Thread: I hope AOS isn't the next starbucks

I've never tried their products but I received a sample pack of their unscented cream and balm and will try them out this week sometime. There is a store opening up in Tampa by December, they might even be open now for all I know. I'd love to see more brick and mortar stores carrying wet shaving goods, and as far as the sales staff I've read horror stories about how pushy they are but I wouldn't let that bother me. If you know what you want when you go in there just grab what you need smile and pay for the goods and get the heck out of there.

I have a problem with people's money being diverted to P&G rather than supporting our own scene. Their stores can be local, while the internet is not so I can understand the importance of having places that open people's eyes to something other than fancier cartridge handles (one of the reasons I don't like the idea of AOS stores).

I hate the idea of people being sold ridiculous vibrating badger brushes (though I appreciate the multi-functionality of such a tool). I hate the intentional misinformation doled out by people trained to make money and supporting image/style over substance. I like the exposure to open razors and the potential for new str8 razor shavers but I don't want P&G being the ones representin' or profiting from it. As can be seen, anecdotally, the sales staff are souring the original ideals inherent to the concept of wetshaving. This is intolerable.

I have not tried a single AOS product, now that it is owned by P&G I will never buy a single AOS product. I encourage others to do the same.

Wow! What a great thread! Just past the one month anniversary. I hope no one here's getting coal from Santa for recently purchasing products from P&G.

Another fun one to ask the unsuspecting sales associates is if their open razors are ready to shave. Think what the consequences are if they aren't, and to "newbies" at that, people who wouldn't have a real shaving edge to compare it to.

Merry Xmas, everyone. And to all a good, skin-irritation free night!

I do see AOS as another Starbucks. But I don't see that as a bad thing. Starbucks ( which I have no use for, btw, hate their coffee) created a whole new market in the US for upscale coffee. The market didn't exist (wasn't viable) before the exposure of Starbucks. I now enjoy numerous blends from quality roasters because Starbucks changed the way Americans viewed coffee.

Within the last two months I have had two separate people ask me about straight razor shaving. Both had recently been to an AOS shop. I hope they expand all over the place and I hope P&G makes a lot of bucks because along the way they just might change the way men look at shaving and create a market for wet shaving items and move it out of being a hobby back into the mainstream.