them. That's why it's $40 for 3 oz of there aftershave balm on Amazon ($20 for the same amt of Trumpers skin food). It doesn't matter how much they reinforce their brand, their never going to outrun the big A. Like guitar center, people eventually catch on and go elsewhere when they get a little more informed and want more choice. I think if they survive at all it will be strictly a beginner market for them. Or, maybe they (like guitar center) have their own big "B" type mystery capital money source keeping them afloat. Personally, I'd like to see more drug stores or Merz Apothecary like places out their with many brands represented in one place.

It is a mall store, who goes to the mall to SAVE money? It is fun to pop in while the wife is in her stores, sometimes a jar of cream follows me out, mostly not. Fun to people watch, clientele does seem to mostly be women buying gifts.

I went in one once. They had a beautiful TI straight with carved scales. The "AoS" etch would have polished right off, I think. But still, I couldn't pay the premium.
Oh, and the sales guy sported a beard, which I found odd.